1997 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher mastered changing conditions to win the Belgian Grand Prix after Formula 1’s first start behind the safety car. Giancarlo Fisichella finished second, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen promoted to third following Mika Häkkinen’s exclusion.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams
Pole time	1:49.450
Fastest lap	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:52.692 on lap 43
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan
Third	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
22 August 1997	Practice 1	11:00
22 August 1997	Practice 2	13:00
23 August 1997	Practice 3	09:00
23 August 1997	Practice 4	10:15
23 August 1997	Qualifying	13:00
24 August 1997	Warm-up	09:30
24 August 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 12 leading the 1997 F1 World Championship on 56 points, with Jacques Villeneuve on 53. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 74 points.

Race entries

The race line-ups were unchanged. Olivier Panis visited Prost as his recovery continued, with Jarno Trulli still deputising. McLaren confirmed Häkkinen and David Coulthard for the following season, while several teams brought revised components for Spa’s demanding mix of fast corners and long straights.

Free Practice

Rain replaced Thursday’s sunshine, leaving drivers to deal with streams of water across the circuit. Running was limited and several cars went off. Tyrrell concentrated on a safe balance rather than chasing times, while Minardi worked to cure understeer on Tarso Marques‘s car.

Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi finished the day ahead, but changing rainfall meant tyre choices and timing influenced the gaps. Mika Salo tried intermediates and found the surface still too wet. Tarso Marques‘s improving session ended against the barrier, while Gerhard Berger decided the worsening rain made further attacks unnecessary.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

1997 Belgian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 22 August 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	2:06.802	14
2	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+0.569s	8
3	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.436s	21
4	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+1.570s	23
5	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+2.470s	21
6	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+2.486s	15
7	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.970s	18
8	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+2.970s	24
9	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+3.351s	16
10	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+3.429s	20
11	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+3.470s	24
12	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+3.611s	14
13	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+4.112s	18
14	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+4.191s	17
15	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+4.291s	16
16	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	+4.460s	18
17	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+4.904s	25
18	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+4.976s	17
19	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+5.743s	22
20	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+5.948s	14
21	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+6.454s	15
22	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+7.246s	14

Saturday began damp again, restricting dry-weather preparation. Teams had little opportunity to complete the longer runs needed to compare tyre wear. The pressure increased as the surface improved: qualifying would demand a dry setup that many drivers had scarcely tested.

The final session supplied the crucial dry running, but interruptions reduced it further. Häkkinen suffered a rear-suspension failure and crashed at Les Combes; McLaren replaced the composite components with metal alternatives. Jacques Villeneuve finished fastest, while Jarno Trulli also lost valuable time after going off.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1997 Belgian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 23 August 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:50.407	25
2	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+0.540s	21
3	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.772s	23
4	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.218s	24
5	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.650s	21
6	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+1.995s	20
7	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+2.155s	17
8	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+2.197s	20
9	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+2.275s	26
10	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+2.281s	19
11	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.522s	27
12	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+3.570s	20
13	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+3.743s	16
14	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+3.892s	21
15	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	+3.903s	16
16	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+4.114s	16
17	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+4.201s	19
18	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+4.392s	24
19	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+5.488s	15
20	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+5.953s	12
21	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+16.022s	7
22	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+17.379s	13

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

Qualifying

Jacques Villeneuve claimed pole with a 1:49.450, ahead of Jean Alesi and Schumacher. The limited dry practice rewarded teams whose initial settings already suited the circuit. Crashes forced Gerhard Berger and Heinz-Harald Frentzen into their spare cars, leaving them farther down the grid.

Häkkinen qualified fifth but was excluded over a fuel sample, then allowed to start while McLaren appealed. Pedro Diniz took eighth ahead of Damon Hill, giving Arrows another encouraging result. The fuel dispute would ultimately remove Häkkinen from the race result as well.

