1999 British Grand Prix
The 1999 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 11 July 1999 at the Silverstone Circuit near Silverstone, England. It was the eighth race of the 1999 Formula One season. The 60-lap race was won by McLaren driver David Coulthard after he started from third position. Eddie Irvine finished second for the Ferrari team and Williams driver Ralf Schumacher came in third.
| 1999 British Grand Prix | |||||
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Race 8 of 16 in the 1999 Formula One World Championship
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Silverstone Circuit in its 1999 configuration | |||||
| Race details | |||||
| Date | 11 July 1999 | ||||
| Official name | LII RAC British Grand Prix | ||||
| Location | Silverstone, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, England | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 5.140 km (3.194 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 60 laps, 308.400 km (191.640 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Sunny, mild, dry | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Time | 1:24.804 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | |||
| Time | 1:28.309 on lap 28 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Second | Ferrari | ||||
| Third | Williams-Supertec | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
Jacques Villeneuve and Alessandro Zanardi both stalled on the grid. The race was red flagged due to Race Director Charlie Whiting accidentally hitting the red flag button instead of the pit exit open button. While the red flags were out, Michael Schumacher crashed at Stowe corner due to brake failure, breaking his leg. This would keep him out of Formula One until the Malaysian Grand Prix, ending his championship hopes.
Following a difficult season Damon Hill performed well to finish 5th in his home race and seemed happy enough to carry on for the rest of the season. He had also briefly led the race for a lap, which was the last time he would lead a Grand Prix.
This was Toranosuke Takagi's final classified Formula One race finish. He failed to finish each of his subsequent eight races.
This was McLaren team's first British Grand Prix victory since 1989. The podiums of Coulthard and Irvine (for 1st and 2nd) also marked the last time two drivers racing under a British flag would stand together on the podium at their home event at until the 2023 British Grand Prix where Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton finished second and third.