Jarno Trulli works very hard for sixth place and one championship point for Jordan Grand Prix in a rain-affected race. Heinz-Harald Frentzen loses potential top-six place when forced to retire with brake trouble after 32 laps. Michael Schumacher leads from start to finish to head a Ferrari one-two on a day when McLaren's Mika Hakkinen has to make do with fourth place and David Coulthard, seventh, is penalised.

With the race starting in dry conditions, Jarno Trulli worked his way into fifth place just after one-third distance, overtaking Heinz-Harald Frentzen who had begun to slow with brake trouble before eventually retiring. Jarno made his scheduled pit stop on lap 39 but had to return six laps later when the arrival of rain, which would continue to fall for the rest of the race, forced a switch to wet-weather tyres.

'The car was very good in the beginning,' said Jarno. 'I lost a couple of places at the first corner when side-by-side with Heinz-Harald and I had to back off to make sure we didn't touch. That cost me a couple of places but I was able to pressure Zonta, force him to run wide and move in front of the BAR as a result. I was making good progress in fifth place but then I had to make my pit stop. A few minutes later, the rain began. At first, the car felt very good on the grooved slicks even though the track was wet.
But, once I had stopped for wet tyres and the rain got worse, the car became very difficult to drive. I came under a lot of pressure all the way to the finish but I didn't make any mistakes in the very slippery conditions and held on to sixth place. I've never had to work so hard for one point! But it is a good result considering everything I had been through.'

Michael Schumacher led from the start and his task was made easier when Coulthard, who had been pushing the Ferrari, was forced into the pits for a 10-second stop-go penalty. The McLaren mechanics had broken the rules when they restarted Coulthard's stalled engine on the grid after the 15-second signal had been given. Coulthard was never a threat and Schumacher's position at the front was helped by a very fast start into third place by Jacques Villeneuve, the BAR driver then holding up the rest of the field by
a second a lap. Schumacher's fifth win of the season gives the German driver a 22 point lead in the championship with nine races to run.

Jordan Grand Prix