Monaco is the jewel in F1's crown and can usually throw a surprise or two up. This year while there was no surprise winner, the race certainly provided more interest than most of the Grands Prix have so far in 1998.

Before the race

From the outset, the McLaren drivers set about showing the others how it was done and spent most of the day either at the top of the sheets or very close to the top. Despite a number of small accidents for both David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen, the only challenge for supremacy during qualifying came from Giancarlo Fisichella.

Giancarlo had a disappointing start to 1998, but showed an improvement since the Spanish Grand Prix and used the knowledge he has of Monaco to good effect, beating his team mate Alex Wurz (who qualified 6th) by 3 places and 6 tenths of a second.

As expected, Michael Schumacher proved to be the fastest Goodyear runner but he was not on the form that he could have expected due to losing a lot of setup time because of several shunts in free practice.

A pleasant surprise for Williams fans arrived in the shape of Heinz-Harald Frentzen who was able to get a grip on the car for the first time in 1998 and dragged it up to 5th on the grid. Jacques Villeneuve could only manage 13th, his worst ever starting position in F1.

The real surprise of qualifying was Mika Salo whose 8th place grid position was the highest for Arrows since Damon Hill in Jerez last year. Pedro Diniz lined up 4 places and only 0.2 seconds behind the Finn proving that the Arrows is a good chassis and that it has only been the engine stopping the team moving forward.

Disappointment of the weekend has to go to Jordan. Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher were only able to get 15th and 16th on the grid respectively and neither driver held little hope for the race.

Finally, Ricardo Rosset failed, once again, to qualify for the main event, his fastest lap being almost 0.5 seconds slower than the 107% cut off. More astounding was that he was 1.7 seconds slower than Esteban Tuero's Minardi which was the last car on the grid. I suspect Ricardo's tenure in F1 can now be measured in days rather than weeks and I feel that this time his departure will be for good.

The race

As the lights went out, we were treated to yet another formation getaway from the McLaren drivers, with Hakkinen keeping his pole position and Coulthard slotting in neatly behind him on the exit of Ste Devote. Behind the Silver Arrows, Giancarlo Fisichella had no trouble from Michael Schumacher's Ferrari who was comfortably ahead of the cars behind him.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen lost 5th place to Alex Wurz who yet again started well and proved that there is little wrong with the Mecachrome engine that a good chassis and Bridgestone tyres can't fix.

Although most races see the retirement of a slew of cars on the first lap, this year the only retirement was Esteban Tuero who managed to crash into the barriers on the run up to Casino Square.

As usual, the McLaren pair immediately started to pull out a lead over the other cars and Hakkinen was also pulling away from Coulthard. Behind these two, Schumacher was pressuring Fisichella and the second Benetton of Wurz was also being pressured by a red car, this time the Williams of Frentzen. Behind Heinz-Harald, Eddie Irvine was being pressured by Mika Salo whose Arrows was running faultlessly.

This meant that at the end of lap 1, the top 8 looked like this:
Hakkinen -> 1.500s -> Coulthard -> 1.300s -> Fisichella -> 0.400s -> M.Schumacher -> 1.600s -> Wurz ->0.900s-> Frentzen -> 1.000s -> Irvine -> 0.500s -> Salo

The next time round, Hakkinen put another 1.1 seconds onto his lead and increased it by a further 0.6 seconds over the following 2 laps. Coulthard, although apparently unable to keep pace with the Championship leader, was adding around 0.5 seconds per lap to his head over Giancarlo Fisichella but much of this will have been down to the Ferrari looming large in the mirrors of the Italian driver's Benetton.

By lap 6 it became clear that David Coulthard had finally got to grips with his car and he started to set about eating into the lead that Mika Hakkinen had built up over him. As each lap passed, the Scot managed to take a tenth here and a tenth there, but it was clear that neither McLaren held a significant advantage over the other.

Further back, the Fisichella-Schumacher was still raging but had pulled around 4 seconds ahead of Alex Wurz who had in turn managed to shake off Frentzen who was by now around 5 seconds behind him. Heinz-Harald was not having an easy day with Eddie Irvine now pressuring him for his 6th place.