Qualifying Classification

1997 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying, 23 August 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:49.450	11
2	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	1:49.759	11
3	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:50.293	11
4	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:50.470	12
5	9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:50.503	11
6*	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:50.520	10
7	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:50.656	11
8	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:50.853	12
9	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	1:50.970	12
10	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:51.410	9
11	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:51.725	11
12	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:51.916	12
13	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	1:52.094	7
14*	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	1:52.274	12
15	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:52.391	11
16	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	1:52.749	11
17	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:52.793	11
18	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	1:52.886	11
19	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:52.897	11
20	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	1:53.544	10
21	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	1:53.725	7
22	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	1:54.505	12

Sunday warm-up

Dry conditions allowed a more conventional final check, with Jacques Villeneuve fastest and Johnny Herbert again showing strong race pace. Schumacher tested both Ferraris, while McLaren‘s preparations included further excursions. The later downpour would render much of this dry-weather work less relevant at the start.

Warm-up Classification

1997 Belgian Grand Prix Warm-up, 24 August 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:52.415	11
2	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.204s	12
3	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+0.213s	13
4	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+0.422s	12
5	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+0.950s	9
6	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.116s	12
7	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+1.142s	11
8	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	+1.345s	15
9	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+1.362s	10
10	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.431s	10
11	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.584s	13
12	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.867s	10
13	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	+2.033s	13
14	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+2.155s	10
15	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+2.178s	14
16	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+2.453s	10
17	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+2.480s	7
18	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+2.787s	9
19	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+3.173s	10
20	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+3.280s	7
21	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+3.578s	11
22	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+3.647s	13

What happened in the 1997 Belgian Grand Prix?

Heavy rain before the start prompted officials to send the field away behind the safety car. When racing began, Schumacher’s intermediate tyres were ideally suited to the improving conditions. He passed Jean Alesi and Jacques Villeneuve, then rapidly built a huge lead.

Jacques Villeneuve lost time through successive tyre changes as the track dried. Schumacher switched to slicks with enough margin to control the remainder of the race. Giancarlo Fisichella finished second, while Häkkinen crossed the line third before his exclusion was confirmed.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen therefore took third, ahead of Johnny Herbert, Jacques Villeneuve and Gerhard Berger. Schumacher extended his championship lead to eleven points. Pedro Diniz‘s strong early progress went unrewarded after a slow stop, leaving him just outside the points.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 66 points, followed by Jacques Villeneuve on 55. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 84, with Williams on 78.

1997 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 1997 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 24 August 1997, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	44	1:33:46.717	10
2	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	44	+26.753	6
3	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	44	+32.147	4
4	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	44	+39.025	3
5	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	44	+42.103	2
6	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	44	+1:03.741	1
7	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	44	+1:25.931	0
8	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	44	+1:42.008	0
9	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	44	+1:42.582	0
10	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	43	Collision	0
11	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	43	+1 lap	0
12	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	43	+1 lap	0
13	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	42	Wheel nut	0
14	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	42	Engine	0
15	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	42	+2 laps	0
Ret	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	25	Spun off	0
Ret	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	21	Spun off	0
Ret	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	19	Spun off	0
Ret	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	18	Spun off	0
Ret	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	8	Steering	0
Ret	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	5	Electrical	0
DSQ	9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	44	Fuel irregularity (+30.856)	0

1997 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	43	1:52.692
2	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	44	1:53.615
3	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	43	1:53.649
4	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	42	1:53.652
5	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	43	1:53.874
6	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	41	1:54.074
7	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	43	1:54.175
8	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	39	1:54.688
9	17	Gianni Morbidelli	Sauber	39	1:54.818
10	14	Jarno Trulli	Prost	37	1:55.152
11	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	29	1:55.290
12	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	41	1:55.340
13	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	30	1:55.348
14	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	41	1:55.413
15	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	41	1:55.726
16	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	43	1:56.919
17	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	16	1:57.784
18	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	16	1:59.169
19	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	16	1:59.409
20	21	Tarso Marques	Minardi	16	2:02.753
21	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	5	2:16.804
22	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	5	2:19.161

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 Belgian Grand Prix.

1997 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	66
2	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Williams	55
3	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Williams	23
4	Jean Alesi	French	Benetton	22
5	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Benetton	21
6	Eddie Irvine	British	Ferrari	18
7	Olivier Panis	French	Prost	15
8	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	14
9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Jordan	14
10	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	14
11	Johnny Herbert	British	Sauber	14
12	Ralf Schumacher	German	Jordan	11
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	Norberto Fontana	Argentine	Sauber	0
24	Gianni Morbidelli	Italian	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	Ferrari	84
2	Williams	78
3	Benetton	47
4	McLaren	28
5	Jordan	25
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