1997 German Grand Prix

The 1997 German Grand Prix, otherwise officially advertised as the LIX Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland, was the tenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on the 29 July 1997.'German GP, 1997', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr607.html, (Accessed 22/08/2019) The race would see Gerhard Berger claim a stirring final victory upon his return to , having missed several races due to personal circumstances.
Indeed, the Austrian racer seemed to be inspired throughout the weekend, sweeping to pole position ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella in his . Mika Häkkinen was next ahead of Championship leader Michael Schumacher, while pre-season favourite Jacques Villeneuve found himself down in ninth.
Race day dawned dry, although a storm shortly after the warm-up ensured that there would be some late debate about how drivers would start the race. Ultimately, however, the circuit would be largely dry before the race was scheduled to start, meaning everyone would head onto the formation lap on slicks.
Berger duly aced his start to claim an early lead, aided by Fisichella making a less than perfect getaway, leaving him vulnerable to Schumacher and Häkkinen. Behind, however, there would be chaos, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen making a poor start, before clashing wheels with Eddie Irvine in the first corner.
That contact resulted Frentzen's car jumping sideways, sending cars scattering around him. David Coulthard was the biggest victim, getting clipped by the , with the Scot's ultimately breaking apart as he headed into the Clark Chicane a few moments later.
Irvine, Frentzen and Coulthard would all limp back to the pits for repairs as, out front, Berger did his best to escape up the road. His escape was very impressive, building an eight second lead in ten laps, aided by Fisichella putting up a ferocious defence from Schumacher before the s tyres began to fade.
Berger made his first stop on lap seventeen, handing the lead to Fisichella, who was on a one-stop with his harder wearing Bridgestone tyres. Schumacher, meanwhile, would stop on lap 22, earlier than planned having used up a lot of his tyre grip to harass Fisichella early on, with the Italian himself stopping on lap 24.
All that left Berger with a sixteen second lead, with the Austrian racer only able to eek out a few tenths each lap, knowing he had to build a thirty second lead. His charge would be further hindered by Jan Magnussen, who suffered a huge engine failure just as Berger came up to lap him, spraying the Benetton in oil and smoke.
As such, Berger emerged from his second and final stop on lap 34 a few seconds behind the yellow Jordan, and struggled to make up the gap. As such, the race had suddenly become Fisichella's to lose, and so it was particularly cruel when the Italian picked up a puncture on lap 39, which caused enough damage to the radiators to end his race completely.
With that the race was over, with Berger, sweeping across the line to claim an emotional victory, his first since 1994. Behind, Schumacher had a quiet afternoon to claim second ahead of Häkkinen, while Jarno Trulli secured fourth ahead of Ralf Schumacher and Jean Alesi.
==Background==
Jacques Villeneuve had delivered a significant blow in the Championship battle between himself and Michael Schumacher, moving on 43 points at the halfway point. Schumacher still had the lead, but his advantage had been cut to four points after he failed to score. Behind, Jean Alesi was up into third, and likely out of the Championship hunt, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Eddie Irvine on his tail.
 ended the weekend with the lead in the Constructors Championship, although their lead had been drastically reduced after their double retirement. Indeed, had done the damage, moving to within three points of the Scuderia, with those two set to duel for the crown during the second half of the season. Behind had enhanced their grip on third, moving eleven clear of 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 	Norberto Fontana 	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:'Germany 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)
==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 	8 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:41.873 	— 	241.112 km/h
2 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:41.896 	+0.023s 	241.058 km/h
3 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:42.034 	+0.161s 	240.732 km/h
4 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:42.181 	+0.308s 	240.385 km/h
5 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:42.421 	+0.548s 	239.822 km/h
6 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:42.493 	+0.620s 	239.653 km/h
7 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:42.498 	+0.625s 	239.642 km/h
8 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	1:42.687 	+0.814s 	239.201 km/h
9 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:42.967 	+1.094s 	238.550 km/h
10 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:43.209 	+1.336s 	237.991 km/h
11 	14 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:43.226 	+1.353s 	237.952 km/h
12 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:43.272 	+1.399s 	237.846 km/h
13 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	1:43.361 	+1.488s 	237.641 km/h
14 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:43.660 	+1.787s 	236.955 km/h
15 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	1:43.927 	+2.054s 	236.347 km/h
16 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1:44.069 	+2.196s 	236.024 km/h
