Race: lap by lap report

Lap 72: Frentzen out of shape as he battles to keep lead.

Lap 70: Irvine goes ahead of R Schumacher but loses the position almost immediately. R Schumacher goes ahead of Michael to take fourth. Frenzten extends lead over Hakkinen

Lap 69: Ralf Schumacher chasing brother Michael, with Irvine close behind. M Schumacher the slowest driver of the three.

Lap 67: Frentzen is 2.369secs ahead of Hakkinen. Irvine tries to take R Schumacher, but the German defends his position.

Lap 66: Hakkinen and Barrichello both make pit stops. Frentzen leads French Grand Prix. M Schumacher in fourth ahead of brother Ralf. Irvine sixth.

Lap 65: Frentzen lapping 2.5secs a lap faster than Barrichello. Significantly, Zonta, the only driver on dry-weather tyres, lapping up to four seconds a lap quicker than everyone else.

Lap 64: Frentzen catching Barrichello.

Lap 61: Race order- Hakkinen, Barrichello, Frentzen, M Schumacher, R Schumacher, Irvine.

Lap 60: Hakkinen charges up to move past Barrichello and pulls away. Frentzen appears to struggle with gear selection problems.

Lap 59: Barrichello holds off challenge from Hakkinen. M Schumacher in fifth.

Lap 58: Hakkinen closing on Barrichello.

Lap 57: Hakkinen outbrakes Frentzen to snatch second place. Barrichello still winning.

Lap 55: M Schumacher pits. Barrichello takes lead.

Lap 54: Irvine spins off but does not lose his place.

Lap 53: Hakkinen moves up to third, in close pursuit of Frentzen and second-placed Barrichello. Ferrari mechanics prepare new steering wheel and wet tyres for M Schumacher.

Lap 52: Schumacher extends lead. Ralf Schumacher pits for new tyres from sixth position.

Lap 51: Barrichello closes up to M Schumacher after the Ferrari driver loses eight seconds. Hakkinen moves up to fifth. Irvine pits.

Lap 46: Race order- M Schumacher, Barrichello, Frentzen, Panis, R Schumacher, Irvine.

Lap 45: M Schumacher 4.397secs ahead of Barrichello.

Lap 43: M Schumacher squeezes past Barrichello. Irvine takes Hakkinen and Trulli to take eighth. Five seconds between first and sixth.

Lap 42: Schumacher outbrakes Barrichello, but the Brazilian regains his lead after briefly losing it. Panis catching Frentzen.

Lap 40: Barrichello being caught by M Schumacher.

Lap 39: Schumacher's Ferrari overtakes Frentzen to take second. Barrichello leads by 1.514s.

Lap 37: Barrichello 0.586s ahead of Hakkinen. Hakkinen spins when trying to overtake Barrichello. The Finn loses control after putting a wheel on kerb, putting him down to seventh.

Lap 36: Race order: Barrichello, Hakkinen, Frentzen, M Schumacher, Panis, Trulli.

Lap 35: Safety Car peels off, the race is back on. Michael Schumacher challenges Frentzen.

Lap 34: Track drying out. Safety Car due in at the end of the lap.

Lap 33: Hill drives into pit to retire from his final French Grand Prix with engine trouble.

Lap 32: Safety Car remains on track.

Lap 31: Rain stopped. Safety Car expected back into pits soon.

Lap 29: Takagi, 13th, pits for new nose cone and tyres. Race order- Barrichello, Hakkinen, Frentzen, M Schumacher, Panis, Trulli.

Lap 28: Rain easing off. Zanardi also retired. Paul Stewart asks for Safety Car to slow down. Hill rejoins the race, albeit two laps down.

Lap 27: Wurz and Gene retire after aqua-planing off road. Barrichello waves for race to be stopped. Stewart claim its driver is finding the car undriveable in the rain.

Lap 26: Barrichello leads. Hakkinen second, with Frentzen third. Trulli moves up to sixth. Villeneuve goes off.

Lap 25: Alesi spins into gravel and out of the Grand Prix. Safety car on track due to standing water.

Lap 23: Race order - Barrichello, Hakkinen, Alesi, Frentzen, M Schumacher, Panis. Rain getting worse.

Lap 21: Pit stops expected as rain starts to fall. Fisichella spins off. Irvine comes in for wet tyres. Ferrari not ready and mistakenly put on grooved left front tyre. Barrichello comes in. Alesi takes chunks out of Hakkinen's time. Hill goes off. His Jordan collides with Arrows as it exits pit lane, causing a pucture on Hill's car.

Lap 20: Hakkinen chases race-leader Barrichello. Zanardi tries to overtake Hill, who is in 15th place.

Lap 19: Irvine takes Fisichella to move up to ninth.

Lap 18: Irvine (tenth) catching Fisichella. Hakkinen takes Alesi. Both drivers almost go off after braking late.

Lap 17: R Schumacher takes Fisichello, with Irvine catching both. Barrichello leads, ahead of Alesi, Hakkinen, Frentzen. Dark clouds forming.

Lap 16: Ralf Schumacher tries to take eighth place Fisichella. Barrichello leads by 4.683s. Eddie Irvine carving his way throug field.

Lap 15:Hakkinen takes Frentzen and then holds off the German's challenge to take third.

Lap 14: Race order remains the same.

Lap 13: Barrichello extends lead over Alesi. Hakkinen harries Frentzen. Michael Schumacher dropping back.

Lap 12: Race order - Barrichello, Alesi, Frentzen, Hakkinen, M Schumacher, Panis.

Lap 10:Coulthard brakes down while leading and is forced to retire. Barrichello leading again with nearly four seconds advantage over Alesi in second.

Hakkinen and Schumacher duelling, with Hakkinen trying to pass, Schuey retakes though to stay in fifth, but Hakkinen fights back to pass again.

Retirements so far - Herbert.

Lap seven: Coulthard sets fastest lap again - 1:19.227.

Lap six: Coulthard overtakes Barrichello. Alesi holds third. Coulthard goes one and half seconds faster than all other drivers.

Lap three: Barrichello leads Coulthard by 0.481s. Hakkinen up to seventh. Coulthard sets fastest lap. Herbert pits from last position.

Lap two: Coulthard moves up to second.'

Lap one: All drivers get away. Frentzen up to fourth. Schumacher moves to fifth. Barrichello leads by 1.189. Alesi, Coulthard, Frentzen, Michael Schumacher follow at the end of lap one.


1255 BST: With five minutes to go drivers line up. Weather is overcast, with strong possibiltiy of rain.