Folks--just found this website.
Hopefully I can throw some light on the debate as I was actually at the race as part of the Official MST-Unisys timing and scoring operation.
My job was placing the TV graphics on screen--so consequently I saw the entire race, with additional camera coverage, commentary in English and also with “talk-back” to the TDM (TV Macau) race director.
We were based in the Control Tower just above the start finish line .
Hakkinen had handily won the first heat so all he had to do in the second, was just to follow Her Schumacher around and claim the overall win.
On that particular lap he’d crossed the start finish line fairly closely behind the German
From the TV coverage we saw Hakkinen close up just before Mandarin, and on the exit it looked as though he was lining himself up for an out-braking maneuver into Lisboa (just about the overtaking point on this tricky Guia circuit) .
Just at the moment he pulled out to overtake Schumacher seemed to slow (on the fastest part of the circuit!) so the Finn clobbered the German’s rear wing and dived off into the unyielding multi layer Armco.
Schumacher’s car was damaged but such was his lead, plus the nature of the rest of the track, that no-one else was going to get passed .
Mikka , meanwhile, was distraught pacing up and down on the inside of the Lisboa bend practically in tears….this I remember well as he was stood right in front of one of my Unisys banners! We got some great TV coverage throughout all of Asia!
My personal view—and that of all the Timing team, was that whilst Hakkinen was a little impetuous, Schumacher committed a professional foul….
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