1997 Argentine Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jacques Villeneuve held off Eddie Irvine to win the Argentine Grand Prix at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. Ralf Schumacher took his first podium in only his third Formula 1 race, although contact with Jordan team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella took some of the shine off the result.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams
Pole time	1:24.473
Fastest lap	Gerhard Berger	Benetton
Fastest-lap time	1:27.981 on lap 63
First	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams
Second	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari
Third	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
11 April 1997	Practice 1	11:00
11 April 1997	Practice 2	13:00
12 April 1997	Practice 3	09:00
12 April 1997	Practice 4	10:15
12 April 1997	Qualifying	13:00
13 April 1997	Warm-up	08:30
13 April 1997	Race	13:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

David Coulthard arrived at round 3 leading the 1997 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Jacques Villeneuve on 10. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 17 points.

Race entries

The same eleven teams and twenty-two drivers returned to action. Tyrrell attracted attention with additional wings mounted beside the cockpit, an unusual solution to the demand for downforce. Jordan also introduced a revised rear wing as it prepared for the circuit’s succession of corners.

Free Practice

Ferrari headed the opening session, but the dusty circuit caught several drivers out. Spins by Pedro Diniz and Jarno Trulli brought two interruptions. With little grip available, the first priority was to establish a workable balance rather than read too much into the initial times.

Jacques Villeneuve moved decisively ahead in the afternoon despite feeling unwell. Rubens Barrichello and Olivier Panis gave Bridgestone an encouraging showing behind him. Jacques Villeneuve was pleased with his fresh-tyre pace but still wanted to improve the car over longer runs, recognising that a quick lap alone would not settle Sunday’s contest.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1997 Argentine Grand Prix opening-day practice, 11 April 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:25.755	29
2	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.938s	24
3	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.228s	23
4	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.262s	30
5	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.297s	30
6	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.374s	29
7	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.414s	30
8	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+1.947s	24
9	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+2.068s	30
10	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+2.224s	22
11	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+2.382s	28
12	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+2.408s	27
13	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+3.177s	26
14	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	+3.398s	29
15	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+3.547s	29
16	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+3.671s	27
17	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+4.138s	20
18	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+4.314s	30
19	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+4.621s	30
20	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+4.791s	10
21	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+4.972s	22
22	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	+5.514s	14

Saturday’s running was costly for Damon Hill, whose radiator problem left him short of preparation and forced Arrows to make qualifying decisions without a settled setup. Eddie Irvine also worked to reduce instability at the rear of his Ferrari, although some mid-corner understeer remained.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished the morning fastest, while Tyrrell showed better form than it had on Friday. Jos Verstappen‘s eleventh-fastest time offered encouragement after the aerodynamic changes, although the warmer afternoon would cost him grip. The useful morning setup therefore proved difficult to reproduce when qualifying began.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1997 Argentine Grand Prix Saturday practice, 12 April 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:24.874	27
2	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.830s	30
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.485s	30
4	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.581s	29
5	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+1.620s	28
6	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.829s	25
7	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.898s	30
8	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.915s	29
9	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+1.961s	22
10	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.355s	23
11	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+2.549s	27
12	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+2.594s	25
13	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+2.622s	30
14	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.894s	28
15	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+3.011s	27
16	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+3.212s	25
17	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+3.726s	29
18	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+3.780s	21
19	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+3.836s	10
20	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.979s	16
21	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	+4.244s	11
22	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	+4.266s	29

Each practice table combines that day’s two sessions, showing each driver’s best time and total laps.

Qualifying

Jacques Villeneuve claimed his third pole of the season with a 1:24.473, ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Olivier Panis secured third and Rubens Barrichello fifth, either side of Michael Schumacher. Their performances underlined the promise of the Bridgestone runners on this circuit.

Stewart‘s drivers had to share the spare after mechanical problems, making Rubens Barrichello‘s result particularly welcome. Häkkinen spun and switched to McLaren‘s spare, qualifying seventeenth. All twenty-two drivers were within the 107 per cent limit.

Qualifying Classification

1997 Argentine Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 April 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:24.473	12
2	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:25.271	12
3	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:25.491	11
4	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:25.773	10
5	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:25.942	12
6	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:26.218	11
7	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:26.327	11
8	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:26.564	12
9	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:26.619	11
10	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:26.799	11
11	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	1:27.076	12
12	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:27.259	10
13	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	1:27.281	12
14	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	1:27.690	11
15	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	1:28.035	12
16	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	1:28.094	11
17	9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:28.135	9
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	1:28.160	12
19	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:28.224	11
20	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	1:28.366	12
21	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	1:28.413	12
22	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:28.969	12

Sunday warm-up

Jacques Villeneuve again led warm-up despite his illness. Jos Verstappen used one set of tyres with a substantial fuel load, concentrating on race preparation, but damaged a wing in a misunderstanding with Gerhard Berger. Mika Salo also encountered trouble, leaving Tyrrell with work to complete before the start.

