Häkkinen won his first world title at Suzuka 28 years ago today

The 1998 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka took place 28 years ago today, on November 1, 1998. Mika Häkkinen of McLaren-Mercedes won the 51-lap race and clinched the first world title of his career. His rival Michael Schumacher retired on lap 31 after a tyre burst.

Title decided at the final race

Going into the 16th and final race of the season, Häkkinen led the standings with 90 points, while Ferrari's Schumacher was second on 86. Because a maximum of 10 points was awarded for a win, Schumacher still had a chance. Häkkinen only needed to finish second even if Schumacher won, since a tie on points would be settled by the number of second-place finishes. Häkkinen had three second places to Schumacher's two. McLaren's David Coulthard was third on 52 points, and Ferrari's Eddie Irvine was fourth on 41.

In the five weeks between the Luxembourg GP and Suzuka, Ferrari carried out private tests at its home circuit, Mugello, while McLaren tested at Catalunya. Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari's president, gave Schumacher strict instructions to avoid a repeat of the controversial incidents that had decided the 1994 and 1997 championships.

Qualifying and the start

Schumacher took pole with a lap of 1:36.293, his third consecutive pole. Häkkinen was second, a tenth of a second behind, with Coulthard third. Irvine started fourth and Heinz-Harald Frentzen fifth.

The first start was aborted after Jarno Trulli's Prost stalled from 14th on the grid. On the second attempt, Schumacher's Ferrari stalled as it pulled away and he was forced to start from the back of the grid. Häkkinen moved up to pole.

How the race unfolded

Häkkinen took the lead while Irvine passed Coulthard for second. Schumacher climbed to 12th by the end of the first lap and passed his brother Ralf on lap four. He then lost time behind Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve and fell 30 seconds behind leader Häkkinen. After his pit stops, he rose to third.

On lap 28, Esteban Tuero missed his braking point at the final corner and collided with Tora Takagi's Tyrrell. Schumacher drove over the debris, and his right-rear tyre slowly lost air. It burst three laps later.

Häkkinen won, Irvine was second and Coulthard third. McLaren kept its lead in the constructors' standings. On the final corner, Hill passed Frentzen to take fourth, which put Jordan ahead of Benetton in the standings thanks to the extra points.

Reaction

Häkkinen said that Schumacher's start from the back had increased the pressure on him, and that the race was not as hard as others that season. Irvine said that what happened to Schumacher had disrupted the team's tactics.

This was the last race for the Tyrrell team, which competed the following season as British American Racing. Goodyear also ended its Formula 1 involvement at the end of the season, after a run that began in 1965. Bridgestone became the sole tyre supplier in 1999.