1997 Spanish Grand Prix

The 1997 Spanish Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the XXXIX Gran Premio Marlboro de España, was the sixth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged on the 25 May 1997 at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain.'Spanish GP, 1997', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr603.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019) The race would see Jacques Villeneuve secure his third win of the season to reclaim the Championship lead, in a race dictated by tyre use.
Villeneuve had started the weekend with another minor win, beating teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen to pole position during qualifying. Best of the rest was David Coulthard in third, a second off of Villeneuve's effort, with Jean Alesi sharing the second row with the Scot.
The start would see Villeneuve bolt into an early lead, while a poor start for Frentzen saw the German racer tumble down the field. As he tumbled his compatriot Michael Schumacher surged forward, ending the opening lap in second as the closest thing to a challenge to Villeneuve.
Yet, even Schumacher could not match Villeneuve's early pace, with the Canadian racer quickly building a twenty second lead. Indeed, Schumacher's pace was soon found to be so poor that he had a queue of cars behind him, with Coulthard, Alesi, Mika Häkkinen, Frentzen and Johnny Herbert all stuck behind the #5 .
Tyre wear was to come into play soon after, with a fair number of the Goodyear shod drivers opting for a three stop strategy. That played a significant part in breaking up Schumacher's train, with the German racer soon slipping down behind Herbert.
In the resulting shuffles it was Olivier Panis who emerged best, his Bridgestone tyres proving longer lasting and able to run at a quick pace. Indeed, after Villeneuve completed his second stop the Canadian looked vulnerable to the now second placed Frenchman, although the would constantly get mired in traffic.
Elsewhere, Schumacher's pace picked up during his second stint, allowing him to briefly lead on his two-stop strategy before falling back into line behind Alesi in third. Herbert, meanwhile, would jump both after his second stop, while Frentzen tumbled to eighth lacking any confidence in his tyres.
Out front, meanwhile, Villeneuve would cruise across the line to claim victory, Panis' impressive pace not enough to threaten the Canadian. Alesi duly completed the podium ahead of Schumacher, while Herbert and Coulthard claimed the remaining points.
==Background==
Michael Schumacher moved to the top of the Championship after his first win of the season, moving four clear of former leader Jacques Villeneuve. Eddie Irvine was next, leaping up to third ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, with the German racer still level with four other drivers on ten points. Behind that cluster came Olivier Panis, while Rubens Barrichello had shot into to top ten with his podium finish.
In the Constructors Championship it was who ended the day at the head of the hunt, establishing an eight point lead. had made way for them, continuing their run of race win or retirement, while had likewise lost ground in third, slipping eighteen off the lead. were next ahead of to complete the top five, with nine constructors on the board.
===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 	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:'Spain 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/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 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:16.525 	— 	223.374 km/h
2 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:16.791 	+0.266s 	221.604 km/h
3 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	1:17.521 	+0.996s 	219.517 km/h
4 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:17.717 	+1.192s 	218.964 km/h
5 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:17.737 	+1.212s 	218.907 km/h
6 	8 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:18.041 	+1.516s 	218.055 km/h
7 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:18.313 	+1.788s 	217.297 km/h
8 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:18.385 	+1.860s 	217.098 km/h
9 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:18.423 	+1.898s 	216.992 km/h
10 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:18.494 	+1.969s 	216.796 km/h
11 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:18.873 	+2.348s 	215.754 km/h
12 	14 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:19.157 	+2.632s 	214.980 km/h
13 	17 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	1:19.323 	+2.798s 	214.530 km/h
14 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	1:20.079 	+3.554s 	212.505 km/h
15 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	1:20.089 	+3.564s 	212.479 km/h
16 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	1:20.103 	+3.578s 	212.442 km/h
17 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:20.255 	+3.730s 	212.039 km/h
18 	21 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:20.452 	+3.927s 	211.520 km/h
19 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:20.582 	+4.057s 	211.179 km/h
20 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:20.672 	+4.147s 	210.943 km/h
21 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1:21.029 	+4.504s 	210.014 km/h
22 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	1:21.060 	+4.535s 	209.933 km/h
107% Time: 1:21.882 	107% Time: 1:21.882 	107% Time: 1:21.882 	107% Time: 1:21.882 	107% Time: 1:21.882 	107% Time: 1:21.882 	107% Time: 1:21.882
Source:'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/659/spain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Spain 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/659/spain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Spain 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/659/spain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Spain 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/659/spain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Spain 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/659/spain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Spain 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/659/spain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Spain 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/659/spain/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 20/08/2019)'Spain 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/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===
** Schumacher would start from the back of the grid after stalling 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 	 	64 	1:30:35.896 	1 	10
2 	14 	Olivier Panis 	 	64 	+5.804s 	12 	6
3 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	64 	+12.534s 	4 	4
4 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	64 	+17.979s 	7 	3
5 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	64 	+27.986s 	10 	2
6 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	64 	+29.744s 	3 	1
7 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	64 	+48.785s 	5 	
8 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	64 	+1:04.139 	2 	
9 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	64 	+1:04.767 	8 	
10 	8 	Gerhard Berger 	 	64 	+1:05.670 	6 	
11 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	63 	+1 Lap 	19 	
12 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	63 	+1 Lap 	11 	
13 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	63 	+1 Lap 	22 	
14 	17 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	62 	+2 Laps 	13 	
15 	21 	Jarno Trulli 	 	62 	+2 Laps 	18 	
Ret 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	53 	Engine 	21 	
Ret 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	50 	Engine 	9 	
Ret 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	37 	Engine 	17 	
Ret 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	35 	Puncture 	14 	
Ret 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	34 	Gearbox 	16 	
Ret 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	17 	Engine 	15 	
Ret 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	11 	Gearbox 	20 	
Source:'Spain 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)	Source:'Spain 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* Seventh career victory for Jacques Villeneuve.'6. Spain 1997', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/espagne.aspx, (Accessed 20/08/2019)
** Twentieth win for a driver using #3 as their race number.'1997 Spanish GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1997&gp=Spanish%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 20/08/2019)
* 99th victory for as a constructor.
** secured their 90th win as an engine supplier.
* Fifth and final podium finish for Olivier Panis.
* Giancarlo Fisichella recorded his first fastest lap.
** This was the second and final fastest lap to be recorded by a chassis.
** Also the only fastest lap to be recorded using a engine.
==Standings==
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.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Jacques Villeneuve 	30 	1
2 	Michael Schumacher 	27 	1
3 	Olivier Panis 	15 	5
4 	Eddie Irvine 	14 	1
5 	David Coulthard 	11 	
6 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	10 	2
7 	Gerhard Berger 	10 	1
8 	Mika Häkkinen 	10 	1
9 	Jean Alesi 	7 	4
10 	Rubens Barrichello 	6 	1
11 	Johnny Herbert 	5 	1
12 	Ralf Schumacher 	4 	2
13 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	4 	2
14 	Mika Salo 	2 	
15 	Nicola Larini 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	41 	
2 	 	40 	
3 	 	21 	
4 	 	17 	
5 	 	15 	
6 	 	8 	
7 	 	6 	
8 	 	6 	
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:1997 Grands Prix
Category:Spanish Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Spain