The 1998 International Formula 3000 Championship was the thirty-second season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also fourteenth season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker. The championship was contested over twelve rounds from 11 April to 26 September 1998.
Drivers and teams TeamDriverRounds Super Nova Racing 1 Juan Pablo MontoyaAll 2 Boris DerichebourgAll Den Blå Avis 3 Jason WattAll 4 Gareth ReesAll Edenbridge Racing 5 Max WilsonAll 6 Werner LupbergerAll DAMS 7 Jamie DaviesAll 8 Grégoire de GalzainAll Auto Sport Racing 9 Rui Águas1 Dino Morelli2-5 Tomáš Enge8-12 10 Oliver MartiniAll Team Astromega 11 Gastón MazzacaneAll 12 Gonzalo RodríguezAll Draco Engineering 14 Bruno JunqueiraAll 15 Giovanni MontanariAll Nordic Racing 16 Fabrice WalfischAll 17 Brian Smith1-6 Kevin McGarrity7-9 Hidetoshi Mitsusada10-12 Coloni Motorsport 18 Giorgio Vinella1-7, 9-12 Rui Águas8 19 Thomas Biagi1-2 Rui Águas3-6 Oliver Tichy7-12 Durango Formula 20 Bertrand GodinAll 21 Soheil AyariAll Arden Racing KTR 22 Christian HornerAll 23 Kurt Mollekens1-8, 10-12 Redman & Bright F3000 24 Jonny Kane1-4 David Cook7-9 25 Mark ShawAll Bob Salisbury Engineering 26 Dino MorelliNone, on entry list only 27 James TaylorNone, on entry list only Apomatox 28 Stéphane SarrazinAll 29 Marcelo BattistuzziAll West Competition 30 Nick HeidfeldAll 31 Nicolas Minassian1-11 Bas Leinders12 RTL Team Oreca 32 Alex MüllerAll 33 Dominik SchwagerAll Prema Powerteam 34 André CoutoAll 35 André GaidzinskiNone, on entry list only Paolo Ruberti1-6 Thomas Biagi7-12 GP Racing 36 Paolo RubertiNone, on entry list only Cyrille Sauvage1-10 James Taylor11-12 Raceprep Motorsport 37 Kevin McGarrity1-5 G. S. Team 38 Fabrizio GollinAll 39 Cyrille SauvageNone, on entry list only Elide Racing 40 Polo Villaamil1, 3Sources:
Calendar 1998 was the last International F3000 season where races were held independently from Formula One Grands Prix. Pau and Pergusa had held International F3000 and previously European Formula Two Championship races uninterruptedly since 1972.
Round Circuit Date Laps Distance Time Speed Pole position Fastest lap Winner Winning team Report 1 Motorsport Arena Oschersleben 10 April 56 3.667=205.352 km 1'24:52.384 145.171 km/h Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Stéphane Sarrazin Apomatox Report 2 Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari 25 April 42 4.93=207.06 km 1'16:38.513 162.099 km/h Juan Pablo Montoya Gonzalo Rodríguez Jason Watt Den Blå Avis Report 3 Circuit de Catalunya 9 May 44 4.728=208.032 km 1'12:50.057 171.272 km/h Juan Pablo Montoya Nick Heidfeld Juan Pablo Montoya Super Nova Racing Report 4 Silverstone Circuit 16 May 40 5.14=205.60 km 1'10:08.886 175.857 km/h Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Super Nova Racing Report 5 Circuit de Monaco 23 May 50 3.367=168.35 km 1'18:04.956 129.363 km/h Jason Watt Juan Pablo Montoya Nick Heidfeld West Competition Report 6 Pau Grand Prix 1 June 75 2.76=207.00 km 1'33:10.179 133.305 km/h Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Super Nova Racing Report 7 A1-Ring 25 July 43 4.319=185.717 km 1'11:04.222 175.019 km/h Soheil Ayari Soheil Ayari Soheil Ayari Durango Formula Report 8 Hockenheimring 1 August 31 6.823=211.513 km 1'12:57.599 173.942 km/h Nick Heidfeld Nick Heidfeld Nick Heidfeld West Competition Report 9 Budapest 15 August 52 3.972=206.544 km 1'20:14.689 154.435 km/h Stéphane Sarrazin Nick Heidfeld Nick Heidfeld West Competition Report 10 Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 29 August 29 6.968=202.072 km 1'03:10.530 191.900 km/h Juan Pablo Montoya Soheil Ayari Gonzalo Rodríguez Team Astromega Report 11 Autodromo di Pergusa 6 September 41 4.95=202.95 km 1'04:29.540 188.813 km/h Nick Heidfeld Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Super Nova Racing Report 12 Nürburgring 26 September 45 4.556=205.02 km 1'12:37.085 169.381 km/h Juan Pablo Montoya Gonzalo Rodríguez Gonzalo Rodríguez Team Astromega ReportSource:
Season summary After winning the 1997 championship with Ricardo Zonta, Super Nova Racing chose to recruit championship runner-up Juan Pablo Montoya to lead their main team, and also expanded their second Den Blå Avis team to two cars by hiring Gareth Rees to partner Jason Watt. Montoya's former team RSM Marko did not compete in 1998, but there were new entries from GT specialists Oreca and the new West Competition team, established as a McLaren junior team and run by former Williams race engineer David Brown.
With seven pole positions, Montoya was the fastest man in the championship all season, but a poor start to the season left him trailing several title rivals. In the event, the championship turned into a duel between the Colombian and newcomer Nick Heidfeld, who remained consistent throughout the season despite his relative inexperience. Watt often matched their pace but made several key mistakes costing him points, while Uruguay's Gonzalo Rodriguez finished the season strongly with two wins in the last three races, becoming the first driver from the South American nation to win a Formula 3000 event.
