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Hakkinen wins Hungarian GP

Mika Hakkinen won his third race of the season after a rousing start during which he advanced from the second row in the grid to the first place.

With this win, for the first time in the season, Hakkinen leads Michael Schumacher in the Driver's Championship.

In a race that promised a lot, Schumacher and the other drivers could do little but watch Hakkinen show off his driving skills. His blinding start was breathtaking and it just showed the others what he is really capable of achieving. With a ruthlessness very rarely seen, the others simply did not have a chance once he was through and he stretched the lead to 27 seconds before slowing down the pace during the final laps to finish almost 8 seconds clear of Michael Schumacher, who came in second.

Coulthard was Schumacher shadow throughout the race but he simply could not get past the German, who now trails Hakkinen by two points in the Driver's Championship. The other drivers to finish among the points were Ruebens Barrichelo, Ralf Schumacher and Heinz Harold Frentzen.

This was Hakkinen's 17th career victory and it also officially gave Mclaren the lead in the Constructor's Championship. Earlier, they had taken the lead briefly in Austria before they were disallowed for a technical infringement.