It was fairly clear that the Williams was not handling as well as the Ferrari but with Monaco as hard to pass on as ever, it looked like Frentzen would be at least capable of holding Irvine off until the pit stops.

So, at the end of lap 9 the positions were as follows:
Hakkinen -> 3.100s -> Coulthard -> 7.200s -> Fisichella -> 0.800s -> M.Schumacher -> 4.900s -> Wurz -> 8.300s -> Frentzen -> 0.600s -> Irvine

On lap 10, Irvine seemed to be getting increasingly impatient to get past the obviously slower Williams ahead and at the Loews hairpin decided to try and pass down the inside.

From the start it looked like a move that could only succeed if Frentzen decided to give way and even then, moving off line would cause problems because of the limited steering lock in an F1 car. Predictably, the Ferrari was forced over the curbs and into the side of the Williams, knocking Heinz-Harald into the barrier and out of the race.

Initially, Eddie feared that the bump had damaged his car but after a few corners, the Ferrari driver realised his F300b was fine and continued with his race, albeit a further 4 seconds behind Alex Wurz.

On lap 11, Rubens Barrichello retired his Stewart-Ford from 12th place suffering from suspension problems and ending any hope of a second successive points finish.

Thus, on lap 12, the top 10 looked like this:
Hakkinen -> 2.100s -> Coulthard -> 9.900s -> Fisichella -> 0.800s -> M.Schumacher -> 7.500s -> Wurz -> 13.300s -> Irvine -> 3.800s -> Salo -> 1.000s -> Alesi -> 7.700s -> Trulli -> 2.900s -> Herbert

With the leaders now starting to lap the slower cars, the gaps between drivers began to fluctuate wildly and between the leading pair this was worse than ever with the gap varying by as much as 2 seconds from one lap to the next.

For Coulthard fans, all hope of a first Monaco victory was shattered on lap 17. As the Scot slowed for the Nouvelle Chicane after the tunnel, there was a flash of fire and billowing smoke coming from the back of the McLaren. The cause was engine failure and the result was instant retirement. Although the legion of David's fans will no doubt say he could have won the race, only a mistake by Mika Hakkinen in the pits or on track could have handed the Scot the victory.

So with Coulthard out, the leader now enjoyed a very comfortable 19 second lead over 2nd placed Giancarlo Fisichella who was still less than a second ahead of Michael Schumacher's Ferrari. The other result of the retirement of the McLaren was that Mika Salo was now up to 6th place, the first time in 1998 that an Arrows had been in the points.

On lap 22, the top 10 looked like this:
Hakkinen -> 16.400s -> Fisichella -> 1.100s -> M.Schumacher -> 15.800s -> Wurz -> 15.100s -> Irvine -> 4.600s -> Salo -> 1.400s -> Alesi -> 25.700s -> Trulli -> 0.500s -> Herbert -> 0.500s -> Diniz

With Salo and Diniz in the top 10 for Arrows and Trulli in 8th place for Prost, it was starting to look like the more innovative cars in the field were starting to get the reliability and performance that their designers had intended.

Despite the lengthening of some gaps and the shortening of others, little changed in the running order, even down to the level of retirements. Invariably Monaco produces long periods where the only position changes are down to accidents or retirements but in this race there were remarkably few of either and overtaking was not happening either.

It was clear that most overtaking would be happening in the pits rather than on the racetrack and this was not what the new regulations were supposed to produce… or am I wrong on that count?

Anyway, the top 10 remained unchanged until, on lap 30 the Ferrari team called Michael Schumacher in for his first stop. This appeared to be a wise move as the Fisichella-Schumacher battle was fast approaching the 3-way battle for 8th between Trulli, Herbert and Diniz. As usual, the Ferrari crew did a faultless job and changed the tyres and refuelled the car in 7.4 seconds.

Lap 30 also saw the demise of the second, and final, Stewart-Ford, Jan Magnussen retiring with suspension problems like his team mate.

