| 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix | |||||
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Race 15 of 16 in the1999 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | 17 October 1999 | ||||
| Official name | 1999Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix | ||||
| Location | Sepang International Circuit Sepang,Malaysia | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 5.542 km (3.444 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 56 laps, 310.352 km (192.853 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Cloudy, hot, dry | ||||
| Attendance | 80,000 (Weekend)[1] | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||||
| Time | 1:39.688 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |  Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:40.267 on lap 25 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Ferrari | ||||
| Second | Ferrari | ||||
| Third | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
Lap leaders | |||||
The1999 Malaysian Grand Prix, formally the1999 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix,[2] was aFormula One race held on 17 October 1999 at the newSepang International Circuit. It was the fifteenth race of the1999 Formula One World Championship.
The 56-lap race was won byEddie Irvine, driving aFerrari, after starting from second position. TeammateMichael Schumacher, in his first race back after breaking his leg at the1999 British Grand Prix, finished second after letting Irvine overtake him, having started frompole position. Championship leaderMika Häkkinen finished third in aMcLaren-Mercedes.
Both Ferraris were disqualified for the race, and Häkkinen and McLaren initially appeared to have won both championships. After Ferrari's successful appeal, the race results were reinstated. Although the win gave Irvine a four point lead over Häkkinen in the Drivers' Championship with one race to go, it would be his fourth and last Formula One career win.
This was the firstMalaysian Grand Prix since aFormula Holden event in 1995, and the first time at Formula One world championship level.[3]Michael Schumacher returned to Formula One having recovered from his broken leg, and took pole position by nearly a second fromFerrari teammateEddie Irvine,[4] with the McLarens ofDavid Coulthard andMika Häkkinen third and fourth, respectively. At the start, Schumacher led away from Irvine, Coulthard, Häkkinen, andRubens Barrichello. On lap 4, Schumacher slowed and allowed Irvine to pass him, then proceeded to block the McLarens. Coulthard forced his way past Schumacher on lap 5 and pursued Irvine for the lead, only to retire on lap 15 with fuel pressure problems.[5]
Back in second place, Schumacher slowed again in order to allow Irvine to build an advantage. As the first round of pit stops loomed, Schumacher accelerated the pace in order to stay ahead of Häkkinen. Realising this, McLaren gambled on giving Häkkinen half a tank of fuel, hoping it would be enough to get him out of the pits ahead of Schumacher. The gamble failed, as Schumacher stayed ahead of the Finn and proceeded to block him again, allowing Irvine to extend his lead to 20 seconds.[6]
Irvine's lead was not big enough for him to stay ahead after his second pit stop. Despite this, Ferrari were sure that Häkkinen would have to stop again, which he did, emerging in fourth place behindJohnny Herbert in theStewart. Schumacher slowed once again to allow Irvine to retake the lead, while Häkkinen forced his way past Herbert for third.[7]
Irvine duly took the chequered flag one second ahead of Schumacher, with Häkkinen a further eight seconds back. Immediately after the race, the Ferraris were disqualified due to an infringement on theirbargeboards. This meant that Häkkinen and McLaren were effectively handed their respective championships by default. Ferrari appealed against the FIA's decision in court and both drivers were subsequently reinstated.[8][9]
With one race remaining, Irvine led the Drivers' Championship by four points over Häkkinen, 70 to 66. Similarly, Ferrari held a four-point lead over McLaren in the Constructors' Championship, 118 to 114. Despite Schumacher's alleged wish not to have Irvine being the Ferrari driver to end the team championship's drought,[10] his performance in Malaysia proved instrumental for Irvine to possibly win the championship at the1999 Japanese Grand Prix.[11][12][13]
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| Previous race: 1999 European Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1999 season | Next race: 1999 Japanese Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1982 Malaysian Grand Prix | Malaysian Grand Prix | Next race: 2000 Malaysian Grand Prix |
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by 1998 San Marino Grand Prix | Formula One Promotional Trophy for Race Promoter 1999 | Succeeded by 2000 United States Grand Prix |
