1998 Australian Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 16 in the 1998 Formula One season | |||
 |
|||
| Date | 8 March 1998 | ||
| Official name | LXIII Qantas Australian Grand Prix | ||
| Location |
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia |
||
| Course | Albert Park Circuit | ||
| Course length | 5.303 km (3.295 mi) | ||
| Distance | 58 laps, 307.574 km (191.118 mi) | ||
| Weather | Clear with maximum temperatures reaching 24 degrees at the start, increasing to 30 degrees by the end of the race. | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| Time | 1:30.010 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Mika Häkkinen
|
McLaren-Mercedes | |
| Time | 1:31.649 on lap 39 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| Third | Williams-Mecachrome | ||
The 1998 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Albert Park street circuit in inner Melbourne on 8 March. It was the 63rd race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix that dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928. It was the first of the sixteen races of the 1998 Formula One season and held over 58 laps of the 5.3 kilometre street circuit and the sixth to be held on the Albert Park venue first used in 1953, or the third since the new circuit first hosted the race in 1996.
The race was dominated by the McLaren-Mercedes team and won by Mika Häkkinen over his team mate David Coulthard in controversial circumstances. WilliamsF1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third. The race also represented the first win for Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone in Formula One and the first race since the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix not won by Goodyear.
The McLarens of Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard made good starts from the front row of the grid, but Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, starting third, also had a good start and tried to overtake second place Coulthard. The Ferrari driver stayed with the McLarens, but retired on lap 6 when his engine failed. This handed third place to the Williams of Jacques Villeneuve, who was being chased by Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella.
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