1997 Belgian Grand Prix

2025-10-02T18:14:49Z

2A02:C7C:A01:3E00:AC5D:4322:440C:43EF:

{{Infobox Grand Prix race report
|Type = F1
|Country = Belgium
|Grand Prix = Belgian
|Date = 24 August
|Year = 1997
|Image = Spa 1995-2003.png
|Official name = LV Belgian Grand Prix
|Race_No = 12
|Season_No = 17
|Location = [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps]]<br>[[Francorchamps]], [[Wallonia]], [[Belgium]]<ref>{{cite web|title=1997 Belgian GP|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/1997-belgian-grand-prix/|work=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]|access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>
|Course = Permanent racing facility
|Course_mi = 4.330
|Course_km = 6.968
|Distance_laps = 44
|Distance_mi = 190.507
|Distance_km = 306.592
|Weather = Wet, then drying out with temperatures reaching up to {{convert|28|C|F}}<ref>[http://classic.wunderground.com/history/airport/EBLB/1997/8/24/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA Weather info for the 1997 Belgian Grand Prix] at Weather Underground</ref>
|Pole_Driver = {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Jacques Villeneuve]]
|Pole_Team = [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
|Pole_Time = 1:49.450
|Fast_Driver = {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Jacques Villeneuve]]
|Fast_Team = [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
|Fast_Time = 1:52.692
|Fast_Lap = 43
|First_Driver = {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
|First_Team = [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
|Second_Driver = {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Giancarlo Fisichella]]
|Second_Team = [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]-[[Peugeot]]
|Third_Driver = {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]]
|Third_Team = [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
|Lapchart = {{F1Laps1997|BEL}}
|Previous_round=1997 Hungarian Grand Prix|Next_round=1997 Italian Grand Prix}}
The '''1997 Belgian Grand Prix''' (formally the LV Belgian Grand Prix) was a [[Formula One]] motor race held at [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps|Spa-Francorchamps]] on 24 August 1997. It was the twelfth race of the [[1997 Formula One World Championship]].

The 44-lap race was won by [[Michael Schumacher]], driving a [[Ferrari F310|Ferrari]]. [[Giancarlo Fisichella]] finished second in a [[Jordan 197|Jordan]]-[[Peugeot]], with [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]] third in a [[Williams FW19|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] after [[Mika Häkkinen]]'s [[McLaren MP4/12|McLaren]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]] was disqualified due to a fuel irregularity. Schumacher's Drivers' Championship rival, [[Jacques Villeneuve]], finished fifth in the other Williams-Renault, having started from [[pole position]]. This was the first Formula One World Championship race to start behind a [[Safety car|Safety Car]].

With the win, Schumacher extended his lead over Villeneuve in the Drivers' Championship to 11 points with five races remaining.

==Report==
The race is regarded by many as one of Schumacher's greatest drives. He started from third on the grid after qualifying had been dominated by his World Championship rival, [[Jacques Villeneuve]]. In the morning warm-up, which took place in hot, dry weather, Schumacher was only 15th. However, to everyone's surprise, heavy rain started to fall around half an hour before the scheduled race start and continued for around twenty minutes, completely changing the conditions and resulting in the field starting behind the [[Safety car#Formula One|safety car]], the first time this happened in Formula One history.<ref name="Collantine">{{cite web|last=Collantine |first=Keith |date=24 August 2017 |title=Schumacher capitalises as Williams get it wrong in the rain again |url=https://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/08/24/schumacher-capitalises-as-williams-get-it-wrong-in-the-rain-again/ |publisher=F1 Fanatic |access-date=26 October 2017}}</ref>

In the excitement, Schumacher's brother [[Ralf Schumacher|Ralf]] - who had qualified sixth - spun and crashed his [[Jordan 197|Jordan]] at Stavelot while going to take his place on the grid. He was forced to start from the pit lane in his spare car. Explaining the incident to [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] later, he said: "I had nothing to lose, and I lost it.". Also during the period of cars assembling on the grid Michael Schumacher made exploratory laps (by returning to the pits rather than the grid) in both his race car and the spare Ferrari, enabling him to assess the track situation and choose the spare that had been set-up for intermediate weather conditions.<ref name="Collantine"/>

