Kammala wannan jumlar: Zagaye na farko na gasar ya kasance a Ostiraliya kuma ba abin mamaki bane, McLaren biyu na Mika Häkkinen da David Coulthard sun fara 1<unk>2 a gaban Michael Schumacher na Ferrari. Schumacher, a karo na biyu a jere tseren (bayan bara ta
tseren karshe), ya tsaya a zagaye na farar hula kuma ya fara a baya. McLarens sun kasance na farko da na biyu a cikin kusurwa ta farko, sannan suka janye har sai duka sun lalace, Coulthard lokacin da gearbox dinsa ya lalace kuma Häkkinen yana da matsalar lantarki. Wannan ya bar Eddie Irvine a cikin Ferrari na biyu don ɗaukar nasararsa ta farko a rayuwarsa a gaban Heinz-Harald Frentzen na Jordan da Ralf Schumacher a cikin Williams.