On This Day: Schumacher & Ferrari's dominance begins
On This Day: Schumacher & Ferrari's dominance begins
Formula 1 was served warning of the red-tinted dominance to come on this day 18 years ago. Michael Schumacher led a Ferrari one-two at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix to pick up a victory which would propel him towards the first of five-consecutive titles.
Ferrari entered the 21st Century determined to end their wait for a drivers' title, which had stretched at this point to 21 years since Jody Scheckter's 1979 triumph.
Schumacher too entered the season looking for redemption having placed fifth in the championship in 1999, then his lowest finish.
Two-time defending champion Mika Hakkinen looked the man to beat as he qualified on pole, despite running into mechanical trouble on Saturday, with McLaren team-mate David Coulthard on second.
Schumacher led his stable-mate Rubens Barichello on the second row of the grid, but the German had run out of time when setting his fastest lap right at the end of the hour-long session.
As Hakkinen and Coulthard sped away at the start, Schumacher had to hold off Heinz-Harald Frentzen to keep fourth, his countryman having overtaken Barichello, and Schumacher had to work hard to hold onto the McLarens, aided by an early safety car.
When action resumed, suddenly things began to fall Schumacher's way. Coulthard soon had to retire with engine difficutly and, just seven laps later, Hakkinen also fell foul to a similar issue, leaving Schumacher in clear air.
From there, it was easy street for Schumacher and he led home a simple one-two for the Scuderia, with his brother Ralf also making a trip to the podium in the Williams.
Schumacher won the following races in Brazil and San Marino, with Hakkinen and Coulthard running into further trouble at Interlagos, giving him a firm advantage, which was converted with a stunning end-of-season surge into the first of five titles in a row.
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Horner outlines Ricciardo target to save F1 dream as major Newey announcement made - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
- Yesterday 22:57
Ricciardo makes five-race admission in bid to survive F1 axe
- Yesterday 21:57
Red Bull is 'burning' after Horner and Marko display
- Yesterday 20:57
Red Bull announce strong statement over Newey departure claims
- Yesterday 19:57
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
- Yesterday 18:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860