Formula 1 World Championship 1997

Formula 1 World Championship 1997

World Champion Jacques Villeneuve at last year's Canadian Grand Prix
World Champion
Driver:	Jacques Villeneuve
Constructor:	Williams-Renault
Season dates
Number of races:	17th
<1996 season	1998 season>

Defending champion Damon Hill in the Arrows-Yamaha at the 1997 British GP

Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari after crossing the finish line at the German GP in 1997

The 1997 Formula 1 World Championship was the 48th season of the Formula 1 World Championship . It was held over 17 races in the period from March 9, 1997 to October 26, 1997.

Jacques Villeneuve won the drivers' world championship for the first and only time. Williams - Renault won the Constructors' Championship for the second year running. It was the ninth and so far last world title for the British team.

Changes in 1997

Racetracks

A total of 17 races were held in the 1997 season, one more than in the previous year.

New this season were the Austrian Grand Prix on the A1-Ring and, for the first time, the Luxembourg Grand Prix on the Nürburgring . It should be noted that races were held at the Nürburgring in the previous season, but one had to switch to the neighboring country after Jerez took the place of the European Grand Prix .

The Portuguese Grand Prix was no longer part of the World Cup as the owners failed to keep their promise to fundamentally renovate and improve the track. The original plan was to host the Portuguese Grand Prix as the last race of the season. It was replaced by the race in Jerez.

Technical regulations

After many years of discussion, the black box , a small box like a flight data recorder called ADR ( "accident data recorder" ), which stores all technical data, became mandatory for every car this year. Because of the Senna accident in 1994 , this system was considered so that accidents can be completely analyzed and processed in the future.

The Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone entered Formula 1 as a competitor for Goodyear , which had had a monopoly as the official tire manufacturer for Formula 1 since 1991. Bridgestone supplied Arrows , Prost , Minardi , Stewart and MasterCard Lola . The plan to replace the treadless tires with grooved tires was also postponed to 1998.

This year, the tires that you want to use for the race on Sunday have to be used in qualifying the day before. This should add more excitement to the race and make qualifying more unpredictable.

Only the rear wing was changed in terms of technology, while the aerodynamic parts were reduced so that the rear wing generates less downforce and the cornering speed is reduced.

Sporting regulations

Every test track used by Formula 1 teams now had to be approved and approved by the FIA . In addition, it was stipulated from this season that the tire stacks had to be fixed in every race. In addition, the safety car could now be used to avoid accidents when starting in the rain.

Engine suppliers

Ferrari supplied both its own works team and Sauber with their engines that year, but the drive unit names were sold to the main sponsor Petronas . The negotiations between Sauber and Ferrari dragged on until Christmas and almost threatened to collapse, but around Christmas the contract was signed by both sides. The term was around eight years and provided for payments of 40 billion lire (the equivalent of 20 million euros) and a regular seat for the Ferrari factory driver Nicola Larini . In the 17 reports from the four cars powered by Ferrari engines, you only had to give up twice due to an engine failure.

As in the previous year, Renault supplied the Benetton and Williams teams . Although the French manufacturer announced that it would end its cooperation with the Formula 1 teams at the end of the season, the engine was revised for the 1997 season and presented under the name RS9A . At a maximum speed of 17,000 revolutions per minute, it develops around 551 kW (750  hp ). During the season it was further revised and renamed RS9B . The Renault engines were the most reliable during the season, not once did a Renault drive unit go up in flames.

McLaren was again supplied with Mercedes engines. However, the engine proved to be unreliable, seven defects cost McLaren points. The lowest point was the Austrian Grand Prix when Mika Häkkinen retired after around nine corners on the first lap while in the lead with a defective engine.

With the takeover by Tom Walkinshaw , the Arrows team was reorganized and switched from Hart to Yamaha engines. In the previous year, Yamaha had supplied the Tyrrell team, which in 1997 relied on the outdated Ford ED4 engines. Hart himself was able to find a Formula 1 racing team as a buyer with Minardi at the last moment. Jordan stayed with the Peugeot engines from the previous year, the Prost team that emerged from Ligier retained the Mugen Honda drives as in the previous season .

