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Warm-up
The drivers took to the track at 09:30 Central European Summer Time (GMT+2) for a 30-minute warm-up session. Häkkinen was second in the other McLaren, followed by De la Rosa and Michael Schumacher. Yellow flags were waved because both Villeneuve and Verstappen's cars were stationary and obstructing much of the track.
Race
thumb|right|upright|alt=Head and shoulders of a man in his forties with blonde hair and grey eyes. He is wearing a white shirt which bears the Mercedes-Benz and AMG logos, and is holding a microphone in both of his hands.|[[Mika Häkkinen (pictured in 2009) took the lead at the start of the race, but fell to second after his second pit stop.]]
The 45-lap race ran before 102,000 spectators over from 14:00 local time. The race began in dry weather, but became damp and wet as it progressed. The air temperature was and the track temperature ranged from . Rain began falling in the stadium section eleven minutes before the parade lap, but it stopped eight minutes later. Ferrari adjusted the angle of Michael Schumacher's front wing to better cope with wet weather that the team expected. Several drivers adjusted their rear wings, slowing them slightly but improving their steering in tight corners. Button's engine suddenly failed to start during the parade lap, forcing him to start from the rear of the field. Coulthard and Michael Schumacher made slow starts. Noticing Häkkinen to his left, Michael Schumacher reacted by moving to the outside line. His left-rear wheel and Fisichella's front wing collided after catching Fisichella off guard and his braking late. Fisichella's front wing was removed from his car.
Barrichello, on a two-stop strategy making his car light, moved from 18th to 10th to end lap one. Häkkinen began to maintain his lead from teammate Coulthard. Officials again deployed the safety car as carbon fibre was scattered across the grass and needed removing by marshals. He took the penalty immediately and fell to 11th. Button finished fourth, his season-best finish, because it came after an earlier setback, including a major accident during practice for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix that rendered him unconscious. Barrichello dedicated his victory to Senna, who had assisted him in his early career. He also disclosed that he chose to race on dry tyres because he believed he would have an advantage on the straights and chicanes, even though he flat-spotted a tyre in the race's closing stages, reducing his visibility. Häkkinen stated that he was "in control" of the event throughout the first phase, while he confessed that he was careful on wet tyres and could have won on dry tyres. Coulthard revealed that he used Michael Schumacher's tactics at the start after seeking clarity on the rules governing such manoeuvres. He also said that he was unable to communicate with his team in the forest portions, which prompted him to stay out for an extra lap after Häkkinen's pit stop. Salo regarded his race as "hard" because he chose a high downforce setup, which meant he was slower than his competitors on the straights. Furthermore, he revealed that near the end of the race, he ran out of engine oil as temperatures gradually rose. De la Rosa earned championship points for the second time this season after finishing fifth at the European Grand Prix. He thought the event was "strange," but was happy with his team's efforts. Fisichella, conversely, maintained his racing line and believed that drivers should choose their preferred racing line before describing his race as a "waste." McLaren CEO Ron Dennis commented the team were flexible in their strategy but not to the extent to accommodate the track intruder, arguing he lost the team the victory and endangered his and drivers' lives. a 47-year-old French father of three who spent 22 years working at a Mercedes-Benz production factory in Le Mans. The news reported that Sehli was protesting his dismissal on health grounds. However, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport vice president Norbert Haug called the police's treatment of Sehli a "scandal." Hockenheimring GmbH, the track's owners, reported that Sehli had been charged with trespassing. Hockenheimring GmbH, however, fined him £600 for breaching circuit limits.
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Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"
|-
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" | Driver
! scope="col" | Points
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 1
| Michael Schumacher
| 56
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 2
| David Coulthard
| 54
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 3
| Mika Häkkinen
| 54
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 4
| Rubens Barrichello
| 46
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 5
| Giancarlo Fisichella
| 18
|-
!colspan=4|Sources:
|}
;Constructors' Championship standings
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"
|-
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" | Constructor
! scope="col" | Points
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 1
| Ferrari
| 102
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 2
| McLaren-Mercedes
| 98<!-- Please do not change this to 108 – McLaren (but not Häkkinen) were penalised 10 points at the Austrian GP due to a missing seal on Häkkinen's car, so McLaren's points total is NOT equal to the sum of Häkkinen's points plus Coulthard's points -->
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 3
| Williams-BMW
| 22
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 4
| Benetton-Playlife
| 18
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| align="center" | 5
| BAR-Honda
| 12
|-
!colspan=4|Sources: