1997 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher delivered a commanding wet-weather victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello secured Stewart‘s first podium, with Eddie Irvine completing a memorable afternoon for Ferrari in third.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams
Pole time	1:18.216
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:53.315 on lap 26
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart
Third	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
8 May 1997	Practice 1	11:00
8 May 1997	Practice 2	13:00
10 May 1997	Practice 3	09:00
10 May 1997	Practice 4	10:15
10 May 1997	Qualifying	13:00
11 May 1997	Warm-up	10:00
11 May 1997	Race	14:30

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

Championship background

Jacques Villeneuve arrived at round 5 leading the 1997 F1 World Championship on 20 points, with Michael Schumacher on 14. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 30 points.

Race entries

The twenty-two-driver field was unchanged. Nicola Larini made what proved to be his final Formula 1 appearance for Sauber, while the teams brought their highest-downforce packages to the tight streets of the Circuit de Monaco.

Free Practice

Heinz-Harald Frentzen set the early pace on Thursday, although a timing-system problem delayed the publication of results. Jos Verstappen experimented with a flatter wing setting as Tyrrell sought the right compromise between grip and speed. With little running in the opening twenty minutes, much of the useful work came later in the hour.

Johnny Herbert put Sauber on top with a late improvement. Earlier, Ukyo Katayama‘s stranded Minardi in the tunnel had brought a red flag. Jacques Villeneuve suffered a radiator leak, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen hit the barrier at the final corner near the end. Tyrrell moved towards more downforce as Jos Verstappen worked to reduce understeer.

Thursday Practice Classification — Combined

1997 Monaco Grand Prix opening-day practice, 8 May 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:21.188	30
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.142s	29
3	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.257s	29
4	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+0.275s	29
5	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+0.385s	29
6	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.487s	30
7	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.697s	28
8	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+0.751s	28
9	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+0.774s	30
10	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+0.822s	22
11	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.832s	30
12	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+0.884s	30
13	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.182s	26
14	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	+1.195s	28
15	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+1.434s	27
16	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+1.868s	30
17	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	+1.908s	27
18	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.295s	29
19	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+2.622s	27
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	+3.990s	29
21	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+4.342s	30
22	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+18.165s	6

Saturday brought warmer conditions and a fresh layer of dust, changing the grip available after Thursday’s running. Williams again looked strong, but Giancarlo Fisichella kept Jordan in the fight. Several drivers brushed the barriers during the morning, a reminder that finding the limit here carried a particularly high price.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished practice fastest, ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella. Johnny Herbert backed into the barrier early in the second session, and Gerhard Berger crashed near the swimming pool towards the end. Jos Verstappen lost most of his running to a pneumatic gearshift problem, leaving him poorly prepared for qualifying.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

1997 Monaco Grand Prix Saturday practice, 10 May 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:18.370	29
2	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+0.190s	26
3	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.242s	29
4	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.378s	27
5	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+0.580s	30
6	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.822s	23
7	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.895s	27
8	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.010s	27
9	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.193s	28
10	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.418s	24
11	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+1.577s	26
12	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+1.917s	28
13	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.968s	24
14	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	+2.089s	29
15	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+2.146s	30
16	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+2.394s	23
17	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+2.606s	18
18	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+2.754s	15
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	+3.479s	29
20	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+3.553s	28
21	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	+3.638s	13
22	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+3.706s	30

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

Qualifying

Heinz-Harald Frentzen snatched his first Formula 1 pole with a 1:18.216, just 0.019 seconds quicker than Schumacher. Jacques Villeneuve took third after damaging his chances with contact at Anthony Noghès. Giancarlo Fisichella qualified fourth, confirming Jordan‘s strong practice form.

Häkkinen and Jos Verstappen both crashed near the swimming pool, with Jos Verstappen forced into Tyrrell‘s spare. Eddie Irvine struggled to fifteenth despite adopting Schumacher’s settings. On such a narrow circuit, those setbacks appeared likely to shape the race, although the weather would soon transform the contest.