With Stewart and Lola , two new racing teams used Ford engines. Lola used the older Ford Zetec-R engines, which had been running at Sauber in 1995 and the previous year for the Forti team, which was no longer reported . However, Lola gave up after the first race of the season, in which both drivers failed to qualify. Stewart, on the other hand, received newer ten-cylinder engines of the same name with the internal designation Cosworth VJ , which had made their debut at Sauber the previous year, but were not yet fully developed in their second season, just like the chassis. Of the total of 26 failures, eight were due to defective engines.

driver

At Ferrari, Benetton and McLaren nothing changed about the drivers.

Team changes and comebacks

• The champion Damon Hill switched from Williams to Arrows , his teammate Pedro Diniz also switched from the Ligier team to the British.
• Jacques Villeneuve was promoted to the first driver, his team mate will be the former Sauber driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen .
• At Jordan, Giancarlo Fisichella was signed by Minardi.
• Johnny Herbert was kept at Sauber and, due to the new engine contract, Ferrari test driver Nicola Larini was brought back to Formula 1 after a two-year break. In the years outside of Formula 1, he competed in various touring car championships.
• At Tyrrell is committed Jos Verstappen and kept Mika Salo for another year.
• The newly established Stewart team relied on the young Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen .

New drivers

• The brother of Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher , Ralf , joined the Jordan team in Formula 1. He drove in the Japanese Formula Nippon in the preseason , where he became champion.
• The newly formed Prost team took over last year's driver Olivier Panis and brought newcomer Shinji Nakano to the team. The Japanese was active in the Japanese Formula 3000 before his Formula 1 career.
• In the ailing Minardi team, Ukyo Katayama was taken over from Tyrrell and a newcomer, Jarno Trulli, was brought into Formula 1. Before his Formula 1 career, Trulli competed in German Formula 3, where he became champion in 1996.
• The Lola team signed the paydriver Ricardo Rosset and the newcomer Vincenzo Sospiri . Sospiri was a test driver for the Benetton team in 1996.

No longer in the starting field

• Martin Brundle couldn't find a team in the new season and ended his Formula 1 career. He later worked as a commentator for the British TV station ITV and as manager of David Coulthard .
• The Portuguese Pedro Lamy switched to the FIA GT Championship .
• The two Forti drivers Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini did not find an active position in Formula 1. Like Lamy, Badoer entered the FIA ​​GT Championship, Montermini became a test driver for Lola, but after Lola went bankrupt, Montermini also left Formula 1 for good.

Teams

Failed their only qualification attempt : MasterCard Lola

There were three new teams in the season:

• The Ligier team was completely taken over by Alain Prost and renamed the Prost Grand Prix .
• Stewart Grand Prix was completely new to Formula 1, which emerged from the former Formula 3 team Paul Stewart Racing Team . It is run by former Formula 1 world champion Jackie Stewart and his son Paul Stewart .
• Further still rose with MasterCard Lola one another team, which, however, after the first race in Australia no longer reported to a race, as the main sponsor MasterCard withdrew after the disastrous performance in Australia.

The Footwork team called themselves back in Arrows and switched from Hart to Yamaha engines. Tyrrell also switched the engines from Yamaha to Ford . Sauber bought Ferrari engines which were reported under the license from Petronas . Before the start of the season, however, there was an uproar because Sauber announced the purchase of Ferrari's engines to the press without the consent of Cesare Romiti , Fiat's general manager . At Christmas, however, the contract, 40 billion lire (equivalent to 20 million euros) for the Ferrari engines, was fixed.

Jordan undertook John Davis , of the team build the wind tunnels in Brackley helped. Ferrari took over the costs itself in order to get Eddie Irvine from the current contract as an exchange .

The Forti team stopped registering for a Formula 1 season after it went bankrupt in mid-July the previous year.

