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Hungarian Grand Prix Lap-by-lap coverage

Lap 1: Mika Hakkinen (McLaren) gets a clean start to take and early lead. Eddie Irvine (Ferrari) second, with Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton moving up to third. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Jordan) moves into fourth, ahead of McLaren's David Coulthard

Lap 2: Hakkinen increases lead by half a second to 1.8s.

Lap 3: Hakkinen leads by 2.4s. Top six: Hakkinen, Irvine, Fisichella, Frentzen, Coulthard and Hill.

Lap 4: Mika Salo drops back to 20th. Hakkinen stretches llead to 3.505s. Fisichella four seconds behind Irvine.

Lap 5: Fisichella loses time behind Irvine.

Lap 6: Top six remain the same. Irvine now more than four seconds behind Hakkinen. Fisichella remains 9.1s behind the Finn.

Lap 7: Hakkinen records 1.21.22 to extend lead as race reaches one tenth distance.

Lap 8: Irvine now 5.483 s behind Hakkinen. Fisichella 12.986s behind the leader.

Lap 9: Hakkinen leads by 6.009s. Top six remain: Hakkinen, Irvine, Fisichella, Frentzen, Coulthard and Hill.

Lap 10: Alex Zanardi (Williams) retires from his eighth race in 11 after driving into pits and straight into garage. Mika Salo remains a lowly 19th.

Lap 11: Hakkinen maintains commanding lead.

Lap 12: Irvine now 7.543s behind Hakkinen. Fisichella 16s behind leader.

Lap 13: Hakkinen extends lead to 7.884s. Top six remains the same. Sixth placed Hill 26s behind Hakkinen.

Lap 14: Irvine drops back further. Damon Hill takes six tenths out of Coulthard's time. Coulthard struggling to pass Frentzen.

Lap 15: Coulthard continues to gain on Frentzen. Johnny Herbert in 12th. His Stewart team-mate Rubens Barrichello in seventh.

Lap 16: Hakkinen stretches lead.

Lap 19: Hakkinen told to 'push' by pit boards, suggesting Irvine's Ferrari may have more fuel on board.

Lap 20: Hakkinen overtakes backmarker Marc Gene (Minardi).

Lap 21: Pedro Diniz (Sauber) spins out of race at turn 13.

Lap 22: Hakkinen picks up pace in response to pit instructions. Irvine records poor lap.

Lap 23: Eighteenth placed Salo (Ferrari) being caught by Hakkinen.

Lap 24: Hakkinen 13s ahead of Irvine.

Lap 25: Top six remains: Hakkinen, Irvine, Fisichella, Frentzen, Coulthard, Hill. BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve pits for fuel and tyres.

Lap 26: One third distance almost competed. Hakkinen overtakes Salo and Pedro de la Rosa (Arrows). McLaren continue to display 'push' board to Hakkinen.

Lap 27: Eddie Irvine more than 12s behind the leader.

Lap 28: Hakkinen's lead stabilised. Eighteen seconds between first and third (Fisichella). Fisichella pits for 'new' used tyres. Frentzen moves to third. Ralf Schumacher (Williams) pits.

Lap 29: Eddie Irvine pits (8.3s). He rejoins in fifth. Alex Wurz pits.

Lap 30: HH Frentzen pits for tyres and fuel. Hakkinen pits and manages to rejoin in the lead.

Lap 31: Top six: Hakkinen, Coulthard (yet to stop), Irvine, Barrichello (yet to stop), Alesi (yet to stop), Fisichella.

Lap 34: Alex Wurz drives-off track, but rejoins without damaging his Benetton. Coulthard stops and rejoins in front of Fisichella and Frentzen. Irvine moves into second.

Lap 35: Ricardo Zonta (BAR) pits for second time.

Lap 36: Hakkinen leads, Irvine second, with Coulthard six seconds behind the Ulsterman. Barrichello between Irvine and Coulthard in third.

Lap 37: Top four: Hakkinen, Irvine, Barrichello, Coulthard.

Lap 38: As race approaches race distance, Barrichello, Herbert, Olivier Panis (Prost) and Salo yet to stop. Hakkinen closing on Villeneuve (15th).

Lap 39: Hakkinen laps Salo. Johnny Herbert comes in from 11th. Panis also pits and gets away quicker than the Stewart.

Lap 40: Hakkinen leads Irvine. Barrichello pits.

Lap 43: David Coulthard catching Irvine. The Scot lies two seconds behind the Ferrari driver.

Lap 44: Hakkinen leads by 20s and puts in fastest lap of race (1.20.7).

Lap 46: McLaren continue to show the 'push' board to Hakkinen. Mika Salo (11th) makes his first stop of the race.

Lap 48: Coulthard 0.5s behind Irvine.

Lap 49: Irvine struggling to hold off Coulthard as he loses two seconds to Hakkinen. Damon Hill in pits for new rubber and fuel. Alesi moves into sixth.

Lap 50: Hakkinen more than 28s ahead of Irvine.

Lap 51: Frentzen comes in from fifth for routine pit stop (8.0s). He regains position. Two thirds distance almost completed. Jacques Villeneuve pits.

Lap 52: Hill goes wide at turn four and runs onto gravel.

Lap 53: Irvine holding Coulthard up. Hakkinen striding away. Ralf Schumacher pits (7.6s).
Fisichella out of contention after pit-lane problems.

Lap 54: Fisichella retires. Hakkinen continues to dominate. Top six: Hakkinen, Irvine, Coulthard, Alesi, Frentzen, Barrichello.

Lap 55: Hakkinen pits with a time of 7.4s. The Finn rejoins in first. Alesi also pits, but is held up when he stalls.

Lap 56: Hakkinen leads Irvine by 8.514s. Damon Hill in sixth, following Alesi pit-stop.

Lap 57: Coulthard continues to swarm over Irvine. Ferrari prepare to bring in Irvine.
Both Irvine and Coulthard pit. Irvine gets out first.

Lap 58: Irvine and Coulthard prepare to overtake Villeneuve.

Lap 61: HH Frentzen 11 seconds behind third placed Coulthard. Villeneuve pits and retires.

Lap 64: Irvine brakes late, goes wide and loses track position to Coulthard. Hakkinen leads Coulthard, followed by Irvine.

Lap 65: Coulthard leads Irvine by 4s.

Lap 67: Barrichello and Hill battle for fifth.

Lap 68: Hakkinen being caught by Coulthard and Irvine, but still leads by 23s.

Lap 69: Frentzen 12s behind third placed Irvine. Coulthard eats another two seconds into Hakkinen's lead with the fastest lap of the race (1.20.699).
Jean Alesi (seventh) given ten second penalty.

Lap 70: McLaren display 'easy' board to Coulthard in a bid to slow him down. Top six: Hakkinen, Coulthard, Irvine, Frentzen, Barrichello, Hill.

Lap 73: Frentzen catching Ferrari's Mika Salo.

Lap 75: Hakkinen remains in the lead. Coulthard second.

Lap 76: Jean Alesi retires from eighth position, as Hakkinen starts final lap.

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