1997 Australian Grand Prix

The 1997 Australian Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the LXII Qantas Australian Grand Prix, was the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, on the 9 March 1997.'Australian GP, 1997', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr598.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019) The race would see David Coulthard claim an unlikely victory for , the first for a Mercedes engine since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix.
It had been a busy winter after the conclusion of the season, with World Champion Damon Hill moving to having lost his seat at . His place at Williams was subsequently taken by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, although it was the German's new teammate Jacques Villeneuve who would start the season as favourite.
Elsewhere, two new teams led by two former World Champions entered the fray, with Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost setting up the eponymous teams and . Both had factory engine deals, Stewart with and Prost with , and had employed a promising talent to partner a rookie.
A third new team appeared in the form of , although a non-existent development programme saw the bizarrely liveried cars as the major unknowns ahead of the season. There was another unknown in the form of Bridgestone, who were entering F1 for the first time as a full-time tyre supplier, having previously made a couple of appearances in the Japanese Grand Prix in the 1970s.
Into the opening round itself and Villeneuve confirmed his pre-season status as favourite, claiming a dominant pole position by over 1.7 seconds from new teammate Frentzen. Michael Schumacher was best of the rest in third, two seconds shy of the Canadian, with Coulthard lining up in third.
However, Villeneuve's hopes were ruined right at the start of the race, for Eddie Irvine, starting in fifth, would somehow manage to slam into the Williams at the first corner. That ultimately gifted the lead to Frentzen, while Coulthard managed to ease ahead of Schumacher to secure second.
Frentzen, on a two-stop strategy that was intended to keep his car on low fuel, escaped up the road during the early stages, while Coulthard established a small gap over Schumacher. Indeed, the race became rather tepid after the initial chaos of the start, with no significant changes until Frentzen made his first stop.
The German racer would drop to third after his stop on lap eighteen, although he was immediately able to close in on the two ahead. The German racer duly re-took the lead when Coulthard and Schumacher made their only stops mid-race, establishing a 23 second lead over the Scot.
A trip through the pitlane would theoretically cost a driver 22-24 seconds, meaning Frentzen was right on the verge of slipping behind the #10 McLaren. Unfortunately for him a slow stop saw him lose an extra six seconds, dumping him back behind both Coulthard and Schumacher.
With that Frentzen's hopes of a maiden win were over, for while he was able draft easily onto the back of Schumacher, he had no means of overtaking the Ferrari. Furthermore, a sustained period behind the #5 car ultimately resulted in Frentzen's already strained brakes, which duly failed completely within sight of the chequered flag.
Out front, meanwhile, Coulthard was left to claim a startling win for McLaren-Mercedes, the first for the former Champions since the 1993 Australian Grand Prix. Schumacher duly finished second, despite having to make a late splash-and-dash for fuel, while Mika Häkkinen inherited third when Frentzen's brakes had failed.
==Background==
==Entry list==
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Damon Hill 	Danka Arrows Yamaha 	 	A18 	 	OX11A 3.0 V10 	
2 	Pedro Diniz 	Danka Arrows Yamaha 	 	A18 	 	OX11A 3.0 V10 	
3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW19 	 	RS9 3.0 V10 	
4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW19 	 	RS9 3.0 V10 	
5 	Michael Schumacher 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F310B 	 	046/2 3.0 V10 	
6 	Eddie Irvine 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F310B 	 	046/2 3.0 V10 	
7 	Jean Alesi 	Mild Seven Benetton Renault 	 	B197 	 	RS9 3.0 V10 	
8 	Gerhard Berger 	Mild Seven Benetton Renault 	 	B197 	 	RS9 3.0 V10 	
9 	Mika Häkkinen 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4/12 	 	FO 110E 3.0 V10 	
10 	David Coulthard 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4/12 	 	FO 110E 3.0 V10 	
11 	Ralf Schumacher 	B&H Total Jordan Peugeot 	 	197 	 	A14 3.0 V10 	
12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	B&H Total Jordan Peugeot 	 	197 	 	A14 3.0 V10 	
14 	Olivier Panis 	Prost Gauloises Blondes 	 	JS45 	 	MF-301HB 3.0 V10 	
15 	Shinji Nakano 	Prost Gauloises Blondes 	 	JS45 	 	MF-301HB 3.0 V10 	
16 	Johnny Herbert 	Red Bull Sauber Petronas 	 	C16 	 	SPE-01 3.0 V10 	
17 	Nicola Larini 	Red Bull Sauber Petronas 	 	C16 	 	SPE-01 3.0 V10 	
18 	Jos Verstappen 	PIAA Tyrrell Ford 	 	025 	 	ED4 3.0 V10 	
19 	Mika Salo 	PIAA Tyrrell Ford 	 	025 	 	ED4 3.0 V10 	
20 	Ukyo Katayama 	Minardi Team 	 	M197 	 	830 AV7 3.0 V10 	
21 	Jarno Trulli 	Minardi Team 	 	M197 	 	830 AV7 3.0 V10 	
22 	Rubens Barrichello 	HSBC Malaysia Stewart Ford 	 	SF01 	 	VJ Zetec-R 3.0 V10 	
23 	Jan Magnussen 	HSBC Malaysia Stewart Ford 	 	SF01 	 	VJ Zetec-R 3.0 V10 	
24 	Vincenzo Sospiri 	MasterCard Lola F1 Team 	 	T97/30 	 	ECA Zetec-R 3.0 V10 	
25 	Ricardo Rosset 	MasterCard Lola F1 Team 	 	T97/30 	 	ECA Zetec-R 3.0 V10 	
Source:'Australia 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Gap 	Ave. Speed
1 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:29.369 	— 	213.577 km/h
2 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:31.123 	+1.754s 	209.466 km/h
3 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:31.472 	+2.103s 	208.667 km/h
4 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	1:31.531 	+2.162s 	208.533 km/h
5 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:31.881 	+2.512s 	207.738 km/h
6 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:31.971 	+2.602s 	207.535 km/h
7 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:32.287 	+2.918s 	206.824 km/h
8 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:32.593 	+3.224s 	206.141 km/h
9 	14 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:32.842 	+ 3.473s 	205.588 km/h
10 	8 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:32.870 	+3.501s 	205.526 km/h
11 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:33.075 	+3.706s 	205.073 km/h
12 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:33.130 	+ 3.761s 	204.952 km/h
13 	17 	Nicola Larini 	 	1:33.327 	+3.958s 	204.520 km/h
14 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:33.552 	+4.183s 	204.028 km/h
