 At the time of the incident there were 22 laps of the race remaining . The slower pace of Villeneuve 's car meant that on the last lap , he had been caught by both McLarens , Häkkinen having regained second place from Coulthard under team orders . After the race Villeneuve stated " I did not fight then . It was better to let them through and win the World Championship . It is a good exchange . " Gerhard Berger in fourth place ( in what turned out to be his final Grand Prix ) was also catching Villeneuve but he did not pass before crossing the finish line . The final margin between Villeneuve and Berger was 0 @.@ 116 seconds . Third place meant Villeneuve finished ahead of Schumacher in the drivers championship by 3 points , and was World Champion . Häkkinen 's victory was the first of his career . 
