STORY OF THE DAY: Second place beneath Ferrari’s tower wings

Michael Schumacher finished second in the 1998 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, the fourth round of the Formula One World Championship. David Coulthard won for McLaren-Mercedes, with Schumacher’s Ferrari number 3 keeping him under pressure after Mika Häkkinen retired. The result limited the damage in a season whose opening races had established McLaren as Ferrari’s principal rival.

Ferrari arrived with conspicuous vertical aerodynamic appendages mounted beside the cockpit, quickly nicknamed “tower wings.” Their appearance made the F300 one of the weekend’s most discussed cars, but the race itself was decided by Coulthard’s pace and disciplined control. Schumacher stayed close enough to threaten yet could not create a passing opportunity, finishing only a few seconds behind.

The F300 was Ferrari’s first Formula One design led by Rory Byrne, with a carbon-fibre composite monocoque and a naturally aspirated three-litre V10. The side-mounted tower wings sought cleaner airflow in a tightly regulated aerodynamic environment. The governing body prohibited such devices shortly afterward on safety grounds, bringing this brief line of development to an end.

Michael Schumacher, a German and double World Champion, was in his third season with Ferrari. His partnership with technical director Ross Brawn and designer Rory Byrne was beginning to give the team a more integrated structure. At Imola, his second place extracted a strong result while the reshaped Ferrari organisation continued closing the gap to McLaren.