Jacques Villeneuve (pictured in 2002) won the championship in only his second year of F1 participation. He remains the last Williams driver to win a championship and the only Canadian driver to win a championship.Villeneuve's teammate, Heinz-Harald Frentzen (pictured in 2006), was runner-up with 42 points following Michael Schumacher's disqualification from the standings at the end of the year. He had moved from Sauber to Williams for 1997.David Coulthard (pictured in 1995), finished the season ranked third for McLaren.Michael Schumacher (pictured in 1998) was disqualified from the championship after colliding with Villeneuve during the last race.
The 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 51st season of FIAFormula One motor racing. It featured the 1997 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1997 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 9 March and ended on 26 October.
The Drivers' Championship was won by Jacques Villeneuve under controversial circumstances: championship leader Michael Schumacher deliberately rammed him whilst trying to defend his race lead in the final race.[1] Schumacher came to a halt in the gravel, Villeneuve finished third. Schumacher was deemed at fault for the accident by the FIA. He kept his five race wins, but was stripped of his second place in the championship, making Villeneuve Drivers' champion with a big lead over teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
As of 2023, this is the last championship for a non-European driver, the last Constructors' and Drivers' championships for Williams, and the last championship won on Goodyear tyres. It was also the last championship for a Renault-powered driver, until Fernando Alonso's championship in 2005.
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Lola also entered the sport. They had planned to debut in 1998, but hurried through the design phase, under heavy commercial pressure from their title sponsor Mastercard. After both Lola drivers failed to qualify in the first race, sponsors left and the team had to withdraw from the championship.
Tyrrell changed their engines as well, swapping from Yamaha to Ford.
Sauber engaged in a partnership with new sponsor Petronas and formed Sauber Petronas Engineering. They secured the licensing rights to engine and gearbox components from Ferrari, allowing them to build and run nearly identical units to those used in the Ferraris. The engines were branded as Petronas, in deference to the role the company played in their development. This marked the first season since 1993 that Ferrari supplied engines to more than one team in the sport.
Thanks in part to the technical deal between Sauber and Ferrari, Ferrari test driver Nicola Larini signed with Sauber. Larini replaced Frentzen, who had moved to Williams.
Verstappen, moving from Arrows to Tyrrell, replaced Ukyo Katayama, who found a place at Minardi. Katayama replaced Pedro Lamy, who moved into the FIA GT Championship. Alongside him, Italian rising star Jarno Trulli filled the final seat in the 1997 championship.
The Italian team Forti ceased to exist midway through 1996, and neither of their drivers, Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini, were able to find a Formula One racing seat for 1997. Badoer moved into FIA GT, while Montermini became a test driver for Lola. Badoer would eventually return to F1 in 1999 with Minardi.
Gerhard Berger fell ill before the Canadian Grand Prix and was unable to race for Benetton. He was replaced by countryman Alexander Wurz. Berger ultimately missed three races as he recovered from the illness and the death of his father, before returning at the German Grand Prix. Wurz would get a full-time drive with the team in 1998, as Berger retired at the end of this season.
During the Canadian Grand Prix, Prost's Olivier Panis crashed heavily and broke his leg. He was replaced by Minardi driver Jarno Trulli, who in turn was replaced by Tarso Marques. Marques who had also made some appearances for the Minardi team the previous year. Panis missed seven races before returning at the Luxembourg Grand Prix. Trulli would join him as a full-time Prost driver in 1998.
Between the Canadian and French Grands Prix, Gianni Morbidelli had an accident in testing and broke his arm, meaning Sauber had to make their second substitution of the year. They brought in test driver Norberto Fontana, who completed the next three races before Morbidelli's return at the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix. Morbidelli suffered another testing accident following the Japanese Grand Prix, so Fontana competed again at the season-ending European Grand Prix.
Calendar
The following seventeen Grands Prix took place in 1997.[5]
The Portuguese Grand Prix was originally scheduled as the final round of the season, to be held at the Estoril circuit on 26 October.[5] It was cancelled and replaced by the European Grand Prix at Circuito de Jerez in neighbouring Spain after the owners of the Estoril circuit failed to make requested changes to it.[9]
The Luxembourg Grand Prix was added to the world championship for the first time, after being held as a non-championship race from 1949 until 1952. Despite the race title, this race would actually be held not in Luxembourg itself but instead at the Nürburgring in nearby Germany.[10] The title of German Grand Prix was already assigned to the race in Hockenheim and the European Grand Prix was already hosted in Jerez.
