1998 Season

The 52nd FIA Formula One World Championship runs across 16 races from 8 March to 1 November. The season is shaped by Renault’s withdrawal from the sport and the arrival of designer Adrian Newey at McLaren — two events that have fundamentally reshuffled the pecking order.

Driver changes

Gerhard Berger retired at the end of 1997 after fourteen years in Formula One, leaving a seat at Benetton. The team also chose not to renew Jean Alesi’s contract; Alesi has signed a two-year deal to join Johnny Herbert at Sauber. As replacements, Benetton signed Giancarlo Fisichella from Jordan and Alexander Wurz, who had already substituted for Berger across three races in 1997.

Jordan filled Fisichella’s seat by signing 1996 World Champion Damon Hill to partner Ralf Schumacher. Arrows secured the services of Mika Salo alongside Pedro Diniz to replace the departing Hill. Tyrrell parted ways with Jos Verstappen — despite Ken Tyrrell wanting him to stay — after new owners British American Tobacco preferred to hire Brazilian Ricardo Rosset, who had briefly raced for the now-defunct Lola team in 1997. Toranosuke Takagi is promoted from a testing role to fill the second Tyrrell seat.

At Prost, Shinji Nakano is replaced by Jarno Trulli, who substituted for Olivier Panis when Panis broke his leg at the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix. Nakano joins Minardi, replacing the retired Ukyo Katayama. Minardi’s second seat goes to rookie Esteban Tuero, promoted from testing.

Team changes

Renault has withdrawn as a direct engine supplier, marking the first Renault-free season since 1988. The two teams that ran Renault engines are forced to find alternatives. Williams runs Mecachrome-supplied engines — a rebadged version of the Renault RS9 developed in co-operation with Renault. Benetton uses a similar unit, rebranded “Playlife” after a Benetton family fashion label. Neither team is expected to be as competitive as in previous seasons.

Arrows bought out Brian Hart’s preparation company to build its own engines. Jordan and Prost have swapped engine suppliers: Jordan now runs Mugen-Honda, while Prost switches to Peugeot. Minardi changes from Hart to Ford.

McLaren and Benetton have both switched from Goodyear to Bridgestone for 1998 — the Japanese manufacturer’s second year in Formula One. Williams and Ferrari remain on Goodyear. The championship will therefore be contested between teams on different tyre suppliers.

Calendar

The season runs to 16 rounds. The Portuguese Grand Prix was cancelled for the second consecutive year: the government refused to fund the required safety upgrades at Estoril. The European Grand Prix at Jerez, which replaced Portugal in 1997, does not appear on the 1998 calendar. The Nürburgring race retains its Luxembourg Grand Prix title, meaning no race runs under the European Grand Prix name for the first time in six years.

Regulation changes

Two major technical changes come into force to cut cornering speeds. Grooved tyres replace slicks for the first time since 1970: front tyres carry three grooves, rears carry four. Car track width is reduced from 2,000 mm to 1,800 mm, restricting teams’ ability to generate downforce. Both McLaren and Benetton, switching to Bridgestone, will be working with a tyre manufacturer that has specifically developed compounds for the new grooved-tyre era.

Braking performance is limited by new regulations designed to improve overtaking prospects and reduce costs. The 30-lap-per-day limit on free practice sessions is abolished. Engine cover cameras are standardised to a T-shape design.