The 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix (formally the 1999 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix)[2] was a Formula One race held on 17 October 1999 at the new Sepang International Circuit near Sepang, Malaysia. It was the fifteenth race of the 1999 Formula One World Championship.
| 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 15 of 16 in the 1999 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | 17 October 1999 | ||||
| Official name | 1999 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix | ||||
| Location |
Sepang International Circuit Sepang, Malaysia | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 5.542 km (3.444 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 56 laps, 310.352 km (192.853 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Cloudy, hot, dry | ||||
| Attendance | 80,000 (Weekend) [1] | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||||
| Time | 1:39.688 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |
 Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:40.267 on lap 25 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Ferrari | ||||
| Second | Ferrari | ||||
| Third | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
The 56-lap race was won by Eddie Irvine, driving a Ferrari, after starting from second position. Teammate Michael Schumacher, in his first race back after breaking his leg at the 1999 British Grand Prix, finished second after letting Irvine overtake him, having started from pole position. Championship leader Mika Häkkinen finished third in a McLaren-Mercedes.
Both Ferraris were disqualified for the race, and Häkkinen and McLaren initially appeared to have won both championships. After Ferrari's successful appeal, the race results were reinstated. Although the win gave Irvine a four point lead over Häkkinen in the Drivers' Championship with one race to go, it would be his fourth and last Formula One career win.
Report
editThis was the first Malaysian Grand Prix since a Formula Holden event in 1995, and the first time at Formula One world championship level.[3] Michael Schumacher returned to Formula One having recovered from his broken leg, and took pole position by nearly a second from Ferrari teammate Eddie Irvine,[4] with the McLarens of David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen third and fourth, respectively. At the start, Schumacher led away from Irvine, Coulthard, Häkkinen, and Rubens Barrichello. On lap 4, Schumacher slowed and allowed Irvine to pass him, then proceeded to block the McLarens. Coulthard forced his way past Schumacher on lap 5 and pursued Irvine for the lead, only to retire on lap 15 with fuel pressure problems.[5]
Back in second place, Schumacher slowed again in order to allow Irvine to build an advantage. As the first round of pit stops loomed, Schumacher accelerated the pace in order to stay ahead of Häkkinen. Realising this, McLaren gambled on giving Häkkinen half a tank of fuel, hoping it would be enough to get him out of the pits ahead of Schumacher. The gamble failed, as Schumacher stayed ahead of the Finn and proceeded to block him again, allowing Irvine to extend his lead to 20 seconds.[6]
Irvine's lead was not big enough for him to stay ahead after his second pit stop. Despite this, Ferrari were sure that Häkkinen would have to stop again, which he did, emerging in fourth place behind Johnny Herbert in the Stewart. Schumacher slowed once again to allow Irvine to retake the lead, while Häkkinen forced his way past Herbert for third.[7]
Irvine duly took the chequered flag one second ahead of Schumacher, with Häkkinen a further eight seconds back. Immediately after the race, the Ferraris were disqualified due to an infringement on their bargeboards. This meant that Häkkinen and McLaren were effectively handed their respective championships by default. Ferrari appealed against the FIA's decision in court and both drivers were subsequently reinstated.[8][9]
With one race remaining, Irvine led the Drivers' Championship by four points over Häkkinen, 70 to 66. Similarly, Ferrari held a four-point lead over McLaren in the Constructors' Championship, 118 to 114. Despite Schumacher's alleged wish not have Irvine being the Ferrari driver to end the team championship's drought,[10] his performance in Malaysia proved instrumental for Irvine to possibly win the championship at the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix.[11][12][13]
Classification
editQualifying
edit
Race
editChampionship standings after the race
edit- Bold text indicates who still had a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
edit- ^ "Are tickets too dear? Where F1 race attendance fell in 2016 - F1 Fanatic". 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Malaysian". Formula 1. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ Spurgeon, Brad (26 March 2015). "In Malaysia, Start of Something Big for Formula One". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Collantine, Keith (5 April 2007). "1999 Malaysian Grand Prix flashback". RaceFans. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Lupini, Michele (17 October 1999). "Grand Prix of Malaysia Review". Atlas F1. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Schot, Marcel (18 March 2001). "Focus: Eddie Irvine at Sepang". Atlas F1. Vol. 7, no. 11. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Grand Prix Results: Malaysian GP, 1999". GrandPrix.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
- ^ "Ferrari wins F1 appeal". BBC. 23 October 1999. Archived from the original on 20 April 2003. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- ^ Law, Alexander (31 October 1999). "Scrutinise the Scrutiny". Atlas F1. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Harrington, Alex (12 January 2024). "F1 News: Did Michael Schumacher Intentionally Sabotage Irvine's Championship Bid?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Collantine, Keith (5 April 2007). "1999 Malaysian Grand Prix flashback". RaceFans. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (4 April 2009). "Grand Prix Gold: Malaysia 1999". Autosport. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Fearnley, Paul (29 September 2016). "Sepang's controversial debut". Motor Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "1999 Malaysian GP: Qualification". ChicaneF1.com. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
- ^ "Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix – 1999: Startgrid". The Formula One Database. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
- ^ "1999 Malaysian Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- ^ "1999 Malaysian GP: Classification". ChicaneF1.com. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
- ^ a b "Malaysia 1999 – Championship • STATS F1". Stats F1. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
Further reading
edit- "1999 Malaysian GP: Overview". ChicaneF1.com. Retrieved 1 August 2007.