Regulation changes
Technical regulations
Except for a more detailed description of the impact absorbing structures at the front and rear of the car, there were no changes for the 1997 season.[11]
Sporting and event regulations
A revised Concorde agreement, laying out the rules for the 1997 to 2001 seasons, was signed by the FIA and eight of the eleven F1 teams that participated in the 1996 season.[12] These were some of the changes made to the sporting regulations:
The maximum number of races per year was increased to 17, up from 16.
Friday free practice was abolished. The Saturday practice sessions were extended to one hour each. The number of practice laps allowed was no longer limited. These changes seem to have been reversed at a later time, as the 1997 Sporting regulations still showed two practice sessions, two days before the race, and a limit of 30 laps per day.[13])
Two tyre choices were permitted in practice, but one had to be selected to use in qualifying and race.
From this season on, the regulations gave room for starts behind the Safety Car if the track was wet.[14][15]
Villeneuve once again took pole position in Brazil, and once again he was off at the first corner. Luckily for him, the race was restarted, and the Canadian took the lead on lap 49 from Gerhard Berger. The Austrian finished second and Olivier Panis continued his impressive form from 1996 with third place.
For the third time in a row, Jacques Villeneuve took pole position in Argentina. This time, it was Michael Schumacher who was out at the first turn, when he collided with Rubens Barrichello. Schumacher's teammate Eddie Irvine went on to challenge Villeneuve for the lead and he made several attempts to pass, but failed and had to settle for second. Debutant Ralf Schumacher managed to get onto the podium in third place.
Villeneuve continued his run of consecutive pole positions in San Marino, but it was his German teammate Frentzen that won his first and only Grand Prix for Williams. After Villeneuve retired with a gearbox failure, Frentzen was joined on the podium by the Ferraris of Schumacher and Irvine.
At this point, Villeneuve was on top of the standings with 20 points. He was followed by Schumacher with 14 and five drivers in a shared third place, all with 10 points.
In Spain, Williams was back on top in qualifying: Villeneuve took his fifth pole and Frentzen joined him on the front row. Villeneuve went on to win the race, with fellow French-speaking drivers, Olivier Panis and Jean Alesi, coming second and third respectively. Panis was actually closing on the leader with rapid pace, but got held up by Irvine, which got him served a stop-go penalty.
In a slight shift of power, Michael Schumacher took pole position and the race win in the next two Grands Prix. In Canada, he was joined on the podium by Benetton's Jean Alesi and Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella. In France, he saw Frentzen in the Williams and teammate Irvine next to him.
Villeneuve earned his sixth pole position of the season in Britain, with teammate Frentzen partnering him on the front row. Villeneuve saw Mika Häkkinen take the lead when he was stuck in the pit lane for half a minute. Häkkinen, however, retired with a blown engine and Villeneuve went on to win the race, with Alesi in second and Alexander Wurz, filling in for Gerhard Berger, coming third. It was an all-Renault-powered podium. Schumacher failed to complete the race after he retired with a wheel bearing problem.
In the championship, Schumacher had the lead with 47 points, closely followed by Villeneuve with 43. Third place was being contested by Alesi (21 points) , Frentzen (19) and Irvine (18).
The next race, in Hungary, was one of the most memorable races in the 1997 season. Schumacher took pole, with Villeneuve partnering him on the front row. 1996 champion Damon Hill in the Arrows had only qualified as high as ninth this season, but got up to third place on the Hungaroring. The start of the race saw Hill overtake the Williams ahead of him, and on lap ten, the Brit overtook the leading Scuderia Ferrari. Hill kept the lead until the last part of the race, when he reported that problems with his car. On the final lap, Jacques Villeneuve took the lead, achieving a milestone 100th Grand Prix victory for Williams.
After two very exciting Grands Prix, the fans' hopes were high for Belgium. Villeneuve took pole position, with Alesi in the Benetton behind him and his championship rival, Michael Schumacher, in third. Villeneuve had dominated the morning warm-up, held in hot, dry weather. But when heavy rain fell with half an hour to go before the race start, his championship rival, Michael Schumacher, decided to run his spare car, which was set up for wet conditions. The front two started the race on full-wet tyres, while the rest of the grid used the intermediates. This turned out to be the right call. After the first safety car start in Formula One history, Schumacher overtook Alesi and Villeneuve within two laps and by lap 12, his lead had stretched to over a minute. Villeneuve dropped down to 16th place and only recovered to fifth. Schumacher won and saw Giancarlo Fisichella and Heinz-Harald Frentzen next to him on the podium.
