1997 European Grand Prix

Lore & Background

Michael Schumacher, driving for Ferrari, had led the championship by a single point ahead of Villeneuve going into the race. During the race, Villeneuve and Schumacher collided while battling for the lead and the resulting damage to Schumacher's car forced him to retire. The blame for the incident was later attributed to Schumacher by the sport's governing body, the FIA, and he was stripped of his second-place finish in the championship. Schumacher's tactics were widely criticised by the media, including publications based in his home country of Germany, and in Ferrari's home country of Italy. Following the race, Williams and McLaren were accused of colluding to decide the finishing order. Villeneuve stated that 'it was better to let them through and win the World Championship'. The FIA determined there was no evidence to support the claims, and dismissed the accusations.

In Their Own Story

The air at Jerez was thick with tension as the final lap approached. Villeneuve's FW19 roared ahead, the blue and yellow livery gleaming under the floodlights of destiny. Then came the blur of red. Schumacher, eyes locked on survival, steered hard into the Williams' rear wing. The impact was violent, a screech of carbon fiber meeting asphalt that echoed through the grandstands. As Villeneuve tumbled away, the dream of a second title for Frank Williams and Patrick Head crumbled in an instant.

Reader's Guide

This is the last World Championship Grand Prix to be held in Jerez and the last season finale to be held on the European continent to date. Häkkinen's victory was the first victory for a Finnish driver in the Formula One World Championship in 12 years since Keke Rosberg won the 1985 Australian Grand Prix; it also kicked off a series of race wins that saw the Finn win the and championships. Häkkinen and Coulthard's first and second-place finishes ensured the McLaren team scored their first one-two finish since the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix and made the Woking based team the only team to score a 1-2 finish during any of the 1997 Grands Prix. This was the last race for Gerhard Berger, who had won 10 times and had been competing in Formula One since 1984, and Ukyo Katayama. This was also the last Grand Prix until the 2009 Australian Grand Prix where slick tyres were used, as grooved tyres would be used in the sport from the start of the season until the end of the season. This race was also the only time during the 1997 season that Villeneuve stood on the podium without being the race winner, the other seven of eight podiums Villeneuve achieved that season all being wins.

Did You Know?

• The collision between Villeneuve and Schumacher occurred on lap 48, not the final lap.
• Schumacher retired from the race due to damage from the collision; he did not cross the line first.
• Schumacher was stripped of his second-place finish in the championship, not his points for the entire season.
• Villeneuve became World Champion by finishing third and was never stripped of the title.
• The race was held on 26 October 1997, not September 28.