Teams and drivers

photo	team	chassis	engine	tires	No.	Regular driver	run	Test / substitute driver
	Danka Arrows Yamaha	Arrows A18	Yamaha 3.0 V10	B.	1	Damon Hill	1-17	Martin Brundle Jörg Müller
					2	Pedro Diniz	1-17
	Rothmans Williams Renault	Williams FW19	Renault 3.0 V10	G	3	Jacques Villeneuve	1-17	Jean-Christophe Boullion Juan Pablo Montoya
					4th	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	1-17
	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro	Ferrari F310B	Ferrari 3.0 V10	G	5	Michael sSchumacher	1-17	Gianni Morbidelli Nicola Larini
					6th	Eddie Irvine	1-17
	Mild Seven Benetton Renault	Benetton B197	Renault 3.0 V10	G	7th	Jean Alesi	1-17	Alexander Wurz
					8th	Gerhard Berger	1-6, 10-17
						Alexander Wurz	7-9
	West McLaren Mercedes	McLaren MP4 / 12	Mercedes-Benz 3.0 V10	G	9	Mika Hakkinen	1-17	n / A
					10	David Coulthard	1-17
	B&H Total Jordan Peugeot	Jordan 197	Peugeot 3.0 V10	G	11	Ralf Schumacher	1-17	Ricardo Zonta
					12	Giancarlo Fisichella	1-17
	Cheers Gauloises Blondes	Cheers JS45	Mugen-Honda 3.0 V10	B.	14th	Olivier Panis	1-7, 15-17	Emmanuel Collard
						Jarno Trulli	8-14
					15th	Shinji Nakano	1-17
	Red Bull Sauber Petronas	Clean C16	Petronas 3.0 V10	G	16	Johnny Herbert	1-17	Norberto Fontana
					17th	Nicola Larini	1-5
						Gianni Morbidelli	6, 7, 11-16
						Norberto Fontana	8-10, 17
	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 025	Ford ED4 / ED5 3.0 V8	G	18th	Jos Verstappen	1-17	Toranosuke Takagi
					19th	Mika Salo	1-17
	Minardi team	Minardi M197	Hard 3.0 V8	B.	20th	Ukyō Katayama	1-17	Tarso Marques
					21st	Jarno Trulli	1-7
						Tarso Marques	8-17
	Stewart Ford	Stewart SF01	Ford Zetec-R 3.0 V10	B.	22nd	Rubens Barrichello	1-17	n / A
					23	Jan Magnussen	1-17
	Mastercard Lola F1 Team	Lola T97 / 30	Ford Zetec-R 3.0 V8	B.	24	Vincenzo Sospiri	1	Andrea Montermini
					25th	Ricardo Rosset	1

Racing calendar

No.	date	Grand Prix	route	Distance (km)	Pole position	Fastest race lap	winner	Overall leading driver	Overall leading designer
01	9th March	Australia	Albert Park Circuit	307,516	Jacques Villeneuve	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	David Coulthard	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes
02	March 30	Brazil	Autódromo José Carlos Pace	309.024	Jacques Villeneuve	Jacques Villeneuve	Jacques Villeneuve
03	April 13th	Argentina	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez	306,482	Jacques Villeneuve	Gerhard Berger	Jacques Villeneuve	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault
04th	April 27	San Marino	Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari	303,304	Jacques Villeneuve	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Heinz-Harald Frentzen
05	May 11th	Monaco	Circuit de Monaco	208.692	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Michael sSchumacher	Michael sSchumacher	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari
06th	25. May	Spain	Circuit de Catalunya	302.469	Jacques Villeneuve	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jacques Villeneuve	Jacques Villeneuve
07th	15th June	Canada	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve	238.734	Michael sSchumacher	David Coulthard	Michael sSchumacher	Michael sSchumacher
08th	June 29th	France	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours	305.814	Michael sSchumacher	Michael sSchumacher	Michael sSchumacher
09	July 13th	Great Britain	Silverstone Circuit	303,260	Jacques Villeneuve	Michael sSchumacher	Jacques Villeneuve
10	July 27th	Germany	Hockenheimring	307.035	Gerhard Berger	Gerhard Berger	Gerhard Berger
11	August 10	Hungary	Hungaroring	305.536	Michael sSchumacher	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jacques Villeneuve
12	August 24th	Belgium	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	306,592	Jacques Villeneuve	Jacques Villeneuve	Michael sSchumacher
13	7th of September	Italy	Autodromo Nazionale Monza	305.810	Jean Alesi	Mika Hakkinen	David Coulthard
14th	21st September	Austria	A1 ring	306,933	Jacques Villeneuve	Jacques Villeneuve	Jacques Villeneuve		Williams-Renault
15th	September 28th	Luxembourg	Nürburgring	306,933	Mika Hakkinen	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jacques Villeneuve	Jacques Villeneuve
16	October 12th	Japan	Suzuka International Racing Course	310.792	Jacques Villeneuve	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Michael sSchumacher	Michael sSchumacher
17th	October 26th	Europe	Circuito de Jerez	305.532	Jacques Villeneuve	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Mika Hakkinen	Jacques Villeneuve

