Most of the top teams kept the same driver line-up for the 1997 Formula 1 season. The notable exception was Williams. Having won the 1996 World Championship with the team, Damon Hill found himself out of favour. The Englishman landed a drive with Arrows, but was unlikely to worrying the front runners. Hill’s replacement at Williams was Heinz-Harald Frentzen, the German having served his Formula 1 apprenticeship with Sauber.
Quadruple World Champion Alain Prost entered Formula 1 as a team owner in 1997, having bought Ligier. Olivier Panis and Shinji Nakano would drive for Prost Grand Prix. Another multiple World Champion, Jackie Stewart, also entered the fray with an eponymous team. He signed Rubens Barrichello and Formula 3 hot shoe Jan Magnussen to drive for him. Another new team for 1997 was Lola, but they didn’t last long. At the first race the cars were over 10 seconds off the pace. It was their only appearance of the year.
Coulthard Gives McLaren Long Awaited Formula 1 Victory
The season opened in the agreeable surroundings of Melbourne’s Albert Park. As expected, Jacques Villeneuve led the way in qualifying and started from pole in his Williams. Frentzen made a solid start to his Williams career by qualifying second, with Michael Schumacher third for Ferrari. David Coulthard was fourth in his McLaren, resplendent in a new silver livery, and Eddie Irvine sixth in the other Ferrari. Reigning World Champion Hill was a disconsolate 20th in his Arrows.
Hill didn’t even reach the starting grid, his Arrows breaking down on the warm-up lap. Villeneuve didn’t make it much further. An out of control Irvine hit the pole-sitter’s Williams at turn one. Johnny Herbert also had his race ended by the accident.
Frentzen led easily, but the German would be plagued by brake problems throughout the afternoon which eventually caused him to spin off into retirement. Coulthard won the race for McLaren, the team having last tasted victory in the 1993 Australian Grand Prix with Ayrton Senna. Schumacher finished second in his Ferrari, and Mika Hakkinen completed a great day for McLaren by bringing his car home in third. Gerhard Berger was fourth in his Benetton, while Panis scored two points on the Prost team’s Grand Prix debut with fifth place. The final point went to Nicola Larini in a Sauber.
It was an interesting start to the season, but the result didn’t reflect the true state of affairs. Despite being eliminate at the first corner Villeneuve was still a strong title favourite, although the new Ferrari looked promising.
1997 F1 season review continues.
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