Of the front runners, both [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] drivers and [[Jean Alesi]] in the [[Benetton B197|Benetton]] - alongside Villeneuve on the front row - started on [[Rain tyre|full wet tyre]]s while the others started on intermediates. The safety car circulated for the first three laps, and at the end of lap 4 - the first proper racing lap - Villeneuve continued to lead from Alesi and Schumacher. However, this was where the German driver started to take control of the race. He made a brave pass inside Alesi at the La Source hairpin at the start of lap 5, then overtook Villeneuve at the Rivage loop on the same lap. By the end of the lap he was already 5.8 seconds ahead, and on the next lap he stretched this lead to 16.9 seconds, with [[Giancarlo Fisichella]] - whose Jordan had also started on intermediates - moving into second after Villeneuve unexpectedly pitted.<ref name="Grandprix.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr609.html |title=Grand Prix Results: Belgian GP, 1997 |publisher=Grandprix.com |access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref>

On midfield the [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows Yamaha]] showed strong pace on Bridgestone intermediate tyres. [[Pedro Diniz]], who had already beaten teammate [[Damon Hill]] on qualifying, passed [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen|Frentzen]], [[Johnny Herbert|Herbert]] and [[David Coulthard|Coulthard]] on track to reach third place. The Brazilian driver pitted alongside [[Mika Häkkinen]] for dry tyres, however a sixteen-second pit made him drop to 12th place. He eventually made his way back to 7th place, but lost a potential podium finish.

Schumacher continued to pull further away, and by lap 12 his lead had reached a full minute, while Villeneuve had dropped to 16th following a second pit stop.<ref name="Grandprix.com" /> By now, the track was drying and the drivers were pitting for [[Racing slick|slick tyre]]s. Schumacher pitted in this manner on lap 14 and thereafter cruised, eventually winning by 26 seconds. Fisichella held off the [[McLaren MP4/12|McLaren]] of [[Mika Häkkinen]] for second, thus achieving his best finish in F1 at the time; the top six was completed by the second Williams of [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]], the [[Sauber C16|Sauber]] of [[Johnny Herbert]] and Villeneuve, who had charged back in the later stages of the race and set the fastest lap. On the last lap, Pedro Diniz outbraked Irvine at Les Combes for 8th place (that would become 7th later), meanwhile the Ferrari driver lost control of his car and collided.

After the race, Häkkinen was disqualified due to a fuel irregularity, thus promoting Frentzen to third, Herbert to fourth, Villeneuve to fifth and the second Benetton of [[Gerhard Berger]] to sixth. Nonetheless, Schumacher extended his lead over Villeneuve in the Drivers' Championship to 11 points, while Ferrari led Williams by six points in the Constructors' Championship.

