1997 Austrian Grand Prix

The XXI Großer Preis von Österreich, otherwise known as the 1997 Austrian Grand Prix, was the fourteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the A1 Ring in Spielberg, Austria, on the 21 September 1997.'Austrian GP, 1997', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr611.html, (Accessed 23/08/2019) The race, which was the first to be held in Austria since 1987, would see Jacques Villeneuve secure a strong victory to re-ignite his title hopes.
The return of the Austrian Grand Prix brought with it the return of the ever popular Österreichring to the F1 calendar, although the circuit had been heavily revised. Indeed, the new layout cut out the old Hella-Licht chicane completely, while the pit-complex had been completely rebuilt amid a major branding deal with A1 Telekom Austria.
Qualifying had seen Villeneuve secure pole position late on, snatching top spot on the grid from Mika Häkkinen in the dying moments. It was Jarno Trulli, however, who caused the biggest stir, grabbing third in the spare , despite the fact that the car had been setup for teammate Shinji Nakano, who was down in sixteenth.
There would be heartbreak for the home fans even before the start of the race, for soon-to-be-retired Austrian ace Gerhard Berger was forced to enter the pits after an issue on the formation lap. He duly took off from the pits after the field had launched away from the grid, only to spin as he rejoined on cold tyres.
On track, meanwhile, it was Häkkinen who streaked into the lead off the grid, while Trulli also managed to scramble ahead of Villeneuve to secure second. However, Häkkinen's lead was not to last, with his engine destroying itself before the end of the opening tour.
Trulli therefore led a race for the first time in his F1 career, and was able build his advantage with a series of fastest laps. Behind, Villeneuve had managed to slip behind Rubens Barrichello in the , and was forced to spend the opening laps fending off Jan Magnussen in the second Stewart.
By lap 24 Villeneuve would finally manage to get clear of Barrichello, although he now found himself over ten seconds behind Trulli. With that, however, the Canadian racer began to push on, with a series of fastest laps, combined with a worsening engine issue for Trulli, carrying him back onto the Italian's tail.
Ultimately, however, their battle would be decided in the pitlane, with a stunning in-lap for Villeneuve doing the damage. Indeed, the Canadian ace emerged from the pitlane just ahead of a long running Giancarlo Fisichella, who was doing his best to keep his compatriot Trulli at bay.
With that the race for the win was over, for Villeneuve was able to ease clear of Trulli, before the Italian's race was ended by an engine failure. By that stage the Prost had slipped into the sights of David Coulthard, who had vaulted past the Stewarts during the stops, with the Mugen-Honda duly spraying the Scot with oil when it expired.
Villeneuve duly cruised home to claim a comfortable victory, even surviving a brief scare when Berger dramatically slowed in front of him. Coulthard settled for second ahead of Frentzen, who benefited from a poor decision from Michael Schumacher, who passed the German under yellow flags. The officials duly slapped the #5 with a ten second stop-go, dumping the German back to sixth behind Fisichella and Ralf Schumacher.
==Background==
With neither of the title protagonists scoring major points there had been little change atop the Championship standings, with Michael Schumacher remaining at the head of the hunt. Jacques Villeneuve had managed to reduce the German's advantage, leaving Italy ten behind, with more than double the points of Jean Alesi in third. The Frenchman himself was in an intense fight for third, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, David Coulthard, Gerhard Berger and Eddie Irvine all within ten points of Alesi.
In the Constructors Championship had done some serious damage, leaving Italy just a point off the lead. Indeed, it had been a fairly dismal day for the tifosi, with 's solitary point the only reason that they still held the lead. Behind, had maintained their hold on third, with only able to inch slightly closer in fourth.
