With the Brabham-Repco team having won the Constructors' title at Monza, it was down to Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme to sort out which one of them was going to win the Drivers' crown. Brabham was after a fourth World Championship title but Hulme was three points ahead and wanted his first title.

The field was bolstered with a third Lotus for Moisés Solana and Jean-Pierre Beltoise in a Formula 2 Matra which had been sent along as part of the French company's preparations to enter Formula 1 in 1968.

The two Lotus 49s of Graham Hill and Jim Clark qualified 1-2 while the second row was shared by Dan Gurney's Eagle-Weslake and Chris Amon's Ferrari. On the third row were the two World Championship contenders with Brabham just quicker than Hulme while the fourth row featured Solana and Jochen Rindt in the Cooper-Maserati. John Surtees, the winner at Monza three weeks earlier, was down in 11th in his Honda.

Hill took the lead at the start with Clark giving chase but Gurney was soon up into second and stayed there until the end of the eighth lap when Clark reasserted himself. Gurney dropped back to retire on lap 24 with a rear suspension failure. This left third place to Amon who had emerged ahead after an early battle with the two Brabhams. Hulme had got the better of Brabham was was running fourth. Up at the front Clark overtook Hill (who was having gear trouble) for the lead on lap 41. Hill dropped back and fell behind Amon on lap 65. Brabham had been forced to drop back with a puncture and so was no longer a threat.

Amon and Hill fought over second place until lap 85 when Amon's engine failed.

With two laps to go Clark's suspension suddenly bent alarmingly but he was able to keep the car going to grab victory by six seconds from Hill and Hulme, Denny extending his lead in the World Championship to five points, although Brabham would have to drop two points if he finished above fifth place.