== Classification ==
===Qualifying===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
! Pos !! No !! Driver !! Constructor !! Time !! Gap
|-
! 1
| 3
| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Jacques Villeneuve]]
| [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| 1:49.450
|
|-
! 2
| 7
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Jean Alesi]]
| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| 1:49.759
| +0.309
|-
! 3
| 5
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| 1:50.293
| +0.843
|-
! 4
| 12
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Giancarlo Fisichella]]
| [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]-[[Peugeot]]
| 1:50.470
| +1.020
|-
! 5
| 9
| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Mika Häkkinen]]
| [[McLaren]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]]
| 1:50.503
| +1.053
|-
! 6*
| 11
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Ralf Schumacher]]
| [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]-[[Peugeot]]
| 1:50.520
| +1.070
|-
! 7
| 4
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]]
| [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| 1:50.656
| +1.206
|-
! 8
| 2
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Pedro Diniz]]
| [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]
| 1:50.853
| +1.403
|-
! 9
| 1
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Damon Hill]]
| [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]
| 1:50.970
| +1.520
|-
! 10
| 10
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[David Coulthard]]
| [[McLaren]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]]
| 1:51.410
| +1.960
|-
! 11
| 16
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Johnny Herbert]]
| [[Sauber]]-[[Sauber Petronas Engineering|Petronas]]
| 1:51.725
| +2.275
|-
! 12
| 22
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Rubens Barrichello]]
| [[Stewart Grand Prix|Stewart]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:51.916
| +2.466
|-
! 13
| 17
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Gianni Morbidelli]]
| [[Sauber]]-[[Sauber Petronas Engineering|Petronas]]
| 1:52.094
| +2.644
|-
! 14*
| 14
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Jarno Trulli]]
| [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]]-[[Mugen Motorsports|Mugen-Honda]]
| 1:52.274
| +2.824
|-
! 15
| 8
| {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Gerhard Berger]]
| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| 1:52.391
| +2.941
|-
! 16
| 15
| {{flagicon|Japan|1947}} [[Shinji Nakano]]
| [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]]-[[Mugen Motorsports|Mugen-Honda]]
| 1:52.749
| +3.299
|-
! 17
| 6
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Eddie Irvine]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| 1:52.793
| +3.343
|-
! 18
| 23
| {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Jan Magnussen]]
| [[Stewart Grand Prix|Stewart]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:52.886
| +3.436
|-
! 19
| 19
| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Mika Salo]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:52.897
| +3.447
|-
! 20
| 20
| {{flagicon|Japan|1947}} [[Ukyo Katayama]]
| [[Minardi]]-[[Hart Racing Engines|Hart]]
| 1:53.544
| +4.094
|-
! 21
| 18
| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Jos Verstappen]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:53.725
| +4.275
|-
! 22
| 21
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Tarso Marques]]
| [[Minardi]]-[[Hart Racing Engines|Hart]]
| 1:54.505
| +5.055
|-
! colspan="6" |[[107% time]]: 1:57.112
|-
!colspan="6"| Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/belgique/qualification.aspx |title=Belgium 1997 - Qualifications |publisher=StatsF1 |access-date=27 March 2016}}</ref>
|}
*<nowiki>*</nowiki> Ralf Schumacher and Trulli would start from the pitlane.

