Belgian Grand Prix

The day Jordan conquered Spa

This race had everything – a massive first-corner pileup that took out half the field, a restart, then Schumacher plowing into the back of Coulthard while lapping him in the spray. Michael was absolutely furious, storming down to confront David in the pits with his front wheel missing. And out of all that chaos, Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher delivered Jordan's first ever F1 victory – and a 1-2 at that. Eddie Jordan's team, winning at Spa. What a day.

Spa at its most unforgiving

The carnage at La Source on the opening lap was staggering – cars sliding into each other like a motorway pileup. After the restart, Schumacher looked comfortable in the lead until he came up behind Coulthard to lap him. Coulthard slowed but stayed on the racing line in the spray, and Schumacher simply couldn't see him until it was too late. The collision ripped the front off the Ferrari. What emerged from the wreckage was a Jordan 1-2 – Hill and Ralf Schumacher. Jordan's first ever win, and a 1-2 at that. They would go on to win three more races before the team was sold.

Comedy and tragedy in equal measure

Where else but Spa can a race go from a 13-car pileup at the first corner to a midfield team scoring a miraculous 1-2 finish? The Schumacher-Coulthard incident was pure theatre – Michael driving back to the pits on three wheels, then trying to physically confront David. Meanwhile, Hill quietly went about winning the race for Jordan, a team that had never won before and would win three more times. Ralf Schumacher completed the 1-2. Chaotic, messy, unforgettable.

Still furious about Coulthard

Michael had this race in the bag. Leading comfortably, managing the conditions perfectly, and then Coulthard decides to lift off on the racing line in the middle of the spray. Michael drove straight into the back of him – how could he possibly see a slowing car in that visibility? The championship swung massively because of that incident. Jordan's 1-2 with Hill and Ralf was a nice story, sure, but Ferrari should have won this race. Coulthard's explanation never convinced me.

Rain, rage, and a fairytale ending

Spa in the wet is always spectacular but 1998 surpassed even its own standards. The opening lap pileup was massive. Then the conditions kept catching drivers out throughout the race. The Schumacher-Coulthard collision was the headline, but the real story is Jordan. A small Irish team with limited budget getting a 1-2 at one of the most demanding circuits in the world, in treacherous wet conditions. Hill's experience in the rain was crucial, and Ralf drove a very mature race to hold second. Pure Spa magic.