Why Murray Walker described the ‘terrible’ 1998 Belgian GP as the ‘worst start’ to a race he’d ever seen

Follow us on Google Discover

One of the most anticipated moments in any Formula 1 race weekend is the run down to the first corner.

This season has seen George Russell take the lead from third place in Spain, Oscar Piastri nick the inside line in Hungary to earn his maiden F1 victory and Sergio Perez nearly end his teammate’s race in Miami after suffering from a huge lockup.

Incidents on the opening lap are much less common than they used to be, with Daniel Ricciardo’s collision with Alex Albon at Suzuka standing out alongside the huge shunt between Sergio Perez and the two Haas drivers at Monaco.

However, in the past there have been some horrendous incidents and the Belgian Grand Prix has been the host of many of them.

Romain Grosjean was banned for losing control at the first corner in 2012 during his first full season as a Formula 1 driver.

Grosjean later shared the text he sent to Fernando Alonso after flying across the front of his car and narrowly missing making contact with his helmet as a result.

One of the most recognisable starts to an F1 race was the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix when monsoon-like rain fell throughout the day.

The legendary Murray Walker was commentating for ITV Sport alongside Martin Brundle that day and watched one of the biggest pile-ups in Formula 1 history unfold at the start of the race.

It was terrifying to witness and a dozen cars were involved in the accident.

Fans watching on had to wait for the spray from the soaking track to dissipate before witnessing the full extent of the damage done and it was a miracle nobody was seriously injured.

Murray Walker commentates on the ‘worst’ start he’d ever seen at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix

Commentating on the horrendous accident after the first corner, Walker said: “And into the wall, who was that?”

Brundle: “Coulthard, Coulthard!”

Walker: “David Coulthard in the wall, they’ll have to stop the race, oh this is terrible!

“This is quite appalling, this is the worst start to a Grand Prix that I have ever seen in the whole of my life.”

Brundle: “Total carnage, David Coulthard went off up the hill very early on and then they just all piled into him due to poor visibility.

“They had no visibility to stop, the tyres are cold and everything but everything locks up and you just slide straight into the accident.”

David Coulthard recalls his involvement in huge incident at Spa

In an interview with Autosport five years later in 2003, Coulthard said:  “I realised on reflection…when Michael ran into the back of me, his reaction was that I’d brake tested him or tried to kill him and all that sort of thing.

“The stewards looked at the data and I hadn’t braked, so it was just all brushed under the carpet.

“The reality is that I lifted to let him pass me, but I lifted in heavy spray on the racing line. You should never do that. I would never do that now.

“In 1998, I didn’t have the experience and the knowledge, and I had never had someone run into the back of me. And because someone pushes you, you react. So you act as though ‘I didn’t do that.

“The minute I knew he was there, and I was told by the team that he was and was trying to allow him to pass me, I should have made a smarter decision.”

How did the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix finish?

Due to the rules back in 1998, drivers were allowed to restart the race in the spare car although Rubens Barrichello was immediately ruled out of joining the grid for a second time due to a minor injury.

Tyrrell, Arrows and Prost saw both of their cars damaged in the crash, meaning Ricardo Rosset, Mika Salo and Olivier Panis were the unlucky drivers not to be handed the spare car in their teams.

A total of 10 additional drivers, including reigning champion Jacques Villeneuve, eventual title winner Mika Hakkinen and Ferrari duo Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine also failed to finish the race.

READ MORE: Michael Schumacher shares his verdict on racing Mika Hakkinen

Damon Hill led a Jordan one-two over the line with Ralf Schumacher finishing less than a second behind him.

Jean Alesi completed the podium for Sauber with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Pedro Diniz and Jarno Trulli collecting the final points.