1999 Formula One Season

The 1999 Formula One Season was the 50th World Championship Season. It started in Melbourne, Australia on March 7th and ended in Suzuka, Japan on October 31th, after sixteen races. The champion was Mika Häkkinen, and the runner-up was Eddie Irvine. This was the first season of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit.
==Season report==
Mika Häkkinen, who became the second Finn to win a World Championship last year, originally retained his World Championship in Malaysia after both s were disqualified. After the drivers were reinstated on appeal, Irvine retook the lead going into the final race. But Häkkinen won the race, which gave him the title by two points from Irvine, as he'd have won the title regardless of Irvine's position.
Michael Schumacher missed six races in 1999 after an accident where he smashed into the tyre wall at the British Grand Prix and broke his leg. This meant he had to sit out of both his home races.
Mika Salo, who had replaced Ricardo Zonta for three races at the start of the season, took the German's place, with a best finish of second at Hockenheim, and repeated his podium with third in Italy. Schumacher returned at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
 took their first and only win at the European Grand Prix, courtesy of Johnny Herbert.
1999 saw the debuts of Spaniards Marc Gené and Pedro de la Rosa, both of whom would score points in their first season. French future WRC driver Stéphane Sarrazin would also make his only F1 appearance at the Brazilian Grand Prix substituting for Luca Badoer at . This was the final season for World Champion Damon Hill, who retired from the sport at the end of the year.
==Teams and Drivers==
Outlined below is the full list of teams and drivers for the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship:
===Driver Changes===
====Exiting Formula One from 1998====
* After failing to retain his Minardi drive into 1999, Shinji Nakano was forced off the Formula One grid in 1999 being unable to find a drive. Nakano remained in Formula One in 1999 as a test driver for throughout the season.
* After a dismal performance for the team in 1998, Ricardo Rosset was ousted from the team as soon as his contract expired by new owners . Rosset negotiated with the Minardi team for a race seat in 1999. Upon failing to get the drive, Rosset retired from motor racing all together.
* 1998 Arrows driver, Mika Salo was not retained heading into the 1999 season, Salo instead wishing to take a year off to assess his options for the 2000 season. Salo would get the opportunity to return to F1 in 1999 when he substituted for Ricardo Zonta and Michael Schumacher at BAR and Ferrari respectively. 
* After a reasonably impressive first season in 1998, Minardi signed young Esteban Tuero to the team until the end of the 2000 season. This would later be reversed in January 1999 when Tuero announced his retirement from Formula One at the young age of 20 for unknown reasons. Tuero returned to his native Argentina to compete in touring cars.
* After failing to impress to retain him for 1999, Jos Verstappen appeared out of work in F1 once again. He found solace as a test driver in the F1 project, however this was short lived following the programme's termination in February 1999 following the death of its director Harvey Postlethwaite. Verstappen then found work as a Jordan test driver for the remainder of the season. 
==== Debutants for 1999====
* After a season working as the Jordan test driver, Spanish driver Pedro de la Rosa made his debut in 1999 for the  team. De la Rosa had impressed following a succesful evaluation test in pre-season testing.
* Following succesful tests in December 1998, Marc Gené was signed for Minardi following the departure of Esteban Tuero. Gené had won the Open Fortuna by Nissan championship in 1998.
* Whilst signed on for the season as the test driver, Stéphane Sarrazin made his debut in Brazil for Minardi, substituting for the injured Luca Badoer. This was the only race Sarrazin competed in during his Formula One career.
* After two years as test driver for Jordan and , Ricardo Zonta made his Formula One debut in 1999, joining the newly formed team. 
==== Returning to Formula One====
* Italian driver, Luca Badoer made his return to Formula One racing in 1999, after serving two year's as test driver for Minardi and Ferrari. Whilst remaining the Ferrari test driver, Badoer rejoined his old team at Minardi on loan by Ferrari to compete as race driver in the 1999 season.
* Alessandro Zanardi would make his return to Formula One for the first time since 1994. Since Zanardi's first stint in Formula One, he had competed in the USA in the CART series taking the 1997 and 1998 CART championships. Now considered a world class driver Zanardi was expected to be the lead driver in the renowned F1 team for 1999.
