1997 Austrian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jacques Villeneuve won on Formula 1’s return to Austria, narrowing Michael Schumacher‘s championship lead to a single point. Jarno Trulli produced a memorable spell in front before mechanical failure ended his challenge at the rebuilt A1-Ring.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams
Pole time	1:10.304
Fastest lap	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:11.814 on lap 36
First	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams
Second	David Coulthard	McLaren
Third	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
18 September 1997	Familiarisation testing	Two hours; start time unconfirmed
19 September 1997	Practice 1	11:00
19 September 1997	Practice 2	13:00
20 September 1997	Practice 3	09:00
20 September 1997	Practice 4	10:15
20 September 1997	Qualifying	13:00
21 September 1997	Warm-up	09:30
21 September 1997	Race	14:00

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

Championship background

Michael Schumacher arrived at round 14 leading the 1997 F1 World Championship on 67 points, with Jacques Villeneuve on 57. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 85 points.

Race entries

The race line-ups were unchanged, with Jarno Trulli making his final appearance as Olivier Panis‘s substitute that season. Gerhard Berger returned to race in Austria for the first time since 1987. The substantially rebuilt circuit also warranted additional familiarisation running on Thursday.

Thursday familiarisation

The extra Thursday running allowed drivers to learn the new layout and teams to establish initial settings. Grip was scarce, but times improved as rubber went down. Damon Hill headed a Bridgestone-dominated top three, ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen. Drivers generally welcomed the safety improvements while finding the opening slow corners less rewarding than the later section.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Time
1	Damon Hill	Arrows	1:12.553
2	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:12.589
3	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	1:12.823
4	Jean Alesi	Benetton	1:12.956
5	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:13.025
6	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:13.034
7	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:13.095
8	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:13.108
9	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:13.251
10	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:13.261
11	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:13.368
12	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:13.524
13	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:13.632
14	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:13.762
15	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:13.827
16	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:14.060
17	Shinji Nakano	Prost	1:14.176
18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	1:14.266
19	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	1:14.590
20	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	1:14.591
21	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:14.887
22	Tarso Marques	Minardi	1:16.502

Free Practice

Friday continued the work begun in Thursday’s familiarisation sessions. The new surface remained slippery and spins were frequent, so teams had to distinguish genuine setup gains from changes in track grip. Ferrari improved its handling but still struggled to find a consistent balance through the lap.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen ended the day ahead of Jacques Villeneuve, with Rubens Barrichello closest to Williams. Sauber compared both tyre choices but found the changing temperature made conclusions difficult. Gianni Morbidelli lost a set in a spin, while Benetton gathered information before committing to its qualifying setup.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1997 Austrian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 19 September 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:11.527	30
2	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.111s	26
3	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.271s	29
4	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+0.372s	30
5	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.375s	15
6	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.440s	30
7	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.738s	30
8	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+0.756s	29
9	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+0.992s	30
10	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.021s	29
11	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+1.087s	24
12	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+1.224s	30
13	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+1.293s	29
14	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.408s	30
15	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	+1.439s	24
16	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.514s	26
17	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+1.753s	29
18	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+1.759s	17
19	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+1.821s	30
20	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.552s	30
21	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+2.661s	30
22	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+3.212s	25

Overnight rain left Saturday’s dry surface cold and short of grip. The Bridgestone runners again looked competitive, with the softer tyre responding well to the conditions. Teams had to judge how much that advantage would change when the circuit warmed for qualifying.

Pedro Diniz finished the morning fastest, with Jarno Trulli and Jan Magnussen also prominent. The unusual order made tyre preparation central to the afternoon: several laps were needed to bring the rubber into its best operating range. Goodyear’s leading teams faced a much closer contest than Friday had suggested.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1997 Austrian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 20 September 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:10.782	30
2	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+0.003s	27
3	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.016s	29
4	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+0.033s	30
5	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.042s	30
6	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.090s	29
7	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.236s	26
8	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.518s	19
9	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+0.564s	30
10	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.605s	27
11	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+0.689s	30
12	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+0.731s	28
13	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+0.916s	30
14	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.970s	21
15	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.145s	30
16	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.151s	26
17	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.327s	30
18	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+1.503s	30
19	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	+1.779s	30
20	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+2.256s	30
21	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+2.405s	29
22	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.792s	30

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

Qualifying

Jacques Villeneuve edged Häkkinen for pole with a 1:10.304. Jarno Trulli took an outstanding third in Prost‘s spare after an engine failure, while Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen filled the third row. The twelve-lap allowance encouraged longer runs as tyres took time to reach their best.

Eddie Irvine qualified ahead of Schumacher for the first time that season, the Ferraris eighth and ninth. Benetton struggled badly for grip. Tarso Marques was excluded after his car was found underweight, leaving twenty-one starters for Sunday.