Unfortunately for Schumacher, he emerged behind the Benetton of Alex Wurz who was yet to stop and obviously running on worn tyres by now. This meant that the Ferrari was being forced to drive slower than it could do as it was hemmed in behind Wurz.

18 seconds up the road, Fisichella and his pit crew had decided they also needed to come in for tyres now if they were to stay ahead of the Ferrari so the Italian stopped at the end of lap 31 for fresh rubber and more fuel. His stop took 10.2 seconds, which dropped him behind both Schumacher and his team mate Wurz. Trying to pass slower traffic as well as his much longer pit stop meant that Fisichella was a massive 9 seconds behind Michael Schumacher and apparently without much chance of 2nd place unless something happened up ahead.

Wurz, like Fisichella before him, was handling the task of keeping the former World Champion at bay calmly and making no mistakes of any importance and it started to look like Michael would have to wait until the young Austrian stopped before he could chase after the leading McLaren.

On lap 37, Mika Hakkinen entered the pits, had his car refuelled and his tyres replaced and got underway again without losing the lead, albeit with the chasing cars somewhat closer than before.

On lap 38, Michael Schumacher sensed his chance as the Benetton in front hesitated on the approach to the Loews hairpin as they approached the 8th place battle again.

Schumacher made a lunge down the inside of Wurz and, barring a little bump on the exit of the corner appeared to have passed the Austrian driver. However, it didn't end there as Alex fought back on the run down to Portier and actually repassed the German on the entry to the first part of the corner.

As usual, Schumacher kept his wits about him and took a wider line into Portier that allowed him to get on the inside for the exit of the corner. This meant he was able to pass Wurz again, albeit with the two cars coming together in the middle of the corner.

This second contact made the Benetton understeer a little and gave Schumacher the space he needed to get away into 2nd place and try and close the gap to Mika Hakkinen.

However, it became clear that all was not well with the Ferrari and a lurid slide at the Rascasse demonstrated that the bumping with Wurz had damaged something in the car and so Schumacher stopped, thereby allowing the Benetton back into 2nd place.

Once in the pits the mechanics swarmed around the left-rear corner of the car and immediately started to work on the suspension. Michael Schumacher, sensing that the damage was terminal, stepped out of the car and was preparing to walk to the motor home when Ross Brawn spoke to him and apparently indicated that continuing was possible. Although it took a few laps, the Ferrari team was able to repair the damage to the car and get Schumacher back on track but obviously in last place.

Lap 41 saw Mika Salo pit from 5th place, rejoining without incident in 6th position.

Alex Wurz continued at an unabated pace until lap 42 when he stopped for fresh rubber and fuel, getting back out without trouble, well without trouble until he arrived in the tunnel.

As the Austrian driver tried to turn the corner in the tunnel, the steering would not go where he asked it to and veered first into the left-hand barrier, then the right before careering out of the tunnel minus both front wheels. Luckily what met him at the end was not concrete but a covered tyre wall and he was able to hop out of the car unhurt. The damage appeared to have been caused by the contact with Schumacher, but although the incident ultimately ended his race, it also set him in good stead for the future and showed everyone that he cannot be scared out of the way.

The next significant runner to stop for fuel and tyres was Eddie Irvine whose Ferrari pit crew got him underway without any difficulty on lap 45. Although this dropped him further behind Giancarlo Fisichella, he remained well clear of 4th placed Jean Alesi.

Ralf Schumacher retired from a lowly 11th place on lap 44 after clipping the barrier at Ste Devote, damaging his suspension beyond immediate repair.

Thus, on lap 46, the top 10 looked like this (those drivers without time differences were 1 lap behind the leader):
Hakkinen -> 23.700s -> Fisichella -> 33.500s -> Irvine -> 8.100s -> Alesi -> 3.300s -> Salo -> Villeneuve -> Diniz -> Herbert -> Hill -> Trulli

From this point on, little changed in the running order, with the leaders unable to do much about the cars in front of them and those in the lower positions playing the waiting game rather than risking their cars.

On lap 49, Olivier Panis retired from the race with a loose wheel, and although the car had been running less quickly than the team would like, at least the gearboxes seemed to be holding up at last.

