1999 French Grand Prix

Championship standings

Häkkinen leads with 34 points; Schumacher is second on 30, four behind. Irvine is third on 25. Frentzen and Fisichella are both on 13 points. Ferrari lead the Constructors’ with 55 points; McLaren are second on 46; Jordan third.

Previous race

At Montreal, Häkkinen won after a chaotic race defined by four crashes at the final chicane. Schumacher, Damon Hill, and Villeneuve all hit the wall there — a section subsequently nicknamed the Wall of Champions. Frentzen had been running second when his brakes failed four laps from the end; he crashed heavily but was uninjured. The race finished behind the safety car, the first in Formula One history to do so.

Between-race developments

On 16 June, Jordan driver Damon Hill announced he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season. Hill cited the demands of testing and his own performance as factors, though he suggested he was still deciding whether to race at Silverstone or leave immediately.

Teams tested at Magny-Cours from 16 to 18 June. Coulthard set the fastest time on the first day; Irvine was quickest on the second. Williams made suspension modifications that resulted in several spins.

Practice and qualifying

Qualifying was held in wet conditions, producing an unusual front row. Barrichello took his first career pole in the Stewart. Five drivers — Hill, Gené, Badoer, de la Rosa, and Takagi — failed to meet the 107% time in the wet; all five were permitted to race given the exceptional conditions. Hill missed the cutoff by three milliseconds, the narrowest margin on record.

The second practice session was also held in wet and overcast conditions, with track temperatures falling to 19 °C.