1998 Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka
continued
Ralf Schumacher and his Jordan/Honda blowing up right before the main straight
1998 F-1 Japanese Grand Prix, video footage digitized by Snappy
Michael Schumacher gained a lot of ground on the first lap, with a little help from his brother Ralf who let him pass. After making an inside pass at the Casio Triangle (slow chicane before the main straight), Michael went from last to 12th by the end of first lap. Things got tougher from there as he was now up against faster, less helpful drivers. However, with deft driving and excellent pit work, Schumacher ended up in third place halfway through the race, behind Mika Hakkinen and his teammate Eddie Irvine. The Championship, which seemed over when Schumacher stalled his engine at start, was now up for grabs again...
Mika Hakkinen cruising through Turn 5 (hairpin) on his way for the win
1998 F-1 Japanese Grand Prix, video footage digitized by Snappy
Unfortunately for Schumacher and Ferrari, bad luck reared its ugly head one more time. After Toranosuke Takagi (Tyrrell/Ford) and Esteban Tuero (Minardi/Ford) had a collision on Casio Triangle (IMHO, Takagi was blocked when he tried an inside pass), Schumacher drove through their debris, and moments later, his right rear tire burst - Schuey had to call it a day. Mika Hakkinen raced untouched the rest of the way finishing first and winning the well-deserved Driver's Championship, while Ferrari settled for a consolation prize with Eddie Irvine finishing second.
(It's good to see Hakkinen, who had a near-fatal accident in 1995, win the Championship)
What's in store for the 1999 season? Will Williams reassert its dominance now that Alessandro (Alex) Zanardi will rejoin F-1 with Ralf Schumacher as his teammate? Will David Coulthard, who played second fiddle to help Hakkinen win the Championship for McLaren, have a chance to go for it all? Will Ferrari keep the momentum of the past two years and finally get the Championship with Schumacher? Maybe a dark horse will startle the F-1 community - Will it be Jackie Stewart's team, or Alain Prost's? I'm waiting impatiently for the start of the 1999 Formula One World Championship!
Previous | Next (1999)
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page