For 1999, Irvine was confident heading into the season, saying: "After last year's results where I got my best ever championship finish with 4th place overall, now, for this year, I want to do even better". His season got off to a good start: after 81 Grand Prix, Irvine scored his maiden Formula One victory at the season opening round in Australia, giving him the lead of the World Drivers' Championship for the first time. In the following race in Brazil an unscheduled pitstop, due to blocked radiators, cost Irvine a podium finish, and he ultimately finished fifth. Three weeks later in the San Marino Grand Prix, Irvine would miss out on another podium finish, after his car suffered an engine failure on lap 47 (of 62) while in a comfortable third place, losing him the lead of the Drivers' Championship to teammate Schumacher. Irvine finished second at Monaco, behind Schumacher, giving Ferrari its first one-two finish of the season, and first ever in the Principality. At the next round in Canada, Irvine set fastest lap (his career one and only) and survived a collision with McLaren driver David Coulthard on the way to a third-place finish.