Race reports

Australian Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Australian Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	David Coulthard	McLaren - Mercedes	1: 30: 28.718
2	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	+ 20.046
3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	+ 22.177
4th	Gerhard Berger	Benetton - Renault	+ 22.841
5	Olivier Panis	Cheers - Mugen-Honda	+1: 00.308
6th	Nicola Larini	Clean - Petronas	+1: 36.040

The Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne took place on March 9, 1997 over 58 laps over a total of 307.516 km.

The Williams were clearly superior in practice, but Jacques Villeneuve had to end his race after a collision with Irvine and Herbert in the first corner. Frentzen then led the race confidently at times until, three laps before the end, a brake disc exploded behind Coulthard in second place and he spun off the track.

Brazilian Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Brazilian Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams - Renault	1: 36: 09.990
2	Gerhard Berger	Benetton - Renault	+ 4.190
3	Olivier Panis	Cheers - Mugen - Honda	+ 15.870
4th	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren - Mercedes	+ 33.030
5	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	+ 33.730
6th	Jean Alesi	Benetton Renault	+ 34.020

The Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo took place on March 30, 1997 and covered a distance of 72 laps for a total of 309.024 km.

The race was marked by the tough duel between Villeneuve and Berger, which was only really decided in the final laps. Frentzen couldn't keep up in Brazil and only finished eighth, but Olivier Panis showed for the first time that the new Bridgestone tires can be expected.

Argentina Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Argentina Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams - Renault	1: 52: 01.715
2	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+ 0.979
3	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 12,089
4th	Johnny Herbert	Clean - Petronas	+ 29.919
5	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren - Mercedes	+ 30.351
6th	Gerhard Berger	Benetton - Renault	+ 31.393

The Argentine Grand Prix at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez race track in Buenos Aires took place on April 13, 1997 and covered a total of 306.648 km over a distance of 72 laps.

The big surprise was Olivier Panis, who chased Villeneuve from his good third place on the grid right from the start and stayed with the leader until he retired. Ralf Schumacher made it onto the podium in just his third race, albeit with the aftertaste that he had pushed his team-mate Fisichella out of the race.

San Marino Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 San Marino Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams - Renault	1: 31: 00.673
2	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	+ 1.237
3	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1: 18.343
4th	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan - Peugeot	+1: 23.388
5	Jean Alesi	Benetton - Renault	+ 1 lap
6th	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren - Mercedes	+ 1 lap

The San Marino Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola took place on April 27, 1997 and covered a distance of 62 laps over a total of 305.660 km.

Frentzen's first and only win for Williams after he had asserted himself against Michael Schumacher after Villeneuve's failure.

Monaco Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Monaco Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	2: 00: 05.654
2	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart - Ford	+ 53,306
3	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1: 22.118
4th	Olivier Panis	Cheers - Mugen - Honda	+1: 44.402
5	Mika Salo	Tyrrell - Ford	+ 1 lap
6th	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 1 lap

The Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo took place on May 11, 1997 and covered a distance of 62 instead of the usual 78 laps for a total of 208.754 km.

The pouring rain made this race a clear victory for Michael Schumacher, but Rubens Barrichello, who is also known as a rain specialist, was also able to record an outstanding success for the new Stewart team.

Spanish Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Spanish Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams - Renault	1: 30: 35.896
2	Olivier Panis	Cheers - Mugen - Honda	+ 5.804
3	Jean Alesi	Benetton - Renault	+ 12,534
4th	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	+ 17.979
5	Johnny Herbert	Clean - Petronas	+ 27.986
6th	David Coulthard	McLaren - Mercedes	+ 29.744

The Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona took place on May 25, 1997 and went over a distance of 64 laps for a total of 302.592 km.

Similar to Argentina, the Bridgestone tires were very competitive here, which in turn gave Olivier Panis the opportunity for a brilliant performance. Although he only started from midfield, he saved himself a tire change and overtook all the other drivers with the exception of the winner Jacques Villeneuve.

