At the season opener in Australia, Frentzen qualified a strong fourth with Trulli not far behind in seventh. Frentzen ran in third place early on, but was knocked off the track in a collision with Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari. In a strong comeback drive, the German finished sixth, and was promoted to fifth when arch-rivals BAR had one of their cars penalised for overtaking under a yellow flag. Trulli drove strongly and looked set for third when his hydraulics failed, putting him out of the race.