1997 Canadian Grand Prix

The XXXV Grand Prix Player's du Canada, otherwise known as the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix, was the seventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, on the 15 June 1997.'Canadian GP, 1997', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr604.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher secure a rather fortunate victory for , after the race was stopped prematurely due to a huge accident for Olivier Panis.
In fairness the German ace had earned some luck, edging out Jacques Villeneuve to secure pole position in qualifying by just 0.013s. Rubens Barrichello was a surprise third for , while Heinz-Harald Frentzen could only muster fourth in the second .
Schumacher duly aced his start to secure an early lead, with Villeneuve sweeping into his wake having been unable to challenge into the first corner. Behind, Giancarlo Fisichella made a barnstorming start to secure third, dragging Jean Alesi with him.
Elsewhere, Barrichello would make an awful start, causing Mika Häkkinen to brake heavily, and hence get whacked by Olivier Panis. Those two would limp back to the pits to have their missing wings replaced, while Barrichello escaped in eighth behind Ralf Schumacher.
Michael Schumacher would bolt during the early stages, with Villeneuve opting to nurse his tyres, knowing that it was likely his only hope of beating the tyre friendly Williams. However, his sprint was ultimately made to be pointless before the end of the second lap, for Villeneuve contrived to slide into the barriers at the final chicane.
That left Schumacher with a fair lead over Fisichella, Alesi and David Coulthard, although that would be wiped out by the Safety Car on lap six. The cause of the SC would be Ukyo Katayama, who demolished his when the throttle jammed and sent him flying into the barriers.
The restart saw Schumacher once again bolt, although Fisichella and Alesi would do their best to go with him, having adopted a similar two-stop strategy. Indeed, that left Schumacher's biggest threat in the form of Coulthard, who was the first driver in the field on a one-stop.
By the time Schumacher made his first stop on lap 28 he had only built a ten second lead, with Coulthard duly sweeping through to secure first place, Fisichella and Alesi having made their stops earlier. Schumacher, then in second, would subsequently struggle to close on the , which was getting as a strong as the as the Scot burned through his fuel.
Coulthard made his lone stop on lap 40, handing the lead briefly to Schumacher before the German came in for his stop a few laps later. When the #5 Ferrari rejoined Schumacher found himself fifteen seconds behind, with Coulthard cruising.
Indeed, such was Coulthard's advantage, with the Scot again easing away from the Ferrari, that the McLaren squad decided to make a precautionary stop on lap 51. That proved to be a huge mistake, for a clutch issue caused Coulthard to stall, dumping him from the lead down to seventh.
Three laps later and the race was over, for Panis' would throw itself into the wall at turn five after a suspension failure. The safety car came out for a lap, before the race was stopped completely due to the severity of Panis' injuries and need to be extracted.
The result was declared as the field had completed lap 54, with Schumacher declared as the victor ahead of Alesi. Fisichella would ultimately claimed third ahead of Frentzen, while Johnny Herbert and Shinji Nakano secured the remaining points ahead of a frustrated Coulthard.
Panis was flown to hospital with two fractured legs, but was not in a life threatening condition.
==Background==
A third win of the campaign carried Jacques Villeneuve back to the top of the Championship standings, the Canadian ace leaving Spain with a three point lead. Michael Schumacher had made way for Villeneuve and slipped to second, while Olivier Panis rocketed up to third, although he only had half the number of points of Villeneuve. Eddie Irvine and David Coulthard completed the top five, with fifteen drivers on the score sheet.
In the Constructors Championship had just held onto their lead, although it had been cut to just a single point. were the team to do the damage, ending the weekend on 40 points, with almost double the number of points of in third. Behind McLaren were and , the only other teams in double figures after the opening third of the season.