===Race===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos !! No !! Driver !! Constructor !! Tyre !! Laps !! Time/Retired !! Grid !! Points
|-
! 1
| 5
| {{flagicon|Germany}} '''[[Michael Schumacher]]'''
| '''[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]'''
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| 1:33:46.717
| 3
| '''10'''
|-
! 2
| 12
| {{flagicon|Italy}} '''[[Giancarlo Fisichella]]'''
| '''[[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]-[[Peugeot]]'''
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| +26.753
| 4
| '''6'''
|-
! 3
| 4
| {{flagicon|Germany}} '''[[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]]'''
| '''[[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]'''
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| +32.147
| 7
| '''4'''
|-
! 4
| 16
| {{flagicon|UK}} '''[[Johnny Herbert]]'''
| '''[[Sauber]]-[[Sauber Petronas Engineering|Petronas]]'''
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| +39.025
| 11
| '''3'''
|-
! 5
| 3
| {{flagicon|Canada}} '''[[Jacques Villeneuve]]'''
| '''[[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]'''
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| +42.103
| 1
| '''2'''
|-
! 6
| 8
| {{flagicon|Austria}} '''[[Gerhard Berger]]'''
| '''[[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]'''
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| +1:03.741
| 15
| '''1'''
|-
! 7
| 2
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Pedro Diniz]]
| [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]
| {{Bridgestone}}
| 44
| +1:25.931
| 8
|  
|-
! 8
| 7
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Jean Alesi]]
| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| +1:42.008
| 2
|  
|-
! 9
| 17
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Gianni Morbidelli]]
| [[Sauber]]-[[Sauber Petronas Engineering|Petronas]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| +1:42.582
| 13
|  
|-
! 10
| 6
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Eddie Irvine]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 43
| Collision
| 17
|  
|-
! 11
| 19
| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Mika Salo]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 43
| +1 lap
| 19
|  
|-
! 12
| 23
| {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Jan Magnussen]]
| [[Stewart Grand Prix|Stewart]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Bridgestone}}
| 43
| +1 lap
| 18
|  
|-
! 13
| 1
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Damon Hill]]
| [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]
| {{Bridgestone}}
| 42
| Wheel nut
| 9
|  
|-
! 14
| 20
| {{flagicon|Japan|1947}} [[Ukyo Katayama]]
| [[Minardi]]-[[Hart Racing Engines|Hart]]
| {{Bridgestone}}
| 42
| Engine
| 20
|  
|-
! 15
| 14
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Jarno Trulli]]
| [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]]-[[Mugen Motorsports|Mugen-Honda]]
| {{Bridgestone}}
| 42
| +2 laps
| PL
|  
|-
! Ret
| 18
| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Jos Verstappen]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 25
| Spun off
| 21
|  
|-
! Ret
| 11
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Ralf Schumacher]]
| [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]-[[Peugeot]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 21
| Spun off
| PL
|  
|-
! Ret
| 10
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[David Coulthard]]
| [[McLaren]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 19
| Spun off
| 10
|  
|-
! Ret
| 21
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Tarso Marques]]
| [[Minardi]]-[[Hart Racing Engines|Hart]]
| {{Bridgestone}}
| 18
| Spun off
| 22
|  
|-
! Ret
| 22
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Rubens Barrichello]]
| [[Stewart Grand Prix|Stewart]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Bridgestone}}
| 8
| Steering
| 12
|  
|-
! Ret
| 15
| {{flagicon|Japan|1947}} [[Shinji Nakano]]
| [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]]-[[Mugen Motorsports|Mugen-Honda]]
| {{Bridgestone}}
| 5
| Electrical
| 16
|  
|-
! DSQ
| 9
| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Mika Häkkinen]]
| [[McLaren]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 44
| Fuel irregularity (+30.856)
| 5
|  
|-
!colspan="9"|{{center|Source:<ref name="formula1.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1997/158/ |title=1997 Belgian Grand Prix |publisher=formula1.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029035826/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1997/158/ |archive-date=29 October 2014 |access-date=24 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gparchive.com/formula-1/1997-belgian-grand-prix/|title=1997 Belgian Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive|website=GPArchive.com|date=24 August 1997 |access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref>}}
|}

== Championship standings after the race ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Drivers' Championship standings
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos
! Driver
! Points
|-
| 1
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
|align="right"| 66
|-
| 2
| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Jacques Villeneuve]]
|align="right"| 55
|-
| 3
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]]
|align="right"| 23
|-
| 4
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Jean Alesi]]
|align="right"| 22
|-
| 5
| {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Gerhard Berger]]
|align="right"| 21
|-
!colspan=4|Source:<ref name="champ">{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/belgique/championnat.aspx|title=Belgium 1997 - Championship • STATS F1|website=www.statsf1.com|access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref>
|}
{{col-2}}
;Constructors' Championship standings
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos
! Constructor
! Points
|-
| 1
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
|align="right"| 84
|-
| 2
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
|align="right"| 78
|-
| 3
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
|align="right"| 47
|-
| 4
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[McLaren]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]]
|align="right"| 28
|-
| 5
| {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]-[[Peugeot]]
|align="right"| 25
|-
!colspan=4|Source:<ref name="champ"/>
|}
{{col-end}}

*{{small|'''Note''': Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{F1 race report
| Name_of_race = [[Belgian Grand Prix]]
| Year_of_race = 1997
| Previous_race_in_season = [[1997 Hungarian Grand Prix]]
| Next_race_in_season = [[1997 Italian Grand Prix]]
| Previous_year's_race = [[1996 Belgian Grand Prix]]
| Next_year's_race = [[1998 Belgian Grand Prix]]
}}
{{F1GP 90-99}}

[[Category:1997 Formula One races|Belgian Grand Prix]]
[[Category:Belgian Grand Prix]]
[[Category:1997 in Belgian motorsport|Grand Prix]]
[[Category:August 1997 sports events in Europe|Belgian Grand Prix]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

1997 Belgian Grand Prix