15 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:33.798 	+4.429s 	203.493 km/h
16 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	1:33.989 	+4.620s 	203.079 km/h
17 	21 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:34.120 	+4.751s 	202.796 km/h
18 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	1:34.229 	+4.680s 	202.562 km/h
19 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	1:34.623 	+5.254s 	201.718 km/h
20 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	1:34.806 	+5.437s 	201.329 km/h
21 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:34.943 	+5.574s 	201.039 km/h
107% Time: 1:35.625 	107% Time: 1:35.625 	107% Time: 1:35.625 	107% Time: 1:35.625 	107% Time: 1:35.625 	107% Time: 1:35.625 	107% Time: 1:35.625
NC* 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1:35.972 	+6.603s 	198.883 km/h
NC 	24 	Vincenzo Sospiri 	 	1:40.972 	+11.603s 	189.035 km/h
NC 	25 	Ricardo Rosset 	 	1:42.086 	+12.717s 	186.972 km/h
Source:'Qantas Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/654/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019)'Australia 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Qantas Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/654/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019)'Australia 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Qantas Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/654/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019)'Australia 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Qantas Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/654/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019)'Australia 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Qantas Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/654/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019)'Australia 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Qantas Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/654/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019)'Australia 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)	Source:'Qantas Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/654/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019)'Australia 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
** Diniz was allowed to start despite failing to set a time within 107% of the fastest at the stewards' discretion.
===Grid===
** Hill was unable to start the race due to a throttle failure on the formation lap.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	58 	1:30:28.718 	4 	10
2 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	58 	+20.046s 	3 	6
3 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	58 	+22.177s 	6 	4
4 	8 	Gerhard Berger 	 	58 	+22.841s 	10 	3
5 	14 	Olivier Panis 	 	58 	+1:00.308 	9 	2
6 	17 	Nicola Larini 	 	58 	+1:36.040 	13 	1
7 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	56 	+2 Laps 	16 	
8* 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	55 	Brakes 	2 	
9 	21 	Jarno Trulli 	 	55 	+3 Laps 	17 	
10 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	54 	+4 Laps 	22 	
Ret 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	49 	Engine 	11 	
Ret 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	42 	Engine 	18 	
Ret 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	36 	Suspension 	19 	
Ret 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	34 	Out of Fuel 	8 	
Ret 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	32 	Electrical 	15 	
Ret 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	14 	Spun off 	14 	
Ret 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	2 	Spun off 	21 	
Ret 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1 	Gearbox 	12 	
Ret 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	0 	Collision 	1 	
Ret 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	0 	Collision 	5 	
Ret 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	0 	Collision 	7 	
DNS† 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	24 	Vincenzo Sospiri 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	25 	Ricardo Rosset 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Australia 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Frentzen was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
*† Hill was unable to start the race due to a throttle failure on the formation lap.
==Milestones==
* Debut race for as a constructor.'1. Australia 1997', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019)
* made their 100th appearance at a Grand Prix as an engine supplier.
* made their 50th appearance at a Grand Prix as an engine supplier.
* Bridgestone entered their first Grand Prix as a tyre supplier since the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix.
* 50th Grand Prix start for Olivier Panis.
* Jarno Trulli, Ralf Schumacher and Shinji Nakano made their Grand Prix debuts.'1997 Australian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1997&gp=Australian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 17/08/2019)
* 100th entry for Johnny Herbert.
* Maiden (and only) entry for as a constructor.
* Second career victory for David Coulthard.
** Tenth win for a car using #10 as its race number.
* secured their 105th victory as a constructor.
** This was the first win for McLaren since the 1993 Australian Grand Prix.
** scored their 10th win as an engine supplier.
** This was the first win for a Mercedes powered car since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix.
* Maiden fastest lap recorded by Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
** Also the 25th fastest lap set by a car using #4 as its race number.
* Last points finish for Nicola Larini.
==Standings==
David Coulthard would start the season as the Championship leader after his second career victory, leaving Australia with a four point lead. Michael Schumacher was in second ahead of Mika Häkkinen, while Gerhard Berger and Olivier Panis completed the first top five of the season. Nicola Larini was the only other scorer.
In the Constructors Championship it was who left the opening round as the leaders, leaving Melbourne with fourteen points to their name. were eight points behind in second, with ended the day in third, three behind Ferrari. and were also on the board, while defending Champions had failed to score.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	David Coulthard 	10 	
2 	Michael Schumacher 	6 	
3 	Mika Häkkinen 	4 	
4 	Gerhard Berger 	3 	
5 	Olivier Panis 	2 	
6 	Nicola Larini 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	14 	
2 	 	6 	
3 	 	3 	
4 	 	2 	
5 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1997 Grands Prix
Category:Australian Grand Prix