1998 Spanish Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 16 in the 1998 Formula One season | |||
Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona
|
|||
| Date | 10 May 1998 | ||
| Official name | XL Gran Premio Marlboro de España | ||
| Location |
Circuit de Catalunya Barcelona, Spain |
||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.728 km (2.938 mi) | ||
| Distance | 65 laps, 307.196 km (190.883 mi) | ||
| Weather | Sunny and warm | ||
| Attendance | 70,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| Time | 1:20.262 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Mika Häkkinen
|
McLaren-Mercedes | |
| Time | 1:24.275 on lap 25 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| Third | Ferrari | ||
The 1998 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 May 1998 at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was the fifth race of the 1998 Formula One season. The 65-lap race was won by McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen after he started from pole position. His teammate David Coulthard finished second and Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher took third.
Mika Häkkinen qualified in pole position, 0.7 seconds ahead of his McLaren team-mate David Coulthard in second place, with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher a further 0.8 seconds behind in third. The race proved to be a formality for Häkkinen, winning the race ahead of Coulthard in second, and Schumacher in third.
Arrows driver Pedro Diniz started from the pit lane due to stalling on the warm up lap. At the start the McLarens got away well, but Schumacher made a poor start and fell back to fifth behind his team-mate Eddie Irvine and Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella. They ran in these positions until the first round of pit stops, when Irvine delayed Fisichella sufficiently for his team-mate Schumacher to emerge ahead of them both and regain third. Fisichella and Irvine continued to battle until lap 28, when Fisichella attempted a passing manoeuvre around the outside of Irvine, resulting in a collision spearing them both off into the gravel trap. This led to Fisichella's Benetton team-mate, Alexander Wurz, inheriting fourth place which he held until the finish. Mika Häkkinen was consistently faster than his team mate David Coulthard throughout the race weekend, unable to match his pace, even though they were in the same car. Respected ex driver and pundit Martin Brundle made the comment that Häkkinen was "in a class of his own".
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