circuit damp but it dried up quickly and teams switched from wet to dry compound tyres. Teams fine-tuned the handling of their cars while running heavy fuel loads as competitors practised their starts. Michael Schumacher set the fastest overall lap of 1:38.005 on his last quick effort. His teammate Barrichello was third in the other Ferrari car. They were split by the McLaren drivers—Häkkinen was second with Coulthard fourth. Button set the fifth-quickest lap. With ten minutes of the session remaining, Mazzacane lost control of his car in the final curve of the esses behind the pit lane, sustaining heavy vehicular damage against the barrier. Race The race started at 14:30 local time. The conditions for the race were dry and overcast for the race; forecasters predicted rain during the event. The air temperature was at and the track temperature at . Approximately 151,000 people attended the race. It ran for 53 laps over a distance of . During the final parade lap, Häkkinen's car developed an leak in the hydraulic system which caused smoke to depart but managed to take the start. Frentzen started the race using Jordan's spare monocoque. When the lights went out to start the Grand Prix, Häkkinen accelerated faster than Michael Schumacher off the line with more track grip, withstanding the German's attempts to maintain the lead by veering right towards the McLaren car in an attempt to block his path into the first corner. Whiting decided not to wave the black and white diagonal flag for poor driving standards. Behind the leading two drivers on the approach into the first corner, Michael Schumacher's manoeuvre created some action, as Ralf Schumacher overtook Barrichello and Coulthard withstood Schumacher's attempts to pass for third position. Verstappen moved from 14th to tenth at the end of the first lap, while Fisichella made a slow getaway, losing eight positions over the same distance; the result of his anti-stall system activating. At the completion of lap one, Häkkinen led from Michael Schumacher by eight-tenths of a second, followed by Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, Irvine, Barrichello and Button. Häkkinen set the fastest lap of the race on lap two and began to maintain the gap between himself and Michael Schumacher as both drivers pulled away from the rest of the field. A minor drizzle fell on the circuit on the fourth lap but it was not heavy enough to effect the race.