Ralf Schumacher
The conditions on the grid were dry before the race; the air temperature ranged between and the track temperature was between . The race started at 14:00 local time. A total of approximately 79,000 people attended the race. Ralf Schumacher started the race in the spare Williams monocoque because his race car developed a sensor issue with his engine the previous day. When the race started, Häkkinen got a better start than Michael Schumacher but the latter moved across the circuit to block Häkkinen. Ralf Schumacher also got a good start and passed Coulthard and Barrichello. At the exit of the first corner, Ralf Schumacher made contact with the rear of Häkkinen's car, sending him slightly sideways and both drivers were able to continue. Button also made a good start, moving from eleventh to ninth by the end of the first lap, while Irvine dropped three places over the same distance. Diniz spun off into the gravel on the first lap and retired. At the end of the first lap, the top ten were Michael Schumacher, Häkkinen, Ralf Schumacher, Coulthard, Barrichello, Villeneuve, Frentzen, Trulli, Button and Salo.