1997 Formula 1 Racing Season
Damon Hill Almost Scored Arrow's First F1 Win at the Hungaroring
Dec 28, 2008
The battle for the 1997 Formula 1 World Championship lay between Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher, although other drivers also tasted success. David Coulthard won in Australia and Heinz-Harald Frentzen was first at Imola. At Hockenheim, for the German Grand Prix, there would be another name added to the list winners.
Berger Wins Emotional German Grand Prix
Gerhard Berger returned to the cockpit of his Benetton at Hockenheim, after missing three races due to a sinus problem. The veteran Austrian had suffered a personal tragedy just before the race, when his father was killed in a plane crash. In qualifying Berger was unstoppable and qualified on pole. Giancarlo Fisichella was second for Jordan and Mika Hakkinen third for McLaren. While Michael Schumacher started fourth, his title rival Villeneuve was back in ninth.
Berger adopted a two stop strategy for the race, which meant it was imperative that he kept his lead so that he could pull away from the one-stoppers. His start was perfect and he led away, followed by Fisichella and Michael Schumacher. Villeneuve had a disastrous afternoon and finally spun out of the race under pressure from Jarno Trulli’s Prost.
After his second stop Berger emerged just behind race leader Fisichella. He challenged the young Italian, who ran wide and Berger was through. Fisichella’s race went from bad to worse when he picked up a puncture. Berger won the Grand Prix from Michael Schumacher, with Hakkinen third. Trulli was an excellent fourth, Ralf Schumacher fifth and Jean Alesi sixth. In the 2002 book, “Formula 1, The Autobiography”, edited by Gerald Donaldson and published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, Berger is quoted speaking just after his victory;
“For sure I had big emotions today and the last lapis one I will always remember. Although I am not at peak fitness I felt strong throughout the race. I really felt I was getting some special power out there and I think I know where it was coming from.”
Hill Nearly Wins Hungarian Grand Prix
Villeneuve won the Hungarian Grand Prix, but the moral victor was Damon Hill. After struggling all season in an Arrows, Hill suddenly found some pace at the Hungaroring, a combination of Bridgestone tyres, Yamaha engines and a neat chassis. On the tight circuit power is not so important and Hill qualified his car third, behind the pole-sitting Ferrari of Michael Schumacher and Villeneuve’s Williams.
Hill blasted past Villeneuve at the start and slotted in behind Schumacher, but the German was soon in tyre trouble. After a handful of laps Hill dived past into the lead and then pulled away at an extraordinary rate. By the closing laps he had an enormous advantage over second placed Villeneuve, but then disaster struck in the form of a problem with the hydraulics. Villeneuve passed Hill on the very last lap to snatch the victory, while the deflated Englishman crawled home second, ahead of Johnny Herbert’s Sauber. Michael Schumacher finished fourth, Ralf Schumacher fifth and Shinji Nakano sixth.
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