17 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	1:44.112 	+2.239s 	235.927 km/h
18 	17 	Norberto Fontana 	 	1:44.552 	+2.679s 	234.934 km/h
19 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	1:45.372 	+3.499s 	233.106 km/h
20 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:45.811 	+3.938s 	232.138 km/h
21 	21 	Tarso Marques 	 	1:45.942 	+4.069s 	231.851 km/h
22 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:46.499 	+4.626s 	230.639 km/h
107% Time: 1:49.004 	107% Time: 1:49.004 	107% Time: 1:49.004 	107% Time: 1:49.004 	107% Time: 1:49.004 	107% Time: 1:49.004 	107% Time: 1:49.004
Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/663/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 22/08/2019)'Germany 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/663/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 22/08/2019)'Germany 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/663/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 22/08/2019)'Germany 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/663/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 22/08/2019)'Germany 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/663/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 22/08/2019)'Germany 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/663/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 22/08/2019)'Germany 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 1997 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1997/races/663/germany/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 22/08/2019)'Germany 1997: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)
*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.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	8 	Gerhard Berger 	 	45 	1:20:59.046 	1 	10
2 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	45 	+17.527s 	4 	6
3 	9 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	45 	+24.770s 	3 	4
4 	14 	Jarno Trulli 	 	45 	+ 27.165 	11 	3
5 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	45 	+29.995s 	7 	2
6 	7 	Jean Alesi 	 	45 	+34.717s 	6 	1
7 	15 	Shinji Nakano 	 	45 	+1:19.722 	17 	
8 	1 	Damon Hill 	 	44 	+1 Lap 	13 	
9 	17 	Norberto Fontana 	 	44 	+1 Lap 	18 	
10 	18 	Jos Verstappen 	 	44 	+1 Lap 	20 	
11* 	12 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	40 	Radiator 	2 	
Ret 	22 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	33 	Engine 	12 	
Ret 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	33 	Clutch 	19 	
Ret 	3 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	33 	Spun off 	9 	
Ret 	23 	Jan Magnussen 	 	27 	Engine 	15 	
Ret 	20 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	23 	Out of fuel 	2 	
Ret 	16 	Johnny Herbert 	 	8 	Collision 	14 	
Ret 	2 	Pedro Diniz 	 	8 	Collision 	16 	
Ret 	10 	David Coulthard 	 	1 	Transmission 	8 	
Ret 	4 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1 	Collision 	5 	
Ret 	6 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1 	Collision 	10 	
Ret 	21 	Tarso Marques 	 	0 	Gearbox 	21 	
Source:'Germany 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)	Source:'Germany 1997: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Fisichella was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* 75th Grand Prix entry for Rubens Barrichello.'1997 German GP', chicanef1.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1997&gp=German%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 22/08/2019)
* Tenth entry for Jarno Trulli, Ralf Schumacher and Shinji Nakano.
* Gerhard Berger secured his twelfth and final pole position.'10. Germany 1997', statsf1.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/allemagne.aspx, (Accessed 22/08/2019)
** Also the 130th pole for a engine.
* Tenth and final victory for Berger.
** This was also the Austrian's 48th and final podium finish.
* scored their 27th and final win as a constructor.
** Renault secured their 92nd win as an engine supplier.
* Berger recorded his 21st and final fastest lap.
* Maiden points finish for Trulli.
==Standings==
Michael Schumacher extended his Championship lead as a result of his podium finish, moving ten clear of Jacques Villeneuve in second. The Canadian racer was therefore still in prime position to attack, although his startling lack of pace in Germany suggested that all may not be well with the Canadian's title bid. Behind, Jean Alesi had retained third, Gerhard Berger had leapt into fourth with victory, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen slipped to fifth.
In the Constructors Championship had inched away from at the head of the hunt, leaving Germany nine ahead. The Anglo-French squad were still their closest challengers, while both had been slightly reeled in by , although they were still a fair way back. were in an increasingly distant fourth, while had just kept at bay to retain fifth.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	53 	
2 	Jacques Villeneuve 	43 	
3 	Jean Alesi 	22 	
4 	Gerhard Berger 	20 	4
5 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	19 	1
6 	Eddie Irvine 	18 	1
7 	Olivier Panis 	15 	1
8 	David Coulthard 	14 	1
9 	Mika Häkkinen 	14 	
10 	Ralf Schumacher 	9 	2
11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	8 	1
12 	Johnny Herbert 	7 	
13 	Rubens Barrichello 	6 	
14 	Alexander Wurz 	4 	
15 	Jarno Trulli 	3 	4
16 	Mika Salo 	2 	1
17 	Nicola Larini 	1 	1
18 	Shinji Nakano 	1 	1
19 	Damon Hill 	1 	1
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	71 	
2 	 	62 	
3 	 	46 	
4 	 	28 	
5 	 	19 	
6 	 	17 	
7 	 	8 	
8 	 	6 	
9 	 	2 	
10 	 	1 	
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:German Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Germany