Warm-up Classification

1997 Argentine Grand Prix Warm-up, 13 April 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:27.425	11
2	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.013s	9
3	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.180s	14
4	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+0.323s	15
5	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	+0.399s	18
6	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+0.516s	14
7	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.532s	13
8	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	+0.627s	11
9	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.827s	16
10	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.026s	14
11	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+1.034s	16
12	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.039s	14
13	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.176s	10
14	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+1.312s	14
15	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	+1.417s	15
16	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.658s	11
17	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+1.844s	15
18	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+1.916s	15
19	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+2.065s	14
20	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+2.083s	11
21	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+2.495s	14
22	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.620s	12

What happened in the 1997 Argentine Grand Prix?

Jacques Villeneuve led away as first-corner contact damaged Rubens Barrichello‘s Stewart and eliminated Michael Schumacher. David Coulthard also retired after contact with Ralf Schumacher, and the safety car was deployed. Once racing resumed, Jacques Villeneuve pulled clear, while throttle problems ended the challenges of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Olivier Panis.

The Jordans collided, putting Giancarlo Fisichella out and leaving Ralf Schumacher to continue. Damon Hill and Pedro Diniz both ran competitively before engine problems ended their races. Eddie Irvine gradually closed on Jacques Villeneuve, setting up a tense finish.

Jacques Villeneuve held on by less than a second. Eddie Irvine secured his best finish to that point, with Ralf Schumacher third. Johnny Herbert, Häkkinen and Gerhard Berger completed the points as Jacques Villeneuve established himself at the head of the championship.

After the race, Jacques Villeneuve headed the drivers’ standings with 20 points, followed by David Coulthard on 10. Williams led the constructors’ table on 20, with McLaren on 19.

1997 Argentine Grand Prix race results

The 1997 Argentine Grand Prix was held on 13 April 1997, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	72	1:52:01.715	10
2	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	72	+0.979	6
3	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	72	+12.089	4
4	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	72	+29.919	3
5	9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	72	+30.351	2
6	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	72	+31.393	1
7	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	72	+46.359	0
8	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	71	+1 lap	0
9	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	71	+1 lap	0
10	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	66	Engine	0
Ret	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	63	Spun off	0
Ret	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	50	Engine	0
Ret	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	49	Engine	0
Ret	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	43	Engine	0
Ret	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	37	Spun off	0
Ret	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	33	Engine	0
Ret	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	24	Collision	0
Ret	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	24	Hydraulics	0
Ret	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	18	Electrical	0
Ret	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	5	Clutch	0
Ret	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	0	Collision	0
Ret	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	0	Collision	0

1997 Argentine Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	63	1:27.981
2	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	54	1:28.028
3	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	56	1:28.382
4	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	46	1:28.410
5	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	63	1:28.473
6	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	33	1:28.827
7	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	58	1:29.076
8	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	8	1:29.090
9	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	62	1:29.296
10	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	43	1:29.541
11	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	48	1:29.834
12	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	40	1:29.865
13	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	23	1:29.913
14	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	62	1:29.931
15	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	19	1:30.278
16	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	53	1:30.593
17	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	23	1:30.649
18	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	42	1:31.111
19	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	5	1:31.832
20	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	29	1:31.869

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1997 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1997 Argentine Grand Prix.

1997 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	20
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	10
3	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Benetton	10
4	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	9
5	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	8
6	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	6
7	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	6
8	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	4
9	Johnny Herbert	British	Sauber	3
10	Jean Alesi	French	Benetton	1
11	Nicola Larini	Italian	Sauber	1
12	Shinji Nakano	Japanese	Prost	0
13	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	0
14	Mika Salo	Finnish	Tyrrell	0
15	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Jordan	0
16	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Minardi	0
17	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Arrows	0
18	Jan Magnussen	Danish	Stewart	0
19	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Tyrrell	0
20	Damon Hill	British	Arrows	0
21	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Minardi	0
22	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	0

1997 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	20
2	McLaren	19
3	Ferrari	14
4	Benetton	11
5	Prost	6
6	Jordan	4
7	Sauber	4
–	Tyrrell	0
–	Minardi	0
–	Arrows	0
–	Stewart	0

1997 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1997 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	9 March
2	1997 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	30 March
3	1997 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	13 April
4	1997 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	27 April
5	1997 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	11 May
6	1997 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	25 May
7	1997 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	15 June
8	1997 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	29 June
9	1997 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	13 July
10	1997 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	27 July
11	1997 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	10 August
12	1997 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	24 August
13	1997 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	7 September
14	1997 Austrian Grand Prix	A1-Ring, Spielberg	21 September
15	1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	28 September
16	1997 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	12 October
17	1997 European Grand Prix	Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera	26 October