1999 Malaysian GP: Schumacher comeback paves the way for Irvine

Eddie Irvine won the first Malaysian Grand Prix ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Michael Schumacher. Mika Häkkinen finished third for McLaren. The race was decided by Schumacher, who had the fastest car on track on his comeback. He handed the lead to Irvine twice and repeatedly held Häkkinen up. You can find all the numbers from the race on our 1999 Malaysian GP race page.

The Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur was new territory for every team. It was the first time the Formula 1 World Championship had raced in Malaysia, and it came in the penultimate round of a title fight that was still wide open. Schumacher was the main talking point. He had broken his leg at the British GP and had been absent ever since. At Sepang he returned and took pole position. According to Wikipedia and Autosport, his 1:39.688 was almost a second quicker than Irvine.

Schumacher himself was no longer fighting for the title. His job was clear: Irvine was to bring Ferrari its first drivers' title since 1979. Autosport spoke of a "golden opportunity" for the Northern Irishman. According to Wikipedia, conditions were hot, cloudy and dry.

Schumacher kept the lead at the start. For Damon Hill, however, the race was over after just two corners: according to AtlasF1's report, Giancarlo Fisichella hit him in the Benetton, and Hill's Jordan retired without completing a single lap.

At the front, Ferrari quickly put the plan into action. Irvine led from lap 4 after Schumacher had moved aside. Schumacher then held up the two McLarens. David Coulthard was not prepared to put up with that. He forced his way past Schumacher, damaging Schumacher's Ferrari in the process, according to AtlasF1 and Autosport. The Scot then chased Irvine for the lead. After 14 laps the chase was over: Coulthard parked his McLaren with low fuel pressure. That left Häkkinen without the team-mate who could have foiled Ferrari's tactics.

The decisive moves came during refuelling. According to AtlasF1, Schumacher stopped only once despite running the softer tyres, while Irvine and Häkkinen stopped twice. Before the first round of stops, Schumacher upped the pace to stay ahead of Häkkinen. McLaren gambled by only half-filling Häkkinen's tank so that he would rejoin ahead of the Ferrari. According to grandprix.com and Wikipedia, it didn't pay off. Schumacher stayed in front, held the Finn up again, and Irvine's lead grew.

The lead changes show the pattern clearly. During the stops, Schumacher led on laps 26 to 28 and again from lap 42. After Irvine's second stop, Häkkinen rejoined after his own second stop only in fourth, behind Johnny Herbert. He passed the Stewart to claim third place. From lap 53 Irvine was back in front, as Schumacher let him by a second time. This time the win was at stake.

Irvine won by 1.040 seconds, according to AtlasF1. He praised his team-mate with the words: "Not only is Michael the best Number One driver – he is also the best Number Two." Schumacher admitted he would have liked to win, but given the state of the championship standings it would have made no sense. After the race, Häkkinen spoke of the "hardest race of my life".

Of 22 cars entered, only eleven took the chequered flag. The key retirements:

• Jarno Trulli (Prost): withdrew with an engine failure and did not complete a lap.
• Damon Hill (Jordan): collision at the start, 0 laps.
• Olivier Panis (Prost): engine failure after 5 laps.
• Ricardo Zonta (BAR): engine failure after 6 laps.
• Ralf Schumacher (Williams): spun out after 7 laps. It was a bitter day for him, as he lost fifth place in the championship to his brother.
• Toranosuke Takagi (Arrows): gearbox failure after 7 laps.
• David Coulthard (McLaren): fuel pressure, after 14 laps.
• Luca Badoer (Minardi): spun out after 15 laps.
• Pedro de la Rosa (Arrows): engine failure after 30 laps.
• Pedro Diniz (Sauber): spun out after 44 laps.
• Jacques Villeneuve (BAR): hydraulic failure after 48 laps. Once again, the new team came away without points.

Marc Gené gained the most places. He took his Minardi from grid position 19 to ninth, ten positions further up. Heinz-Harald Frentzen started only 14th but still picked up a point in sixth. He and Jean Alesi, who drove the Sauber from 15th to seventh, each gained eight places. Alessandro Zanardi finished tenth in the Williams, one lap down.

Stewart put in a strong performance: Herbert finished fourth, Rubens Barrichello fifth. According to AtlasF1, Herbert's one-stop strategy gave him the edge over Barrichello, who pitted twice. Herbert had previously won the European GP. Benetton, by contrast, went home without points. Alexander Wurz finished eighth, while Fisichella ended up four laps down.

The losers were Coulthard and Hill: the Scot lost 13 positions from third on the grid, Hill twelve from ninth.

With the win, Irvine took the lead in the 1999 standings. He now had 70 points to Häkkinen's 66. Frentzen (51) and Coulthard (48) no longer had a shot at the title before the final race. Michael Schumacher moved up to fifth with 38 points. Ferrari also led the constructors' standings with 118 points, four ahead of McLaren on 114.

Things did not stay calm, though. Just a few hours after the race, both Ferraris were disqualified because their bargeboards (the side air deflectors) did not comply with the regulations. That would have handed Häkkinen and McLaren both titles. Context: Ferrari appealed. The FIA Court of Appeal in Paris declared the cars legal and gave Ferrari back the win and second place. In the court's view, the stewards' measuring equipment was not precise enough to prove an infringement. The title was therefore decided at the Japanese GP. Irvine's win at Sepang would remain the last of his Formula 1 career.