===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 	Jarno Trulli 	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 	Tarso Marques 	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:'Austria 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Qualifying Report===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Gap 	Ave. Speed
1 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:10.304 	— 	221.364 km/h
2 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:10.398 	+0.094s 	221.069 km/h
3 	14 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:10.511 	+0.207s 	220.714 km/h
4 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:10.670 	+0.366s 	220.218 km/h
5 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:10.700 	+0.396s 	220.124 km/h
6 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	1:10.893 	+0.589s 	219.525 km/h
7 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	1:11.025 	+0.721s 	219.117 km/h
8 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:11.051 	+0.747s 	219.037 km/h
9 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:11.056 	+0.752s 	219.022 km/h
10 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	1:11.076 	+0.772s 	218.960 km/h
11 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:11.186 	+0.882s 	218.622 km/h
12 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:11.210 	+0.906s 	218.548 km/h
13 	17 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	1:11.261 	+0.957s 	218.392 km/h
14 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:11.299 	+0.995s 	218.275 km/h
15 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:11.382 	+1.078s 	218.021 km/h
16 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	1:11.596 	+1.292s 	217.370 km/h
17 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1:11.615 	+1.311s 	217.312 km/h
18 	8 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:11.620 	+1.316s 	217.297 km/h
19 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:12.036 	+1.732s 	216.042 km/h
20 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:12.230 	+1.926s 	215.462 km/h
21 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	1:14.246 	+3.942s 	209.611 km/h
107% Time: 1:15.225 	107% Time: 1:15.225 	107% Time: 1:15.225 	107% Time: 1:15.225 	107% Time: 1:15.225 	107% Time: 1:15.225 	107% Time: 1:15.225
EXC* 	21 	Tarso Marques 	 	1:12.304 	+2.000s 	215.241 km/h
Source:'Grosser Preis von Osterreich 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/667/austria/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 23/08/2019)'Austria 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Preis von Osterreich 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/667/austria/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 23/08/2019)'Austria 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Preis von Osterreich 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/667/austria/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 23/08/2019)'Austria 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Preis von Osterreich 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/667/austria/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 23/08/2019)'Austria 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Preis von Osterreich 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/667/austria/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 23/08/2019)'Austria 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Preis von Osterreich 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/667/austria/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 23/08/2019)'Austria 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Preis von Osterreich 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/667/austria/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 23/08/2019)'Austria 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)
*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.
** Marques was excluded from the results of qualifying as his car was underweight.
===Grid===
** Berger would start the race from the pitlane after an issue 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 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	71 	1:27:35.999 	1 	10
2 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	71 	+2.909s 	10 	6
3 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	71 	+3.962s 	4 	4
4 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	71 	+12.127s 	14 	3
5 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	71 	+31.859s 	11 	2
6 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	71 	+33.410s 	9 	1
7 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	71 	+37.207s 	7 	
8 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	71 	+49.057s 	12 	
9 	17 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	71 	+1:06.455 	13 	
10 	8 	Gerhard Berger 	 	70 	+1 Lap 	18 	
11 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	69 	+2 Laps 	19 	
12 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	69 	+2 Laps 	20 	
13* 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	67 	Suspension 	17 	
14* 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	64 	Spin 	5 	
Ret 	14 	Jarno Trulli 	 	58 	Engine 	3 	
Ret 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	58 	Engine 	6 	
Ret 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	57 	Engine 	16 	
Ret 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	48 	Gearbox 	21 	
Ret 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	38 	Damage 	8 	
Ret 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	37 	Collision 	15 	
Ret 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1 	Engine 	2 	
EXC 	21 	Tarso Marques 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Austria 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)	Source:'Austria 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Diniz and Barrichello were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* Jacques Villeneuve claimed the twentieth pole position for a car using #3 as its race number.'1997 Austrian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1997&gp=Austrian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 23/08/2019)
* Tenth career victory for Jacques Villeneuve.'14. Austria 1997', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/autriche.aspx, (Accessed 23/08/2019)
* secured their 102nd win as a constructor.
** claimed their 94th win as an engine supplier.
* David Coulthard claimed the 30th podium finish for a engine.
* Ninth and final fastest lap recorded by Villeneuve.
==Standings==
Another difficult weekend for Michael Schumacher had seen his Championship lead all but eliminated with three rounds to go, leaving Austria with just a point in hand. Jacques Villeneuve had been the man to do the damage, his sixth win of the season moving him onto 67 points, with those two now mathematically the only title pretenders. Behind, Heinz-Harald Frentzen had moved back into third, a point ahead of David Coulthard.
In the Constructors Championship it had been a positive day for once again, with the Anglo-French alliance moving to the top of the standings. They left Austria with a twelve point lead over former leaders , with those two, like their lead drivers, set to duel for the crown among themselves. Behind, had lost out to in the fight for third, although the Italian registered squad still held a nine point advantage over their Anglo-German rivals.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	68 	
2 	Jacques Villeneuve 	67 	
3 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	31 	1
4 	David Coulthard 	30 	1
5 	Jean Alesi 	28 	2
6 	Gerhard Berger 	21 	
7 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	20 	1
8 	Eddie Irvine 	18 	1
9 	Olivier Panis 	15 	
10 	Mika Häkkinen 	14 	
11 	Johnny Herbert 	14 	
12 	Ralf Schumacher 	11 	
13 	Damon Hill 	7 	
14 	Rubens Barrichello 	6 	
15 	Alexander Wurz 	4 	
16 	Jarno Trulli 	3 	
17 	Mika Salo 	2 	
18 	Shinji Nakano 	2 	
19 	Nicola Larini 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	98 	1
2 	 	86 	1
3 	 	53 	
4 	 	44 	
5 	 	33 	
6 	 	20 	
7 	 	15 	
8 	 	7 	
9 	 	6 	
10 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1997 Grands Prix
Category:Austrian Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Austria