Alesi scored his first and only pole position of the season in Italy, with Frentzen starting second. Villeneuve and Schumacher took off in fourth and ninth, respectively. Coulthard, who started in sixth, got up to third position at the start and moved into the lead during the pit stops. He scored his second win of the season, ahead of Alesi and Frentzen. This was the only race in the year without Villeneuve and Schumacher on the podium.
In Austria, Villeneuve managed to get his seventh pole position of the season. The Canadian was partnered on the front row by Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen. Häkkinen actually took the lead but, like it happened at Silverstone, had to retire with a blown engine. Schumacher had again started in ninth, but recovered to third during the race. However, he was handed a stop-go penalty for overtaking under yellow flags and fell down to sixth at the finish. Villeneuve went on to win the Grand Prix, with Coulthard and Frentzen joining him on the podium.
The gap between the championship rivals had now closed up to just one point. Frentzen (31 points) was fighting Coulthard (30) and Alesi (28) over third place.
Rounds 15 to 17
At the Luxembourg Grand Prix, held at the Nürburgring in Germany, Mika Häkkinen managed to earn pole. It was his first career pole, McLaren's first pole since 1993 and Mercedes's first since their return to Formula One in 1994. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher started in fifth, but was taken out at the first corner. Häkkinen's teammate David Coulthard shot up the order and McLaren looked set for a 1–2 finish, until both cars broke down in quick succession. Williams' Jacques Villeneuve was therefore gifted a win (which would end up to be the last of his career). For the first time since Spain, Villeneuve now had the lead in the championship. Jean Alesi and Heinz-Harald Frentzen completed the podium, making it, for the second time in the 1997 season, an all-Renault-powered podium.
Villeneuve continued his strong form by taking his eighth pole position in the year in Japan. However, during qualifying, he was deemed to have ignored the yellow flags. A disqualification hang over him and with his appeal being judged, he started the race and finished fifth. Michael Schumacher won the race, ahead of Williams' Frentzen and Ferrari teammate Eddie Irvine. Williams dropped their appeal after the race, leaving Japan with no points for Villeneuve and seeing Schumacher again one point ahead in the Drivers' Championship.
The European Grand Prix at Jerez saw a noteworthy qualifying session in which three drivers (Villeneuve, Schumacher, and Frentzen) all set the same fastest time. Villeneuve was awarded pole position, since he had set the time first, and this would be the final pole of his F1 career. At the start of the race, Schumacher got away well, overtaking Villeneuve to take the lead. By lap 48, Villeneuve was catching up and attempted to overtake. Braking later than the German at the Dry Sac corner, he had the inside line and was slightly ahead. Schumacher then turned into him and the Ferrari's front right wheel connected with the sidepod of the Williams. Schumacher retired on the spot. Villeneuve dropped to third, but it earned him four points, enough to take the 1997 Drivers' Championship. Mika Häkkinen went on to take his first ever career victory.
After the race, Schumacher was deemed by the FIA to have caused an avoidable accident and was disqualified from the championship, although his race results (grid positions, finishing positions, points) were held up. This meant no damage to Ferrari's constructor points, but Williams still won the 1997 Constructors' Championship with a difference of 21 points. In the Drivers' Championship, Frentzen moved up to second, six points ahead of both Coulthard and Alesi.
† – Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Drivers who did not score points were not classified in a championship position by the FIA.[19]
World Constructors' Championship standings
Williams-Renault won the Constructors' Championship with the FW19.Despite Schumacher's disqualification, Ferrari finished second in the Constructors' Championship with the F310B.Benetton-Renault finished third with the B197.
↑ Michael Schumacher was excluded from the results of the Drivers' Championship due to dangerous driving in the European Grand Prix, where he was deemed to have caused an avoidable collision with Jacques Villeneuve. The exclusion did not affect the results of the Constructors' Championship. Schumacher retained his points and race wins achieved during the 1997 season. He remains the only driver to be disqualified from a Formula One Drivers' Championship.[18]
Related Research Articles
The 1997 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 11 May 1997 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo. It was the fifth race of the 1997 Formula One World Championship. The 62-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher, driving a Ferrari, after starting from second position. Rubens Barrichello finished second in a Stewart-Ford, with Eddie Irvine third in the other Ferrari.