Qualifying Classification

1997 Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying, 20 September 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:10.304	12
2	9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:10.398	12
3	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:10.511	12
4	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:10.670	11
5	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:10.700	12
6	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	1:10.893	12
7	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	1:11.025	10
8	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:11.051	11
9	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:11.056	11
10	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:11.076	12
11	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:11.186	12
12	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:11.210	10
13	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	1:11.261	12
14	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:11.299	12
15	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	1:11.382	11
16	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	1:11.596	11
17	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:11.615	7
18	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:11.620	11
19	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	1:12.036	12
20	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	1:12.230	12
EX	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	1:12.304	12
21	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:14.246	6

Sunday warm-up

Häkkinen was fastest, followed by Jarno Trulli and Schumacher. Williams ran with substantial fuel loads and appeared much farther down the order. With cooler race conditions expected, the strong Bridgestone showing remained a genuine concern for the championship contenders.

Warm-up Classification

1997 Austrian Grand Prix Warm-up, 21 September 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:12.803	18
2	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+0.065s	17
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.370s	18
4	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+0.421s	19
5	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.424s	16
6	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+0.706s	15
7	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.707s	21
8	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	+0.800s	17
9	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.818s	18
10	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+0.822s	8
11	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+0.889s	19
12	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.892s	16
13	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.952s	15
14	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+1.126s	16
15	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.473s	14
16	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+1.663s	16
17	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+1.963s	16
18	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+2.463s	12
19	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.537s	15
20	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+3.091s	10
21	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+4.632s	12

What happened in the 1997 Austrian Grand Prix?

Häkkinen led initially but retired with engine failure before completing the first lap. Jarno Trulli took over, with Rubens Barrichello ahead of Jacques Villeneuve. Once Jacques Villeneuve passed the Stewart, he closed on the leader and used the pit-stop sequence to move in front.

Jarno Trulli remained a contender until his Mugen-Honda engine failed. Schumacher lost a possible podium to a stop-go penalty for passing Heinz-Harald Frentzen under yellow flags. A dramatic collision between Jean Alesi and Eddie Irvine also ended both their races.

Jacques Villeneuve won ahead of David Coulthard and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, with the two Jordans next. Schumacher passed Damon Hill late on to salvage sixth, preserving a one-point championship lead. Williams moved ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 68 points, followed by Jacques Villeneuve on 67. Williams led the constructors’ table on 98, with Ferrari on 86.

1997 Austrian Grand Prix race results

The 1997 Austrian Grand Prix was held on 21 September 1997, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	71	1:27:35.999	10
2	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	71	+2.909	6
3	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	71	+3.962	4
4	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	71	+12.127	3
5	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	71	+31.859	2
6	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	71	+33.410	1
7	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	71	+37.207	0
8	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	71	+49.057	0
9	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	71	+1:06.455	0
10	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	70	+1 lap	0
11	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	69	+2 laps	0
12	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	69	+2 laps	0
13	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	67	Suspension	0
14	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	64	Spun off	0
Ret	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	58	Engine	0
Ret	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	58	Engine	0
Ret	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	57	Engine	0
Ret	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	48	Gearbox	0
Ret	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	38	Collision damage	0
Ret	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	37	Collision	0
Ret	9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1	Engine	0
EX	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi		Excluded	0

1997 Austrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	36	1:11.814
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	71	1:12.169
3	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	65	1:12.207
4	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	55	1:12.223
5	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	64	1:12.375
6	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	55	1:12.535
7	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	34	1:12.574
8	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	30	1:12.598
9	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	38	1:12.605
10	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	66	1:12.624
11	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	35	1:12.704
12	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	71	1:12.826
13	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	65	1:12.862
14	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	53	1:12.903
15	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	29	1:12.953
16	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	57	1:13.010
17	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	63	1:13.074
18	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	69	1:13.708
19	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	34	1:13.862
20	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	63	1:14.394
21	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1	1:31.574

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 Austrian Grand Prix.

1997 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	68
2	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	67
3	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	31
4	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	30
5	Jean Alesi	French	Benetton	28
6	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Benetton	21
7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Jordan	20
8	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	18
9	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	15
10	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	14
11	Johnny Herbert	British	Sauber	14
12	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	13
13	Damon Hill	British	Arrows	7
14	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Stewart	6
15	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	4
16	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Minardi / Prost	3
17	Mika Salo	Finnish	Tyrrell	2
18	Shinji Nakano	Japanese	Prost	2
19	Nicola Larini	Italian	Sauber	1
20	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Arrows	0
21	Jan Magnussen	Danish	Stewart	0
22	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Tyrrell	0
23	Gianni Morbidelli	Italian	Sauber	0
24	Norberto Fontana	Argentine	Sauber	0
25	Ukyo Katayama	Japanese	Minardi	0
26	Tarso Marques	Brazilian	Minardi	0

1997 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	98
2	Ferrari	86
3	Benetton	53
4	McLaren	44
5	Jordan	33
6	Prost	20
7	Sauber	15
8	Arrows	7
9	Stewart	6
10	Tyrrell	2
–	Minardi	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