with two drivers participating; no changes were made from the season entry list. Sole tyre supplier Bridgestone brought the medium and the hard dry compounds to the race, which were the hardest available compounds to teams. Since the Monza Circuit saw high average lap times, each of the eleven teams installed low incidence ailerons on their cars and the wings observed at the . Going into the race, McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen led the World Drivers' Championship with 74 points, ahead of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher on 68 points and Häkkinen's teammate David Coulthard on 61 points. Rubens Barrichello of Ferrari was fourth with 49 points with Williams driver Ralf Schumacher fifth on 20 points. In the World Constructors' Championship McLaren were leading with 125 points, Ferrari and Williams were second and third with 117 and 30 points, respectively, while Benetton were fourth with 18 points and Jordan with 13 points were in fifth position. At the previous race in Belgium, the gap between Häkkinen (who won three of the preceding four races) and Michael Schumacher had extended to six points. Häkkinen started from pole position and maintained the lead until he lost control of his car at Stavelot corner on the 13th lap. He later managed to lap faster than Michael Schumacher and passed the German while both drivers were lapping BAR driver Ricardo Zonta with four laps remaining and held it to win the race. The overtaking manoeuvre was heralded by the worldwide press and many people involved in Formula One as "the best ever manoeuvre in grand prix racing". Michael Schumacher remained confident about his title chances: "With only six points between Mika and I and four more races to go, I am still optimistic about our chances. One win or a retirement before the end of the season can change the whole picture either way." Over the month of July, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza race track's main straight was straightened and the Variante Goodyear and Seconda Variante chicanes were reconfigured by the race organisers to become a series of narrower corners with the exit away from the entry of turn one. The run-off areas around the two sections of the circuit were enlargened. These changes were done at the request of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; Formula One's governing body). Some of the drivers, however, were unhappy with the modifications, though, as there were fears