The 1997 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours, France on 29 June 1997. It was the eighth race of the 1997 Formula One World Championship.
The 1997 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 24 August 1997. It was the twelfth race of the 1997 Formula One World Championship.
The 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany on 28 September 1997. It was the fifteenth race of the 1997 Formula One World Championship. The 67-lap race was won by Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, driving a Williams-Renault. Frenchman Jean Alesi finished second in a Benetton-Renault, with Villeneuve's German teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen third.
The 1997 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 12 October 1997 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. It was the 16th and penultimate race of the 1997 Formula One season. The 53-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher for the Ferrari team after starting from second position. Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished second in a Williams, and Eddie Irvine third in the other Ferrari. Irvine led much of the race before moving over to assist Schumacher's championship battle by blocking Drivers' Championship leader Jacques Villeneuve.
The 1997 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 October 1997 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Spain. Originally scheduled as the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril circuit, it was moved when Estoril's management had financial difficulties. It was the 17th and final race of the 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship. The 69-lap race was won by Mika Häkkinen in a McLaren, his first Formula One race victory. His teammate David Coulthard finished second and Williams driver Jacques Villeneuve took third, which was sufficient for him to win the World Championship.
The 1999 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 16 May 1999 at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the fourth race of the 1999 Formula One season. The 78-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher after starting from second position. It was Schumacher's 16th win with Ferrari, breaking the record held by Niki Lauda. His team-mate Eddie Irvine finished second with Mika Häkkinen third for the McLaren team.
The 1999 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 29 August 1999 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Francorchamps, Belgium. It was the twelfth race of the 1999 Formula One World Championship.
The 1999 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 September 1999 at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany. It was the fourteenth race of the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship. The 66-lap race was won by Johnny Herbert, driving a Stewart-Ford, with Jarno Trulli second in a Prost-Peugeot and Herbert's teammate Rubens Barrichello third.
The 2000 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 24 September 2000 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the 15th round of the 2000 Formula One World Championship and the 34th United States Grand Prix. Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher won the 73-lap race from pole position. His teammate Rubens Barrichello finished second with Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen third.
The 2001 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy on 15 April 2001. It was the fourth race of the 2001 Formula One season. The 62-lap race was won by Ralf Schumacher driving a Williams-BMW after starting from third position. David Coulthard, who started the Grand Prix from pole position, finished second in a McLaren-Mercedes, while Rubens Barrichello finished third in a Ferrari. Schumacher's win was the first of his Formula One career and the first for Williams since Jacques Villeneuve won the 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix. The race also represented the first win for French tyre manufacturer Michelin in Formula One since the 1984 Portuguese Grand Prix and the first race since the 1998 Italian Grand Prix not won by Bridgestone.
The 2001 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 29 April 2001 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Spain. It was the fifth round of the 2001 Formula One season. The 65-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher driving a Ferrari car after starting from pole position. Juan Pablo Montoya finished second driving a Williams car with Jacques Villeneuve third for the BAR team.
The 2001 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 24 June 2001 at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany. It was the ninth race of the 2001 Formula One season. It is also the last race held on this layout, before the circuit was modified in 2002. The 67-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher driving for Ferrari after starting from pole position. Juan Pablo Montoya finished second driving for Williams, with David Coulthard third driving for McLaren.
The 2001 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 15 July 2001 at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England. It was the eleventh race of the 2001 FIA Formula One World Championship.
The 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 56th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2002 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 2002 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 3 March and ended on 13 October.
The 2001 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 55th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2001 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 2001 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 4 March and ended on 14 October.
The 2000 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 54th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It commenced on 12 March and ended on 22 October after seventeen races. Michael Schumacher became Ferrari's first World Drivers' Champion in 21 years, having clinched the Drivers' title at the penultimate race of the season. Ferrari successfully defended its Constructors' title. This season marked the first for future world champion Jenson Button.
The 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 53rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1999 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1999 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 7 March and ended on 31 October.
The 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 52nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 8 March and ended on 1 November.
The 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 50th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. The championship commenced on 10 March and ended on 13 October after sixteen races. Two World Championship titles were awarded, one for Drivers and one for Constructors.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
