1999 Malaysian Grand Prix

This was the first Malaysian Grand Prix since a Formula Holden event in 1995, but the first time at Formula One world championship level. Michael Schumacher returned to Formula One having recovered from his broken leg, and took pole position by nearly a second from Ferrari team-mate Eddie Irvine, 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.

Back in second place, Schumacher slowed again in order to allow Irvine to build an advantage. Then, 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.

Ferrari F399's bargeboard

Irvine's lead was not big enough for him to stay ahead after his second pit stop, but Ferrari were sure that Häkkinen would have to stop again. 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.[2] 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. However, Ferrari appealed against the FIA's decision in court and both drivers were subsequently reinstated.[3]

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.

• Bold text indicates who still has a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Eddie Irvine 70 2 Mika Häkkinen 66 3 Heinz-Harald Frentzen 51 4 David Coulthard 48 5 Michael Schumacher 38 Source: [8]

Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 Ferrari 118 2 McLaren-Mercedes 114 3 Jordan-Mugen-Honda 58 4 Stewart-Ford 36 5 Williams-Supertec 33 Source: [8]

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

• Jarno Trulli suffered an engine failure on the formation lap.
• This race would prove to be the last points for Stewart Grand Prix and Johnny Herbert.
• This was the third race in a row in which a driver scored his last Grand Prix victory. Heinz-Harald Frentzen took his last win two races prior while Johnny Herbert took his last win at the preceding race.
• Last win for Eddie Irvine and last win for British driver in a Scuderia Ferrari team.

• "1999 Malaysian GP: Overview". ChicaneF1.com. Retrieved 1 August 2007.