When chaos at the 1998 Canadian GP's first corner overshadowed a Michael Schumacher win

To say that there is risk in motorsport is like saying that the sky is a little blue. Fans and drivers alike are fully aware of the risk taken up in any sport involving vehicles. Safety standards may have improved over time, but the element of risk remains. Drivers eyeing that little extra speed can often find themselves in trouble. Never was this more evident than in the Canadian GP 1998. The race was won by Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, but few if any remember that about the race. Instead, people remember the chaos that saw the race need a restart – twice.

With 21 years having passed since the day of the Canadian GP 1998, let us look back at a race that saw two big accidents on the same corner.

The background

Qualifying saw McLaren’s David Coulthard take pole position; it was his third of the season. Teammate Mika Hakkinen was second, but could have been up front if not for traffic during his laps.

Schumacher was third, although only 0.2 seconds behind Coulthard in terms of lap-time. Benetton’s Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth.

All eyes, however, were on Ferrari and Schumacher before the race. Of the six races to be held so far that season, Schumacher had won only one. Hakkinen had won four, with Coulthard also getting one win under his belt.

Schumacher knew beforehand that a win in Canada was needed to keep their hopes of a championship run alive.

Canadian GP 1998 chaos

To that end, Schumacher started the race well and got the jump on Hakkinen in second. However, it counted for little due to an incident involving Alex Wurz, Jean Alesi and Jarno Trulli.

Wurz instigated a collision that saw his Benetton flip over the cars and the gravel trap. Trulli and Alesi, on the other hand, ended up crashing too.

The race was red flagged and a restart duly ordered. Schumacher’s second start was poor as Fisichella overtook him. But it was Ralf Schumacher who ended up causing more mayhem.

His gearbox broke after he spun off the track and this caused Alesi and Trulli to be involved in yet another clash. Trulli ended up mounting Alesi’s car and overall five drivers – including Hakkinen – retired.

The chaos saw the safety car sent out – the first of three times in the race. With all this chaos, its little wonder no one really remembers Schumacher winning!