====Moved seats for 1999====
* Brazilian driver Pedro Diniz joined the team for 1999, his sponsership and strong results in the Arrows during 1998 were enough for Sauber to take Diniz for the new season.
* After being dropped by Williams in 1998, Heinz-Harald Frentzen had considered joining the IndyCar Series for the 1999 but opted to remain in F1 by joining the team, his old team from his Formula 3000 days back in 1990.
* After being dropped by Sauber in 1998, Johnny Herbert signed a two year deal with the team starting in the 1999 season. 
* Ralf Schumacher had made the switch to the Williams team after two years with Jordan. 
* With the team being relaunched as in 1999, Toranosuke Takagi found himself without a drive in the team, however his strong performances in 1999 assisted in him gaining a drive at the for the new season in 1999.
* The 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve opted to leave the Williams team for 1999 after disappointing results by the team in 1998. Villeneuve opted to join the new BAR team, working alongside his old manager, now team principal Craig Pollock, with the aim to turn the fledgling team into race winning material by the end of the season. 
==== Mid-Season Changes====
* When Luca Badoer fractured his hand in a testing accident ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, he was replaced for the grand prix by Prost test driver Stéphane Sarrazin in the Minardi team, Sarrazin subsequently making his Formula One debut in Brazil. 
* After injuring his foot during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, Ricardo Zonta, was forced to sit out the next three races in order for it to heal. Zonta was replaced by out of work driver Mika Salo in the team until Zonta was well enough to return.
* When driver Michael Schumacher broke his leg in the British Grand Prix, he was subsequently replaced by Mika Salo for the next six rounds in the championship until Schumacher was well enough to return at the Malaysian Grand Prix. 
===Team Changes===
==Calendar==
===Calendar Changes:===
The first Malaysian Grand Prix was held at the Sepang International Circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke. The race was eventually won by Ferraris Eddie Irvine, after his teammate, Michael Schumacher waved him through for the sake of the championship.
==Results, Standings and Statistics==
==Results==
===Standings and Statistics===
Points system: 10, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 from first to sixth.
====Drivers====
Outlined below are the full standings for the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers:
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	9 	10 	11 	12 	13 	14 	15 	16 	Points
Pos. 	Driver 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Points
 	Häkkinen 	P 	P 	P 	P 	P 	 	 	P 	P 	P 	P 	P 	P 	 	 	 	76
 	Irvine 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	74
 	Frentzen 	 	† 	 	 	 	11th† 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	P 	 	 	54
4th 	Coulthard 	 	 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	48
5th 	M. Schumacher 	8th 	 	 	 	 	P 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	P 	P 	44
6th 	R. Schumacher 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	9th 	 	 	 	 	 	35
7th 	Barrichello 	 	 	 	9th† 	 	 	P 	8th 	 	 	 	10th 	 	 	 	8th 	21
8th 	Herbert 	 	 	10th† 	 	 	 	 	12th 	14th 	11th† 	11th 	 	 	 	 	7th 	15
9th 	Fisichella 	 	 	 	 	9th 	 	 	7th 	12th† 	 	 	11th 	 	 	11th 	14th† 	13
10th 	Salo 	 	 	7th† 	 	8th 	 	 	 	9th 	 	12th 	7th 	 	 	 	 	10
11th 	Trulli 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	7th 	9th 	7th 	 	8th 	12th 	 	 	 	 	7
= 	Hill 	 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	 	8th 	 	 	 	10th 	 	 	 	7
13th 	Wurz 	 	7th 	 	 	10th 	 	 	10th 	 	7th 	7th 	14th 	 	 	8th 	10th 	3
= 	Diniz 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	11th 	3
15th 	Alesi 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	14th† 	 	8th 	16th† 	9th 	9th 	 	7th 	 	2
= 	Panis 	 	 	 	 	 	9th 	8th 	13th 	10th 	 	10th 	13th 	11th† 	9th 	 	 	2
17th 	Gené 	 	9th 	9th 	 	 	8th 	 	15th 	11th 	9th 	17th 	16th 	 	 	9th 	 	1
= 	de la Rosa 	 	 	 	 	11th 	 	11th 	 	 	 	15th 	 	 	 	 	13th 	1
— 	Zanardi 	 	 	11th† 	8th 	 	 	 	11th 	 	 	 	8th 	7th 	 	10th 	 	0
— 	Takagi 	7th 	8th 	 	 	12th 	 	 	16th 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	0
— 	Villeneuve 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	15th 	8th 	10th† 	 	9th 	0
— 	Zonta 	 	 	 	 	 	 	9th 	 	15th† 	 	13th 	 	 	8th 	 	12th 	0
— 	Badoer 	 	 	8th 	 	 	10th 	10th 	 	13th 	10th 	14th 	 	 	 	 	 	0
— 	Sarrazin 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	0
Pos. 	Driver 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Points
Pos. 	Driver 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	9 	10 	11 	12 	13 	14 	15 	16 	Points
*P Indicates a driver who qualified pole position.
