However, the first signs of trouble came before the race had even begun: while the other drivers made their way to the dummy grid, pole sitter Häkkinen was still in the pits with a problem.
Con todo, os primeiros sinais de problemas chegaron antes de que comezase a carreira: mentres os outros pilotos fixeron o seu camiño cara á grella ficticia, o pole Häkkinen seguía nos boxes cun problema.