Canadian Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Canadian Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	1: 17: 40.646
2	Jean Alesi	Benetton - Renault	+ 2.565
3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 3.219
4th	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams - Renault	+ 3.768
5	Johnny Herbert	Clean - Petronas	+ 4.716
6th	Shinji Nakano	Cheers - Mugen - Honda	+ 36,701

The Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montréal took place on June 15, 1997 and went over a distance of 54 laps over a total of 238.734 km.

As almost always, Canada offered a race with numerous accidents and spins, but was overshadowed by Olivier Panis' serious accident late in the race, who broke both legs in the process. After a short safety car phase, the race was then stopped.

French Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 French Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	1: 38: 50.492
2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams - Renault	+ 23,537
3	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1: 14.801
4th	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault	+1: 21.784
5	Jean Alesi	Benetton - Renault	+1: 22.735
6th	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan - Peugeot	+1: 29.871

The French Grand Prix at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours near Nevers took place on June 29, 1997 and covered a distance of 72 laps (305.784 km).

From a German point of view, the starting grid was a highlight because Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher secured positions one to three. In the race there was a German one-two, Villeneuve couldn't keep up here.

Great Britain Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 British Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams - Renault	1: 28: 01.665
2	Jean Alesi	Benetton - Renault	+ 10.205
3	Alexander Wurz	Benetton Renault	+ 11.296
4th	David Coulthard	McLaren - Mercedes	+ 31.229
5	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 31.880
6th	Damon Hill	Arrows - Yamaha	+1: 10.662

The Grand Prix of Great Britain at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone took place on July 13, 1997 and went over a distance of 59 laps (303.260 km).

At first it looked like another Schumacher win, but he had to give up prematurely due to a damaged wheel bearing, which cleared the way for Villeneuve. Until a few laps before the end, Villeneuve was still in 2nd place behind Mika Häkkinen, until this was canceled due to an engine failure. Berger substitute Alexander Wurz showed a strong race here, even led one lap and put a lot of pressure on his team-mate Jean Alesi.

Grand Prix of Germany

→ Main article : Grand Prix of Germany 1997

space	driver	team	time
1	Gerhard Berger	Benetton - Renault	1: 20: 59.046
2	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	+ 17.524
3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren - Mercedes	+ 24.770
4th	Jarno Trulli	Cheers - Mugen - Honda	+ 27.165
5	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 29.985
6th	Jean Alesi	Benetton Renault	+ 34.717

The German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring in Hockenheim took place on July 27, 1997 and covered a distance of 45 laps over a total of 307.035 km.

After a three-race break and the tragic death of his father, returning Gerhard Berger was out of reach here. He initially secured pole position and then couldn't be beaten in the race either. Only the young Giancarlo Fisichella stood up to him until a tire burst shortly before the end.

Hungarian Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams - Renault	1: 45: 47.149
2	Damon Hill	Arrows - Yamaha	+ 9.079
3	Johnny Herbert	Clean - Petronas	+ 20.445
4th	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	+ 30.501
5	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 30.715
6th	Shinji Nakano	Cheers - Mugen - Honda	+ 41.512

The Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in Budapest took place on August 10, 1997 and covered a distance of 77 laps for a total of 305.536 km.

In Hungary, when the temperatures were high, it was again the tires that were decisive and once again it became clear how good the new Bridgestone tires were. If world champion Damon Hill had almost nothing to do with the season so far, thanks to the tires he managed a good 3rd place on the grid in practice and then led the race with superiority, while polesitter Michael Schumacher was unable to fight for victory after three tire changes. Hill led to the last lap, but then suffered a gearbox failure so that he could only drive slowly around the course and was still intercepted by Jacques Villeneuve.

Belgian Grand Prix

→ Main article : Belgian Grand Prix 1997

space	driver	team	time
1	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	1: 33: 46.717
2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 26.753
3	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams - Renault	+ 32.147
4th	Johnny Herbert	Clean - Petronas	+ 39.025
5	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault	+ 42.103
6th	Gerhard Berger	Benetton - Renault	+1: 03.741

The Belgian Grand Prix on the Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit near Spa took place on August 24, 1997 and covered a distance of 44 laps over 306.592 km.