Lap 55 saw both Jacques Villeneuve and Jean Alesi arriving in the pits for their first and second stops of the day respectively. While Villeneuve was able to retain his 6th place, Alesi dropped 1 place to 5th behind Mika Salo (who had already stopped).

Alain Prost's hopes over the reliability of the gearboxes on his cars were broken on lap 56 when the remaining car of Jarno Trulli retired from 10th place.

Giancarlo was almost the next casualty of the race on lap 59 when he clipped the barrier on the exit of the Rascasse and spun the Benetton 180 degrees. Normally any car trying to turn around in the tight space available in the Rascasse-Anthony Noghes complex wipes a wing off their car but Fisichella managed to keep the B198 in 1 piece and get going again having lost only 12 seconds to Eddie Irvine.

Around lap 62, Jean Alesi started to have gear selection problems (the cause of the smoke he trailed around behind him) and this problem became worse and worse. Finally, on lap 72, 6 laps from the end, the car selected neutral and would not allow Alesi to change back into first. This left Alesi stranded in a vulnerable position at the swimming pool complex and out of an apparently secure 5th place.

However, the departure of the number 14 Sauber moved Pedro Diniz into 6th place, meaning that both Arrows cars were going to finish in the points for the first time in a long time.

The final bit of drama occurred on the last lap when Michael Schumacher (by now in 10th place ahead of Tora Takagi) tried to pass Pedro Diniz who was, at the time, 1 lap ahead of the German. On the exit of the tunnel Schumacher attempted to dive down the inside of Diniz's Arrows but left it a little late and was forced into the barrier rather than hit the man who was less than a mile from taking 6th place in the race.

Although this wiped out the front wing of the Ferrari and spun it 180 degrees, Schumacher was able to gather it up and limp over the finishing line without losing a place. Whilst some will say that Schumacher was demonstrating his "racers instinct", the move on a car 1 lap ahead on the very last lap of the race was not a clever one. Considering he did the same to Damon Hill during the race and only just avoided an accident then, the two times World Champion should have known better than to make the move on Diniz.

From the moment he crossed the line it was clear that Mika Hakkinen was overjoyed with both his race and the manner in which he won. Every driver wants to win at Monaco and Hakkinen had succeeded. Another driver looking rightly pleased with himself was Giancarlo Fisichella who looked like all his birthdays had come at once. Before I get email about this, Eddie Irvine also looked pleased, just not too the extent of the others he shared the podium with.

After the race Mika said "I have competed here on seven occasions and have never before finished the race although I did win one point in 1996! To win in Monaco is every driver's dream and to win here today is something special. It is however, only the effort of all the team that has made it possible for me to achieve this result."

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Hakkinen (McLaren-Mercedes) B Fisichella (Benetton-Playlife) B Irvine (Ferrari) G Salo (Arrows) B Villeneuve (Winfield-Williams) G Diniz (Arrows) B Herbert (Sauber-Petronas) G Hill (Jordan-Mugen) G Nakano (Minardi-Ford) B M. Schumacher (Ferrari) G Takagi (Tyrrell-Ford) G Alesi (Sauber-Petronas) G Not Classified Trulli (Prost-Peugeot) B Panis (Prost-Peugeot) B R. Schumacher (Jordan-Mugen) G Wurz (Benetton-Playlife) B Magnussen (Stewart-Ford) B Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) B Barrichello (Stewart-Ford) B Frentzen (Winfield-Williams) G Tuero (Minardi-Ford) B Rosset (Tyrrell-Ford)B B: Bridgestone G: Goodyear

1h 51m 23.595s + 0m 11.475s + 0m 41.378s + 1m 00.363s 1 lap 1 lap 1 lap 2 laps 2 laps 2 laps 2 laps 6 laps: gearbox   22 laps: gearbox 29 laps: rear suspension 34 laps: rear suspension 36 laps: crash 48 laps: rear suspension 61 laps: engine 67 laps: rear suspension 69 laps: crash 78 laps: crash DNQ

Fastest Lap (29) - Mika Hakkinen, West McLaren-Mercedes, 1m 22.948s