Pedro de la Rosa starts from the back of the grid, the Arrows team having withdrawn its appeal against the stewards' decision that he should start at the back of the grid because he had used fuel that did not conform.

* Lap 1: At the start Michael Schumacher is slightly slower off the line than Mika Hakkinen but the Ferrari driver moves across to block the Finn. Ralf Schumacher makes a good start and gets ahead of both David Coulthard and a slow-starting Rubens Barrichello. At the exit of the first corner Ralf touches the rear of Hakkinen's car but both men are able to keep going. Jacques Villeneuve is sixth while Heinz-Harald Frentzen gets ahead of his Jordan team-mate Jarno Trulli to take seventh. Jenson Button makes a good start to run ninth while Eddie Irvine gets away badly and drops from ninth to 12th. In the course of the first lap Pedro Diniz spins into retirement.

* Lap 2: Michael Schumacher sets the fastest lap and builds his lead to 1.6secs. Hakkinen is able to pull out 1.3secs on Ralf Schumacher who has Coulthard and Barrichello stuck behind him. Further back Pedro de la Rosa runs into the back of Jean Alesi, punting the Prost driver out of the race but being forced to retire with a damaged front wing. At the same time Jos Verstappen overtakes Eddie Irvine to take 12th place.

* Lap 18: The order has remained unchanged with Hakkinen shadowing M Schumacher while the battle for third place is left behind. Further back there is a traffic jam behind Villeneuve comprising of the two Jordans and Button. The British driver is the first major runner to stop, hoping to find some clear track.

* Lap 21: Jacques Villeneuve pits from sixth place, which allows Frentzen to move up to sixth. Further back Button is lapping very quickly. Villeneuve rejoins but retires with a mechanical problem immediately.

* Lap 22: Trulli pits but has a long stop because of a clutch problem and drops back to 17th place.

* Lap 23: Ralf Schumacher pits, dropping from fourth to fifth.

* Lap 24: Michael Schumacher pits. As he accelerates away the Ferrari refuelling man Nigel Stepney is dragged with the car. He is taken to the circuit hospital for treatment. At the same time David Coulthard pits but he rejoins behind Ralf Schumacher once again.

* Lap 25: Rubens Barrichello pits. Ferrari has to use a replacement refueller but everything goes to plan and he is able to rejoin between R Schumacher and Coulthard.

* Lap 26: Hakkinen stops but rejoins behind Michael Schumacher. Frentzen also stops, dropping from sixth place to eighth. In the midfield Jos Verstappen retires with a technical problem.

* Lap 27: Sixth place Mika Salo stops and drops back to eighth. With all the major runners having stopped once, Button's strategy has worked and he is sixth, having got ahead of Frentzen.

* Lap 28: Hakkinen sets the fastest lap of the race and closes right up on to Schumacher's tail. Further back Ralf Schumacher comes under increasing pressure from Barrichello and Coulthard, while Button runs in a lonely sixth place.

* Lap 39: The second round of pit stops begins with Coulthard coming in.

* Lap 40: Ralf Schumacher and Barrichello both stop. Both men drop behind Coulthard. At the same time Frentzen also pits and drops from seventh to 10th.

* Lap 41: M Schumacher and Hakkinen both pit. The Ferrari refuelling goes wrong on this occasion and Schumacher loses around 10secs. Hakkinen rejoins with a healthy lead. On the same lap Button pits and drops behind Salo and Ricardo Zonta's BAR.

* Lap 45: Salo and Zonta pit, allowing Button back to sixth place.

* Lap 47: Coulthard has closed right up to Michael Schumacher and challenges him on the inside at the first corner. The Ferrari moves to block the move at the last minute and the two cars nearly collide. Schumacher remains ahead.

* Lap 48: On the run down to the first corner Coulthard passes Schumacher on the outside to take second place.

* Lap 49: Ralf Schumacher challenges his brother for third place. This does not work and Rubens Barrichello is able to get ahead of both brothers. Ralf tries to fight back and gets alongside Barrichello while Michael Schumacher goes for the inside and emerges ahead. At the end of the lap he goes straight into the pits for a new set of tyres.

* Lap 62: The order has remained stable at the front with Hakkinen easily ahead of Coulthard with Barrichello third. Ralf Schumacher has dropped back from Rubens while Michael Schumacher is by himself in fifth place. Sixth-placed Button goes out with a mechanical problem with four laps to go. Gaston Mazzacane is given a 10sec penalty for ignoring overtaking flags.

* Lap 65: Hakkinen and Coulthard score a McLaren 1-2.