Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka Circuit
Grand Prix starting grid
Race starts
Grid positions from race-result records; not a separately verified pre-race grid.
| POS | DRIVER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren |
| 3 | David Coulthard | McLaren |
| 4 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari |
| 5 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams |
| 6 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams |
| 7 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan |
| 8 | Damon Hill | Jordan |
| 9 | Alexander Wurz | Benetton |
| 10 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Benetton |
| 11 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber |
| 12 | Jean Alesi | Sauber |
| 13 | Olivier Panis | Prost |
| 14 | Jarno Trulli | Prost |
| 15 | Mika Salo | Arrows |
| 16 | Rubens Barrichello | Stewart |
| 17 | Toranosuke Takagi | Tyrrell |
| 18 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows |
| 19 | Jos Verstappen | Stewart |
| 20 | Shinji Nakano | Minardi |
| 21 | Esteban Tuero | Minardi |