Both McLarens were still far ahead of ...

Published on 27 March 1998 by Verstappen Info Page

Both McLarens were still far ahead of the rest of the field. This despite the fact that they had to exchange their revolutionary brake systems for their original. This was due to the fact that Ferrari, together with Arrows and Tyrrell officially protested against the new system. They claim it gives the car the possibility of 4-wheel steering which should be against the regulations of the FIA. Not only McLaren was victim of the protest, also Williams and Jordan had to adjust their brake systems. However a big difference remained between the two McLarens and the rest of the field. Mika Häkkinen was fastest in both sessions. During the first session he set a time of 1:18.900 followed by David Coulthard at 0.552 sec. Michael Schumacher was third, 1.48 sec behind Häkkinen, followed by Villeneuve, Alesi and Jarno Trulli. At the end of the session, Häkkinen drove the fastest time of the day in 1:18.573 again followed by Coulthard at 0.226 sec. Not Michael but Ralf Schumacher was third followed by Panis, Irvine and Wurz. All drivers (except Herbert) were able to improve their times during the second session.

The sessions were stopped several times. Ricardo Rosset was able to park his car against a wall of tyres during the first session after only 5 minutes.

For a complete overview of all times you can take a look at our season page.