1998 Belgian Grand Prix

Damon Hill won the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on 30 Aug 1998 for Jordan, from 3rd on the grid; Ralf Schumacher was second and Jean Alesi third. Pole position: Mika Häkkinen.

Hill took the lead for good on lap 26 of 44, from Michael Schumacher; the lead changed hands 2 times in all. There was one safety-car period (laps 28 to 33). Hill stopped 2 times, on laps 16 and 28; 6 of 8 finishers made 2 stops, and the median first stop was lap 16. The fastest lap was Michael Schumacher's, 2:03.766. 8 of 22 starters were classified; 14 retired or were not classified. After the race Mika Häkkinen led the championship with 77 points, 7 ahead of Michael Schumacher, with 3 rounds left.

Date

30 Aug 1998

Circuit

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium

Round

13 of 16

Winner

Damon Hill (Jordan)

Pole position

Mika Häkkinen (1:48.682)

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Race classification

Grid differs from qualifying for 2 drivers: Rubens Barrichello qualified 14th, started 15th; Olivier Panis qualified 15th, started 14th. The data records the positions, not the reason; such gaps come from grid penalties, car or engine changes, or pit-lane starts. The small "q" number in the Grid column is the qualifying position.

Grid "PL" means started from the pit lane. FL marks the fastest lap of the race.

Lap chart

Explained: how to read a lap chart · safety car, virtual safety car and red flags.

Race history: gap to the leader

How the race was won

Winner

Damon Hill: 2 stops (laps 16, 28), stints of 16, 12, 16 laps

2nd

Ralf Schumacher: 2 stops (laps 11, 27), stints of 11, 16, 17 laps

3rd

Jean Alesi: 2 stops (laps 16, 28), stints of 16, 12, 16 laps

Finishers

1 stop: 2 · 2 stops: 6

First stops

median lap 16 of 44

Pit stops

Explained: tyres, compounds and pit stops · pit stops per race since 1994.

Pit-lane time: pit entry to pit exit. Tyre changes under a red flag are not counted.

Qualifying

Explained: how qualifying works · how often pole position wins.

Gap: the driver's best time in any session (session named), in seconds behind the fastest time of qualifying. That is usually the pole time; when a session gets slower (rain, for example), an earlier session's time can be faster. The bar is full at 3 seconds; larger gaps are cut off.

Standings after this race

Explained: how points and the two championships work.

Full 1998 standings