Summary

Jacques Villeneuve is, with a bit of luck, back on track for the battle of the championship with Michael Schumacher. Villeneuve saw his chance of winning almost disappear after a troubled pitstop, which cost him a lot of places, and above all the lead. But he could regain the lead in the final couple of laps because Hakkinen's engine let go. He also saw Michael Schumacher retire in the lead with a technical problem.

Benetton was running well with a second and third place by Jean Alesi and Alexander Wurz.

Damon Hill brought a championship point to the Arrows-Yamaha team with his sixth place. He celebrated the well-earned point in front of his home crowd almost the same as a win.

Notes

• Alesi starts in his T-car because he feels this car handles better than his race car.
• Frentzen stalls his engine on the grid because he stops his car in first gear and not in neutral. There is a restart and he needs to start from the back.
• Katayama spins of the grid on the restart. Frentzen is out of the race, and Verstappen with a broken front wing.
• The safety car comes onto the track.
• Diniz retires in the pits with technical problems on lap 29.
• Barrichello sees his engine go up in smoke on lap 37.
• M. Schumacher retires with a brake problem on lap 38.
• Herbert clashes with Wurz in the pits. Herbert comes in and out of the pits a few times after that and retires on lap 42.
• Irvine retires after a pitstop with a broken drive shaft. (lap 44)
• Salo retires on lap 44 with a blown Ford engine.
• Verstappen retires with the same problem on lap 45.
• Magnussen also blows up a Ford engine on lap 50.
• Hakkinen's Mercedes engine goes up in smoke lap 52.
• Nakano' Mugen doesn't last a race.
• Villeneuve has received a one race suspended ban because he didn't keep enough distance to the safety car.
  • Weather during race: Sunny, some clouds(21 Degrees)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.   12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.

Villeneuve (Williams) Alesi (Benetton) Wurz (Benetton) Coulthard (McLaren) R. Schumacher (Jordan) Hill (Arrows) Fisichella (Jordan) Trulli (Prost) Fontana (Sauber) Marques (Minardi) Nakano (Prost) Not Classified Hakkinen (McLaren) Magnussen (Stewart) Verstappen (Tyrrell) Irvine (Ferrari) Salo (Tyrrell) Herbert (Sauber) M. Schumacher (Ferrari) Barrichello (Stewart) Diniz (Arrows) Frentzen (Williams) Katayama (Minardi)

1:28.01.665s + 10.205s + 11.296s + 31.229s + 31.880s + 1:13.552s 1 lap 1 lap 1 lap 1 lap 2 lap   7 lap 9 lap 14 laps 15 laps 15 laps 17 laps 21 laps 22 laps 30 laps 59 laps 59 laps

• Fastest lap: Michael Schumacher 1:24.475s

The Quotes

• Villeneuve:"It was a very important victory, definitely, for all of us. But I was worried after that pit-stop because I had lost so much time. After that I just had to push, push and push all the time. I was lucky the tyres were very good for me and I could push so hard. It was good for me too to see Michael stop because it is time they had some problems this year."

• Hakkinen:"Towards the end of the race, I blistered a tyre which allowed Villeneuve to catch me, but I had everything in control. There was no way he could have got past me. Then my engine went, it means I have really experienced every emotion this weekend."

• Hill: "It's a great thing for the team. You're under pressure with Yamaha and all. This is one point and now we are going to get some more."

• M. Schumacher: "What happened was a shame. I think it was the left rear bearing. All the same, I am not too disappointed as I was comfortably in he lead when it occurred. Williams still has a slight advantage in qualifying trim, but now we are competitive in the race. Technical problems happen and to the other teams as well. That is racing."

• Alesi: "I am very happy for everyone in the team. We always seem to have some problems in qualifying and then to do extremely well in the race. Our selection of a one-stop strategy was the perfect tactic today. I felt slow and not in good shape at all, but it was amazing to see my position improving all the time. Very satisfying. Now, I feel confident that with some new parts due for the car we can continue to show very good form in the high-speed contests which lie ahead of us."

• Wurz: "It is difficult for me to explain how happy I feel to have secured this first podium finish with the team, in only my third race. I have to say I feel extremely grateful to everyone because I am sure that, without the brilliant tactic of going just for one stop, we would not have managed to secure this result. I am delighted."

• Marques: "I'm happy to have completed my first F.1 race but not to have finished in the last position. The one pit-stop strategy could have been a good solution but the car was heavy and after about 10 laps I started having some vibration on the tyres that prevented me to push as I wished. After the pit stop I also had problem to the brake pedal so the in the second half of the race it was quite difficult to drive the car."

• Katayama: "I really don't know what happened! At the start I passed Diniz and few metres after I spun. I don't know whether it was my fault, a technical problem or someone pushed me from behind."

• Fontana: "The car was very consistent today; the balance was good all the way through. My only problem was slight numbness in my right leg after 15 laps."

• Herbert: "I got up to fifth straight away after making a good start, and though Coulthard was holding us all up a little I was able to consolidate my position without too much trouble. Our strategy worked perfectly when I made my first stop on lap 17, and after that I was happy with my pace and the condition of the tyres. As I came in for my second stop on lap 41 the transmission momentarily refused to select a gear. The stop was fine but as I pulled away the car felt a little odd. The right front tyre had sustained a cut, so at the end of that lap I came in for a third time to have it replaced, but as soon as I resumed again the gearbox problem recurred, but this time it was much worse. I came in again and we changed the steering wheel in case the selector paddles were the cause of the electronic fault, but when I went out again I couldn't find a gear at all at first. Eventually I managed to find sixth, and crept back round to the pits again. That was it; a great shame because the car was going really well."

• Salo: "I had a really lonely race today. I made a good start but I had a lot of oversteer which we tried to correct by taking the front flaps down at the first pit stop. The car was better on a light fuel load, but not enough to make up the difference. Then the engine just let go without any warning."

• Verstappen: "I had made a good start, but then Frentzen came flying past everyone. Obviously he is quicker than me, but as soon as he got past he turned sharply left and just destroyed my nose. I couldn't believe it. He also damaged the radio aerial, so I couldn't tell the team to expect me into the pits. The boys did well though and I got out before the Safety Car so I didn't lose too much time."

Drivers Championship table

M. Schumacher (Ferrari)	47
Villeneuve (Williams)	43
Alesi (Benetton)	21
Frentzen(Williams)	19
Irvine (Ferrari)	18
Panis (Prost)	15
Coulthard (McLaren)	14
Berger (Benetton)	10
Hakkinen (McLaren)	10
Fisichella (Jordan)	8
Herbert (Sauber)	7
Barrichello (Stewart)	6
R. Schumacher (Jordan)	7
Wurz (Benetton)	4
Salo (Tyrrell)	2
Hill (Arrows)	1
Larini (Sauber)	1
Nakano (Prost)	1

Constructors Championship table

Ferrari	65
Williams-Renault	62
Benetton-Renault	35
McLaren-Mercedes	24
Prost-Mugen	16
Jordan-Peugeot	15
Sauber-Petronas	8
Stewart-Ford	6
Tyrrell-Ford	2
Arrows-Yamaha	1