The Ferrari F399 competed in 16 events during the 1999 season with seventeen podiums including six victories and three pole positions. Its design was similar to the previous season's car, the F300, with minor modifications to the front wing, waisted sidepods, wheel tethers, Bridgestone tires with four grooves instead of three, and improvements to the exhaust system. The chassis was designed by Rory Byrne, Giorgio Ascanelli, Aldo Costa, Marco Fainello, Willem Toet, and Nikolas Tombazis. Ross Brawn was the team's technical director and Paolo Martinelli assisted by Giles Simon led the engine design.
The F399 had a carbon-fiber and honeycomb composite chassis with a double wishbone and pushrod suspension and was powered by a Ferrari Tipo 048/B/C 80-degree V10 developing nearly 800 horsepower at 16,300 RPM. The transmission was a seven-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic unit.
Eddie Irvine drove the F399 to victory in the opening round in Australia and Michael Schumacher placed eighth. Schumacher placed 2nd at the following race before scoring a pair of victories at Imola and Monaco, and a third place at the Spanish Grand Prix. Irvine placed 2nd at the Monaco and British Grand Prix, first at the Austrian, German, and Malaysian Grand Prix, and third at the Canadian, Hungarian, and Japanese Grand Prix. Schumacher broke his leg at Silverstone, so Ferrari briefly replaced him with Mika Salo who scored a second place finish at the German Grand Prix and third at the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher returned for the final two races of the season where he placed second in both events.
The season was not without controversy, as the team was briefly excluded from the Malaysia Grand Prix when it was discovered that the bargeboards were illegal. Ferrari appealed the FIA's decision in court and was able to have both their drivers reinstated. Irvine would win the event and Schumacher placed second. Mika Hakkinen and McLaren would win the championship by two points while Ferrari won the constructor's title by four points, its first title in sixteen years.
by Dan Vaughan