In the pouring rain of Spa they drove the first 3 laps behind the safety car and only then allowed the race. However, since the track dried up very quickly, the first third of the race developed into a tire lottery. Those who drove on rain tires for too long fell far behind, as did the two Williams. Michael Schumacher overtook Alesi and Villeneuve in front of him within a few corners and then drove up and away. Mika Häkkinen finished third, but was disqualified after the race.

Italian Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Italian Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	David Coulthard	McLaren - Mercedes	1: 17: 04,609
2	Jean Alesi	Benetton - Renault	+ 1.937
3	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams - Renault	+ 4.433
4th	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 5.871
5	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault	+ 6.416
6th	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	+ 11,481

The Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza took place on September 7, 1997 and covered a distance of 53 laps (305.810 km).

The two World Cup favorites Schumacher and Villeneuve did not set the pace this weekend. Rather, Benetton driver Jean Alesi surprised with the second pole position of his career. In the race, however, he was overtaken on lap 32 in the pit lane by David Coulthard, who benefited from a shorter downtime. The order at the top did not change after that. The bad luck overtook Mika Häkkinen, who had to make an additional pit stop due to a puncture and thus missed a possible fourth place. In his race to catch up in ninth place, Häkkinen set the fastest race lap.

Grand Prix of Austria

→ Main article : Grand Prix of Austria 1997

space	driver	team	time
1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams - Renault	1: 27: 35.999
2	David Coulthard	McLaren - Mercedes	+ 2.909
3	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams-Renault	+ 3.962
4th	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan - Peugeot	+ 12,127
5	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan-Peugeot	+ 31.859
6th	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	+ 33,411

The Austrian Grand Prix on the A1-Ring in Spielberg took place on September 21, 1997 and covered a distance of 71 laps (306.933 km).

Grand Prix of Luxembourg

→ Main article : Grand Prix of Luxembourg 1997

space	driver	team	time
1	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams - Renault	1: 31: 27.843
2	Jean Alesi	Benetton - Renault	+ 11.770
3	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams-Renault	+ 13,480
4th	Gerhard Berger	Benetton Renault	+ 16,416
5	Pedro Diniz	Arrows - Yamaha	+ 43.147
6th	Olivier Panis	Cheers - Mugen - Honda	+ 43.750

The Grand Prix of Luxembourg at the Nürburgring took place on September 28, 1997 and covered a distance of 67 laps over a total of 305.252 km.

From the beginning, the McLaren dominated the race over two thirds of the distance until both Häkkinen and Coulthard retired shortly after each other with technical defects. Jacques Villeneuve inherited an undisputed victory and took a big step towards the World Cup, as Michael Schumacher fell far behind at the start due to a collision with both Jordan and gave up shortly afterwards.

Japanese Grand Prix

→ Main article : 1997 Japanese Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	1: 29: 48,446
2	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams - Renault	+ 1.378
3	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+ 26.384
4th	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren - Mercedes	+ 27.129
5	Jean Alesi	Benetton - Renault	+ 40,403
6th	Johnny Herbert	Clean - Petronas	+ 41.630

The Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course near Suzuka took place on October 12, 1997 and covered a distance of 53 laps for a total of 310.580 km.

After Villeneuve received a penalty in training, although he had already been on probation, he was only allowed to participate in the race with reservations. He blocked the field for laps and drove three to four seconds per lap slower than normal. Ferrari, however, had worked out a perfect team strategy, put Irvine in the front and he then ensured in a precisely agreed maneuver against Villeneuve that Schumacher was able to overtake both and thus win. Villeneuve was then only fifth, later the penalty was confirmed and he was completely removed from the classification.

Grand Prix of Europe

→ Main article : 1997 European Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren - Mercedes	1: 38: 57.772
2	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	+ 1.654
3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams - Renault	+ 1.803
4th	Gerhard Berger	Benetton - Renault	+ 1.919
5	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+ 3.789
6th	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams-Renault	+ 4.537

The European Grand Prix at the Circuito de Jerez in Jerez de la Frontera took place on October 26, 1997 and went over 69 laps for a total of 305.532 km.

Already in the qualification a curiosity occurred, which at the same time represented a novelty in the history of Formula 1: The three winners Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished with exactly the same time to the thousandth of a second (1: 21.072 minutes) stopped. The order now decided who had set the time first.