===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 	Alexander Wurz 	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 	Gianni Morbidelli 	Red Bull Sauber Petronas 	 	C16 	 	SPE-01 3.0 V10 	
18 	Jos Verstappen 	PIAA Tyrrell 	 	025 	 	ED4 3.0 V10 	
19 	Mika Salo 	PIAA Tyrrell 	 	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 	
Source:'Canada 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Report===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Gap 	Ave. Speed
1 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:18.095 	— 	203.798 km/h
2 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:18.108 	+0.013s 	203.764 km/h
3 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:18.388 	+0.293s 	203.036 km/h
4 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:18.464 	+0.369s 	202.840 km/h
5 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	1:18.466 	+0.371s 	202.834 km/h
6 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:18.750 	+0.655s 	202.103 km/h
7 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:18.869 	+0.774s 	201.798 km/h
8 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:18.899 	+0.804s 	201.721 km/h
9 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:18.916 	+0.821s 	201.678 km/h
10 	14 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:19.034 	+0.939s 	201.377 km/h
11 	8 	Alexander Wurz 	 	1:19.286 	+1.191s 	200.737 km/h
12 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:19.503 	+1.408s 	200.189 km/h
13 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:19.622 	+1.527s 	199.889 km/h
14 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:20.102 	+2.007s 	198.692 km/h
15 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	1:20.129 	+2.034s 	198.625 km/h
16 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1:20.175 	+2.080s 	198.511 km/h
17 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	1:20.336 	+2.241s 	198.113 km/h
18 	17 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	1:20.357 	+2.262s 	198.061 km/h
19 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	1:20.370 	+2.275s 	198.029 km/h
20 	21 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:20.370 	+2.275s 	198.029 km/h
21 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	1:20.491 	+2.396s 	197.731 km/h
22 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:21.034 	+2.939s 	196.406 km/h
107% Time: 1:23.562 	107% Time: 1:23.562 	107% Time: 1:23.562 	107% Time: 1:23.562 	107% Time: 1:23.562 	107% Time: 1:23.562 	107% Time: 1:23.562
Source:'Grand Prix Player's du Canada 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/660/canada/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Canada 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix Player's du Canada 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/660/canada/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Canada 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix Player's du Canada 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/660/canada/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Canada 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix Player's du Canada 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/660/canada/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Canada 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix Player's du Canada 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/660/canada/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Canada 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix Player's du Canada 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/660/canada/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Canada 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix Player's du Canada 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/660/canada/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Canada 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)
*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.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	54 	1:17:40.656 	1 	10
2 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	54 	+2.565s 	8 	6
3 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	54 	+3.219s 	6 	4
4 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	54 	+3.768s 	4 	3
5 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	54 	+4.716s 	13 	2
6 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	54 	+36.701s 	19 	1
7 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	54 	+37.753s 	5 	
8 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	53 	+1 Lap 	16 	
9 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	53 	+1 Lap 	15 	
10 	17 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	53 	+1 Lap 	18 	
11* 	14 	Olivier Panis 	 	51 	Accident 	10 	
Ret 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	46 	Engine 	17 	
Ret 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	42 	Gearbox 	14 	
Ret 	8 	Alexander Wurz 	 	35 	Transmission 	11 	
Ret 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	33 	Gearbox 	3 	
Ret 	21 	Jarno Trulli 	 	32 	Engine 	20 	
Ret 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	14 	Accident 	7 	
Ret 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	5 	Throttle 	22 	
Ret 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1 	Accident 	2 	
Ret 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	0 	Collision 	9 	
Ret 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	0 	Collision 	12 	
Ret 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	0 	Accident 	21 	
Source:'Canada 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Canada 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 450th Grand Prix for as a constructor.'7. Canada 1997', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/canada.aspx, (Accessed 21/08/2019)
* Debut race for Alexander Wurz.'1997 Canadian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1997&gp=Canadian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 20/08/2019)
* 500th race entries for cars using #5, #20 and #22 as their race numbers.
* 24th career victory for Michael Schumacher.
** Schumacher also claimed his 50th podium finish.
* scored their 110th win as both a constructor and engine supplier.
* Jean Alesi claimed the 90th podium finish for a chassis.
* Giancarlo Fisichella scored his maiden podium finish.
* David Coulthard recorded the 70th fastest lap for a McLaren chassis.
** This was also the tenth fastest lap set using a engine.
** Also the tenth FL set by a car using #10 as its race number.
* Maiden points finish for Shinji Nakano.
==Standings==
Michael Schumacher moved back to the top of the Championship with his second win of the season, establishing a seven point lead. Jacques Villeneuve had made way for him, a disappointing end to his home race, with an now injured Olivier Panis in third. Behind him sat Eddie Irvine ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, with Jean Alesi level with the German in sixth.
In the Constructors Championship had managed to build up their lead, leaving Canada with an eight point advantage. were still their closest challengers, sat on 43 points, with a twenty point gap back to the similarly engined effort. Benetton themselves had moved into third as a result of the Canadian weekend, moving ahead of , with completing the top five.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	37 	1
2 	Jacques Villeneuve 	30 	1
3 	Olivier Panis 	15 	
4 	Eddie Irvine 	14 	
5 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	13 	1
6 	Jean Alesi 	13 	3
7 	David Coulthard 	11 	2
8 	Gerhard Berger 	10 	1
9 	Mika Häkkinen 	10 	1
10 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	8 	3
11 	Johnny Herbert 	7 	
12 	Rubens Barrichello 	6 	2
13 	Ralf Schumacher 	4 	1
14 	Mika Salo 	2 	
15 	Nicola Larini 	1 	
16 	Shinji Nakano 	1 	1
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	51 	
2 	 	43 	
3 	 	23 	1
4 	 	21 	1
5 	 	16 	
6 	 	12 	
7 	 	8 	1
8 	 	6 	1
9 	 	2 	
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:Canadian Grand Prix
Category:1997 Grands Prix