*Italic donates as the fastest lap.
*† Indicates a driver who was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
====Constructors====
Outlined below are the full standings for the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship for Constructors:
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Driver 	No. 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	9 	10 	11 	12 	13 	14 	15 	16 	Points
Pos. 	Driver 	No. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Points
rowspan=2 	 	3 	8th 	 	 	 	 	P 	 	 	9th 	 	12th 	7th 	 	 	P 	P 	128
4 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	 	128
rowspan=2 	 	1 	P 	P 	P 	P 	P 	 	 	P 	P 	P 	P 	P 	P 	 	 	 	124
2 	 	 	 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	124
rowspan=2 	 	7 	 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	 	8th 	 	 	 	10th 	 	 	 	61
8 	 	 	† 	 	 	 	11th† 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	P 	 	 	 	61
4th 	 	16 	 	 	 	9th† 	 	 	P 	8th 	 	 	 	10th 	 	 	 	8th 	36
4th 	 	17 	 	 	10th† 	 	 	 	 	12th 	14th 	11th† 	11th 	 	 	 	 	7th 	36
5th 	 	5 	 	 	11th† 	8th 	 	 	 	11th 	 	 	 	8th 	7th 	 	10th 	 	35
5th 	 	6 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	9th 	 	 	 	 	 	35
6th 	 	9 	 	 	 	 	9th 	 	 	7th 	12th† 	 	 	11th 	 	 	11th 	14th† 	16
6th 	 	10 	 	7th 	 	 	10th 	 	 	10th 	 	7th 	7th 	14th 	 	 	8th 	10th 	16
7th 	 	18 	 	 	 	 	 	9th 	8th 	13th 	10th 	 	10th 	13th 	11th† 	9th 	 	 	9
7th 	 	19 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	7th 	9th 	7th 	 	8th 	12th 	 	 	 	 	9
8th 	 	11 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	14th† 	 	8th 	16th† 	9th 	9th 	 	7th 	 	5
8th 	 	12 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	11th 	5
9th 	 	14 	 	 	 	 	11th 	 	11th 	 	 	 	15th 	 	 	 	 	13th 	1
9th 	 	15 	7th 	8th 	 	 	12th 	 	 	16th 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	1
= 	 	20 	 	 	8th 	 	 	10th 	10th 	 	13th 	10th 	14th 	 	 	 	 	 	1
= 	 	21 	 	9th 	9th 	 	 	8th 	 	15th 	11th 	9th 	17th 	16th 	 	 	9th 	 	1
— 	 	22 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	15th 	8th 	10th† 	 	9th 	0
— 	 	23 	 	 	7th† 	 	8th 	 	9th 	 	15th† 	 	13th 	 	 	8th 	 	12th 	0
Pos. 	Driver 	No. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Points
Pos. 	Driver 	No. 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	9 	10 	11 	12 	13 	14 	15 	16 	Points
*P Indicates a driver who qualified pole position.
*Italic donates as the fastest lap.
*† Indicates a driver who was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
Category:Formula One Seasons
 
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