Montoya led Heidfeld by three points going into the final round at the Nürburgring. However, after qualifying second on the grid, Heidfeld's times were deleted and he was relegated to the back of the grid, only making the race after Brown withdrew his new teammate Bas Leinders from the event. Despite recovering through the field, Heidfeld failed to climb into the top six, and Montoya's third-place finish clinched him the championship. Rodriguez beat Watt to the race win and third place in the standings.
Montoya moved to the North American CART series for 1999 with Chip Ganassi Racing, going on to win the championship as a rookie. He went on to graduate to Formula One with Williams in 2001, and became the only International Formula 3000 champion to win more than one grand prix in his career. The only driver from the field to participate in Formula One in 1999 was Stéphane Sarrazin, who secured a one-off drive in the Brazilian Grand Prix for Minardi in place of the injured Luca Badoer. Most of the leading Formula 3000 drivers instead remained in the series for 1999.
Drivers' Championship
Pos Driver OSC IML CAT SIL MON PAU A1R HOC HUN SPA PER NÜR Points 1 Juan Pablo Montoya 15 Ret 1 1 6 1 2 3 3 2 1 3 65 2 Nick Heidfeld 2 4 26 2 1 3 7 1 1 4 2 9 58 3 Gonzalo Rodríguez Ret 3 21 Ret 2 Ret 4 11 7 1 Ret 1 33 4 Jason Watt 7 1 7 3 Ret Ret 3 2 10 8 Ret 2 30 5 Soheil Ayari Ret Ret 5 Ret DNQ Ret 1 Ret Ret 3 3 Ret 20 6 Stéphane Sarrazin 1 24 15 24 4 Ret 8 Ret 2 Ret Ret 19 19 7 Kurt Mollekens Ret 2 2 8 5 5 10 Ret DNQ 8 4 19 8 Gareth Rees Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 4 Ret 6 DNS 12 4 Ret 10 9 Max Wilson Ret Ret 6 5 DNPQ 2 Ret Ret Ret 13 Ret Ret 9 10 Jamie Davies 3 8 13 16 3 Ret Ret 16 15 15 7 14 8 11 André Couto Ret 5 14 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret 5 14 9 5 7 12 Boris Derichebourg 11 6 3 12 Ret Ret 15 7 Ret 17 11 Ret 5 13 Nicolas Minassian Ret 19 Ret 7 9 7 5 Ret 4 19 19 5 14 Dominik Schwager 14 11 4 14 10 DNQ Ret 14 18 Ret Ret 7 3 15 Thomas Biagi 4 10 12 10 13 10 Ret 12 3 16 Kevin McGarrity DNQ 14 27 Ret DNQ Ret 4 Ret 3 17 Oliver Martini 16 9 9 Ret DNPQ 10 9 13 6 9 5 Ret 3 18 Bruno Junqueira Ret 16 16 9 Ret Ret 6 5 Ret Ret 18 Ret 3 19 Cyrille Sauvage 5 Ret 11 Ret 15 Ret 13 Ret 8 20 2 20 Alex Müller Ret Ret 10 11 Ret Ret 11 Ret 20 5 20 13 2 21 Gastón Mazzacane 6 7 Ret 6 12 9 Ret Ret Ret DNQ 13 Ret 2 22 Tomáš Enge 15 12 7 Ret 6 1 23 Werner Lupberger Ret 13 12 18 14 Ret 16 8 17 11 6 Ret 1 24 Marcelo Battistuzzi DNQ 22 Ret Ret Ret DNQ 18 Ret 11 6 Ret Ret 1 25 Rui Águas 9 17 17 7 Ret Ret 0 26 Brian Smith 10 Ret Ret 15 11 8 0 27 Giovanni Montanari Ret 15 8 13 13 Ret 14 Ret 19 16 Ret 10 0 28 Dino Morelli Ret 19 10 8 0 29 Bertrand Godin 8 Ret 22 19 Ret DNQ 19 12 14 21 12 11 0 30 Fabrice Walfisch 13 18 20 Ret DNQ DNQ Ret Ret Ret 22 Ret 8 0 31 Oliver Tichy 22 9 9 18 Ret Ret 0 32 Grégoire de Galzain DNQ Ret 18 23 DNPQ DNQ Ret 17 Ret 25 10 16 0 33 Christian Horner Ret 12 Ret Ret 16 DNQ 17 18 Ret DNQ 17 17 0 34 Jonny Kane 12 21 Ret 20 0 35 Fabrizio Gollin DNQ 17 DNQ Ret Ret DNQ 21 DNQ Ret DNQ 14 Ret 0 36 Giorgio Vinella DNQ Ret 25 22 DNQ DNQ Ret 21 DNQ 15 22 0 37 23 Ret 15 0 38 Mark Shaw Ret 20 Ret Ret DNPQ DNQ 20 19 16 24 16 18 0 39 Paolo Ruberti DSQ Ret 23 21 18 Ret 0 40 James Taylor 21 21 0 41 Polo Villaamil DNQ 24 0 – David Cook Ret DNQ DNS 0 – Bas Leinders DNS 0 Pos Driver OSC IML CAT SIL MON PAU A1R HOC HUN SPA PER NÜR PointsSources:Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest lap
Notes All drivers used Lola T96/50 chassis, with Zytek-Judd V8 engines, and Avon tyres. Paolo Ruberti was disqualified from third place at Oschersleben due to a bodywork infringement.
Complete overview first column of every race 10 = grid position second column of every race 10 = race result
R22=retired, but classified R=retired NC=not classified NS=did not start NQ=did not qualify DIS(3)=disqualified after finishing in third place (16)=place after practice, but grid position not held free