12 April in Ferrari history: Michael Schumacher’s Argentine victory

On 12 April 1998, Michael Schumacher won the Argentine Grand Prix for Ferrari in Buenos Aires. Eddie Irvine finished third, giving the Scuderia two podium positions as it claimed its first victory of the season.

Ferrari responds after the opening races

Schumacher completed the 72-lap race 22.899 seconds ahead of Mika Häkkinen. After McLaren had won the opening rounds in Australia and Brazil, Argentina supplied Ferrari’s first winning response.

The result gave Schumacher ten championship points and demonstrated that the season’s early pattern could be interrupted. Buenos Aires became the starting point for Ferrari’s sequence of victories during the 1998 campaign.

Irvine adds a second Ferrari podium

Irvine finished 57.745 seconds behind his teammate, taking the final podium position. His four points brought Ferrari’s total from the race to 14 under the scoring system used that year.

Although Häkkinen separated the two Ferraris, first and third made Argentina a strong collective result. Schumacher delivered the victory, while Irvine ensured the team also benefited from its second car.

Explore more results in our Michael Schumacher Formula 1 records, or return to the Ferrari history calendar for other anniversaries.