The race began under hot and sunny conditions. Michael Schumacher had a good start, however his younger brother and Rubens Barrichello touch, sending the Williams spinning. David Coulthard is flew through the field from his eighth starting place to move into fourth ahead of Mika Hakkinen. The skies open up and heavy rain begins to pour onto the circuit to add to the excitement. On lap three Jarno Trulli leads, followed by David Coulthard.
Utter chaos reigns as almost every car slides off the circuit.
The safety car was deployed when the heavy rain hit. David Coulthard leads with Frentzen in second and Jos Verstappen in third. Villeneuve, Heidfeld, Bernoldi, Montoya, Panis, Raikkonen have all retired by this stage and Michael Schumacher is down in 11th place behind Rubens Barrichello who sits in tenth. The McLarens are at the front of the pack while the Ferraris are close to the rear of the field. When the rain has stopped, the brief downpour that played havoc on the track is replaced with bright sunshine.