In the race, Schumacher initially led and pulled away from his pursuers, but had tire problems after his second refueling stop, so that Villeneuve was able to catch up within two laps. In round 48, the Canadian tried a braking maneuver in front of the Curva Dry Sac , in which Schumacher rammed the Canadian to the side. Schumacher then retired, while Villeneuve was able to continue. In the last lap he let the two McLaren drivers Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard pass without a fight, as a third place for the world title was enough for him. After the race, Schumacher was punished by the FIA ​​for his deliberate maneuver against Villeneuve and removed from the championship ranking.

Qualifying / racing duels

These two tables show which drivers in each team achieved the better positions in qualifying and in the race.

Qualifying duels

driver	:	driver
Arrows-Yamaha
Damon Hill	14: 3	Pedro Diniz
Williams-Renault
Jacques Villeneuve	13: 4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Ferrari
Michael sSchumacher	16: 1	Eddie Irvine
Benetton Renault
Jean Alesi	7: 7	Gerhard Berger
	1: 2	Alexander Wurz
McLaren-Mercedes
Mika Hakkinen	11: 6	David Coulthard
Jordan-Peugeot
Ralf Schumacher	7:10	Giancarlo Fisichella
Cheers to Mugen Honda
Olivier Panis	10-0	Shinji Nakano
Jarno Trulli	6: 1
Clean Petronas
Johnny Herbert	5-0	Nicola Larini
	8-0	Gianni Morbidelli
	4-0	Norberto Fontana
Tyrrell-Ford
Jos Verstappen	7:10	Mika Salo
Minardi-Hart
Ukyo Katayama	1: 6	Jarno Trulli
	8: 2	Tarso Marques
Stewart-Ford
Rubens Barrichello	16: 1	Jan Magnussen
Lola Ford
Vincenzo Sospiri	1-0	Ricardo Rosset

Racing duels

driver	:	driver
Arrows-Yamaha
Damon Hill	10: 6	Pedro Diniz
Williams-Renault
Jacques Villeneuve	9: 7	Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Ferrari
Michael sSchumacher	13: 4	Eddie Irvine
Benetton Renault
Jean Alesi	5: 9	Gerhard Berger
	3-0	Alexander Wurz
McLaren-Mercedes
Mika Hakkinen	7: 8	David Coulthard
Jordan-Peugeot
Ralf Schumacher	5:11	Giancarlo Fisichella
Cheers to Mugen Honda
Olivier Panis	8: 2	Shinji Nakano
Jarno Trulli	6: 1
Clean Petronas
Johnny Herbert	2: 3	Nicola Larini
	6: 1	Gianni Morbidelli
	2: 2	Norberto Fontana
Tyrrell-Ford
Jos Verstappen	5:12	Mika Salo
Minardi-Hart
Ukyo Katayama	2: 5	Jarno Trulli
	6: 3	Tarso Marques
Stewart-Ford
Rubens Barrichello	12: 5	Jan Magnussen
Lola Ford
Vincenzo Sospiri	-: -	Ricardo Rosset

World championship ratings

Driver ranking of the 1997 Formula 1 season

The world champion is the driver or designer who has accumulated the most points in the world championship by the end of the season. When distributing points, the placements in the overall result of the respective race of all races are taken into account. The first six drivers in each race receive points according to the following scheme:

