F1 | GP Monaco 1999, dream double for Ferrari

The Monte Carlo track has always brought joy and sorrow to Ferrari. Attributable to the first category is certainly the extraordinary one-two achieved by the Cavallino team in the 1999 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix, which took place in the Principality exactly 19 years ago (16 May 1999).

A supremacy that Maranello builds on Sunday in the race, after the pole narrowly missed by Michael Schumacher in the official tests on Saturday: in fact the German pays just over six hundredths (64 thousandths to be precise) from Mika Hakkinen's McLaren-Mercedes, author of his fourth consecutive start at the pole. Behind them, in the second row, their respective teammates, with David Coulthard ahead of Eddie Irvine by 55 thousandths.

At the shutdown Schumacher had a better sprint than his Finnish rival, overtaking him at the Santa Devota, with Irvine carrying out the same maneuver on Coulthard (who was later forced to retire due to gearbox problems during the 36th lap, ed.).

Having obtained race leadership after a few metres, the German from Ferrari begins to set his own pace, distancing himself from the rest of the group, while the Red from Irvine remains in the tail-end of Hakkinen's McLaren. The Northern Irishman manages to get the better of the Finn during the waltz of the pit stops, taking advantage of the latter's error (lap 39) which ends wide at the Mirabeau due to the oil lost from Takagi's Tyrrell.

The leading positions did not undergo any other changes, with Schumacher passing under the checkered flag first. Ferrari's perfect Sunday was completed by Eddie Irvine's second place which allowed Maranello to take their first double of the season.

For Schumacher it was an important success, his sixteenth driving a Ferrari, which allowed him to become the most successful driver in Formula One with the Prancing Horse, surpassing Niki Lauda in this special ranking.