Page 1 of 1 Launched on January 7th, 1998, the Ferrari F300 was the first product of the dream-team of engineers and designers carefully selected by team principle Jean Todt. The objective was clear; giving star driver Michael Schumacher a car capable of winning the World Championship. Among them were Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, Aldo Costa and Nikolas Tombazis. Some of them had already worked on the F310B of 1997 but that was an evolution of an existing design. A timely rule change for 1998 allowed the Ferrari designers to start with a clean sheet.
With the maximum width reduced, the F300 was substantially narrower than its predecessor. It was built around carbon-fibre composite with aluminium monocoque. At both ends the double-wishbone suspension featured push-rod actuated torsion-bar springs and telescopic shock absorbers. Compared the F310B, the new F300 featured a more cohesive aerodynamics package with the narrower side-pods being more integrated with the rest of bodywork. The raised nose was also considerably higher with the wing mounted to the tip with two pylons.
Powering the F300 was the new Tipo 047 V10 engine. Designed by Paolo Martinelli and Gilles Simon, it had a slightly wider, 80-degree V-angle. Although no official figures were given at the time, the three-litre engine is believed to have been good for close 800 bhp at 17,500 rpm. It was mated to a seven-speed, semi-automatic gearbox that was actuated by paddles behind the steering wheel. A novel design solution on the F300 were the 'chimney' exhausts mounted in the rear deck. This meant that the hot gasses were sent out of the car before reaching the gearbox, which aided cooling.
Just like in 1997, the Scuderia Ferrari drivers were Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine. At the start of the year, the F300 was the second fastest car on the grid, beaten only by the Adrian Newey designed McLaren MP4/13. For the third race of the year, the Argentine Grand Prix, Schumacher started second on the grid. He got by McLaren's Coulthard and eventually beat Mika Häkkinen thanks to a two-stop strategy to score the F300's first win. Just before the halfway mark of the season, the F300 came into its stride. This allowed Schumacher to score five wins in the final ten races.
Michael Schumacher and Ferrari ended the 1998 season second in the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships respectively. If it was not for a broken leg, Schumacher could have won the coveted World Championship in 1999 but eventually had to wait until 2000 with the latest car by the same team of engineers that had created the F300. Ferrari built eight F300s of which three won at least one Grand Prix. Page 1 of 1
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Launched on January 7th, 1998, the Ferrari F300 was the first product of the dream-team of engineers and designers carefully selected by team principle Jean Todt. The objective was clear; giving star driver Michael Schumacher a car capable of winning the World Championship. Among them were Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, Aldo Costa and Nikolas Tombazis. Some of them had already worked on the F310B of 1997 but that was an evolution of an existing design. A timely rule change for 1998 allowed the Ferrari designers to start with a clean sheet.