Distribution of points
space	1	2	3	4th	5	6th
Points	10	6th	4th	3	2	1

Driver ranking

Item	driver	constructor																		Points
01	J. Villeneuve	Williams-Renault	DNF	1	1	DNF	DNF	1	DNF	4th	1	DNF	1	5	5	1	1	DSQ	3	81
02	H. Frentzen	Williams-Renault	8th*	9	DNF	1	DNF	8th	4th	2	DNF	DNF	DNF	3	3	3	3	2	6th	42
03	D. Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	1	10	DNF	DNF	DNF	6th	7th	7 *	4th	DNF	DNF	DNF	1	2	DNF	10 *	2	36
04th	J. Alesi	Benetton Renault	DNF	6th	7th	5	DNF	3	2	5	2	6th	11	8th	2	DNF	2	5	13	36
05	G. Berger	Benetton Renault	4th	2	6th	DNF	9	10	INJ	INJ	INJ	1	8th	6th	7th	10	4th	8th	4th	27
06th	M. Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	3	4th	5	6th	DNF	7th	DNF	DNF	DNF	3	DNF	DSQ	9	DNF	DNF	4th	1	27
07th	E. Irvine	Ferrari	DNF	16	2	3	3	12	DNF	3	DNF	DNF	9 *	10 *	8th	DNF	DNF	3	5	24
08th	G. Fisichella	Jordan-Peugeot	DNF	8th	DNF	4th	6th	9	3	9	7th	11	DNF	2	4th	4th	DNF	7th	11	20th
09	O. Panis	Cheers to Mugen Honda	5	3	DNF	8th	4th	2	11 *	INJ	INJ	INJ	INJ	INJ	INJ	INJ	6th	DNF	7th	16
10	J. Herbert	Clean Petronas	DNF	7th	4th	DNF	DNF	5	5	8th	DNF	DNF	3	4th	DNF	8th	7th	6th	8th	15th
11	R. Schumacher	Jordan-Peugeot	DNF	DNF	3	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	6th	5	5	5	DNF	DNF	5	DNF	9	DNF	13
12	D. Hill	Arrows-Yamaha	DNS	17 *	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	9	12	6th	8th	2	13 *	DNF	7th	8th	11	DNF	7th
13	R. Barrichello	Stewart-Ford	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	2	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	13	14 *	DNF	DNF	DNF	6th
14th	A. Wurz	Benetton Renault							DNF	DNF	3									4th
15th	J. Trulli	Minardi-Hart	9	12	9	DNS	DNF	15th	DNF											0
		Cheers to Mugen Honda								10	8th	4th	7th	15th	10	DNF				3
16	P. Diniz	Arrows-Yamaha	10	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	8th	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	7th	DNF	13 *	5	12	DNF	2
17th	M. Salo	Tyrrell-Ford	DNF	13	8th	9	5	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	13	11	DNF	DNF	10	DNF	12	2
18th	S. Nakano	Cheers to Mugen Honda	7th	14th	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	6th	DNF	11 *	7th	6th	DNF	11	DNF	DNF	DNF	10	2
19th	N. Larini	Clean Petronas	6th	11	DNF	7th	DNF													1
-	J. Magnussen	Stewart-Ford	DNF	DNF	10 *	DNF	7th	13	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	12	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	9	0
-	J. Verstappen	Tyrrell-Ford	DNF	15th	DNF	10	8th	11	DNF	DNF	DNF	10	DNF	DNF	DNF	12	DNF	13	16	0
-	G. Morbidelli	Clean Petronas						14th	10				DNF	9	12	9	9	DNS		0
-	N. Fontana	Clean Petronas								DNF	9	9							14th	0
-	U. Katayama	Minardi-Hart	DNF	18th	DNF	11	10	DNF	DNF	11	DNF	DNF	10	14 *	DNF	11	DNF	DNF	17th	0
-	T. Marques	Minardi-Hart								DNF	10	DNF	12	DNF	14th	EX	DNF	DNF	15th	0
-	V. Sospiri	Lola Ford	DNQ																	0
-	R. Rosset	Lola Ford	DNQ																	0
-	M. Schumacher	Ferrari	2	5	DNF	2	1	4th	1	1	DNF	2	4th	1	6th	6th	DNF	1	DNF	78

Remarks

1. ↑ From the FIA as a result of the foul on Jacques Villeneuve at the European Grand Prix disqualified

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	P / bold	Pole position
	SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

Constructors' championship

McLaren MP4 / 12 Mercedes from 1997

Item constructor Points 1  Williams-Renault 123 2  Ferrari 102 3  Benetton Renault 67 4th  McLaren-Mercedes 63 5  Jordan-Peugeot 33 6th  Cheers-Mugen 21st

Item constructor Points 7th  Clean Petronas 16 8th  Arrows-Yamaha 9 9  Stewart-Ford 6th 10  Tyrrell-Ford 2 -  Minardi-Hart 0 -  Lola Ford 0

literature

• Heinz Prüller: Grand Prix Story 1997 . Orac, 1997, ISBN 3-7015-0379-6 .

Web links

Commons : Formula 1 season 1997  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official Formula 1 website Results Season 1997 (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Heinz Prüller: Grand Prix Story 1997. Orac, p. 20.
2. ^ ^{A b} Heinz Prüller: Grand Prix Story 1997. Orac, p. 17.