Qualifying Classification

1997 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying, 10 May 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	1:18.216	12
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:18.235	11
3	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	1:18.583	11
4	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:18.665	12
5	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:18.779	12
6	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	1:18.943	11
7	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	1:19.105	12
8	9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:19.119	12
9	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	1:19.263	9
10	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	1:19.295	12
11	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	1:19.468	12
12	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	1:19.626	12
13	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	1:19.674	12
14	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	1:19.694	12
15	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	1:19.723	12
16	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	1:19.860	12
17	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:20.199	11
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	1:20.349	12
19	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	1:20.516	11
20	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	1:20.606	12
21	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	1:20.961	12
22	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	1:21.290	11

Sunday warm-up

Häkkinen found a more convincing balance and set the fastest warm-up time, ahead of Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis. Johnny Herbert‘s stranded Sauber caused an interruption. The session was dry, but gathering clouds left a major decision ahead: the conditions used to prepare the cars would not be those encountered at the start.

Warm-up Classification

1997 Monaco Grand Prix Warm-up, 11 May 1997

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:21.480	16
2	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	+0.177s	16
3	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	+0.203s	15
4	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	+0.314s	14
5	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.363s	15
6	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.661s	17
7	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	+0.753s	15
8	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.075s	16
9	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.494s	14
10	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	+1.502s	14
11	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+1.842s	12
12	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	+1.854s	13
13	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	+1.869s	15
14	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	+1.900s	13
15	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	+1.962s	13
16	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	+1.973s	15
17	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	+2.081s	15
18	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	+2.296s	17
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	+2.395s	18
20	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	+2.478s	12
21	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	+2.555s	11
22	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	+3.176s	17

What happened in the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix?

Rain arrived before the start, but Williams gambled on dry tyres. Schumacher chose intermediates and surged into a commanding lead, while Rubens Barrichello made excellent use of his Bridgestones to climb to second. Both Williams drivers eventually crashed out.

Schumacher survived a trip down the escape road at Sainte Dévote and still won by more than fifty seconds. The two-hour limit ended the race after 62 of the scheduled 78 laps. Rubens Barrichello‘s second place was a breakthrough for Stewart, while Eddie Irvine recovered to third ahead of Olivier Panis.

Mika Salo completed the entire race without a pit stop and finished fifth despite a damaged front wing, earning Tyrrell‘s final championship points. Giancarlo Fisichella took sixth. Schumacher left Monaco with the championship lead after Ferrari‘s first victory here since 1981.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 24 points, followed by Jacques Villeneuve on 20. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 38, with Williams on 30.

1997 Monaco Grand Prix race results

The 1997 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 11 May 1997, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	62	2:00:05.654	10
2	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	62	+ 53.306	6
3	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	62	+ 1:22.108	4
4	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	62	+ 1:44.402	3
5	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	61	+ 1 lap	2
6	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	61	+ 1 lap	1
7	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	61	+ 1 lap	0
8	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	60	+ 2 laps	0
9	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	60	+ 2 laps	0
10	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	60	+ 2 laps	0
Ret	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	39	Accident	0
Ret	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	36	Accident	0
Ret	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	24	Accident	0
Ret	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	16	Spun off	0
Ret	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	16	Accident damage	0
Ret	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	10	Accident	0
Ret	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	9	Accident	0
Ret	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	7	Accident	0
Ret	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	1	Accident	0
Ret	9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1	Collision	0
Ret	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	1	Collision	0
Ret	2	Pedro Diniz	Arrows	0	Spun off	0

1997 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	26	1:53.315
2	11	Ralf Schumacher	Jordan	10	1:53.430
3	22	Rubens Barrichello	Stewart	10	1:53.495
4	4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams	22	1:53.504
5	6	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	48	1:54.202
6	12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	9	1:54.806
7	19	Mika Salo	Tyrrell	22	1:54.968
8	18	Jos Verstappen	Tyrrell	23	1:55.045
9	3	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	14	1:55.218
10	23	Jan Magnussen	Stewart	27	1:55.303
11	14	Olivier Panis	Prost	18	1:55.309
12	7	Jean Alesi	Benetton	9	1:55.451
13	16	Johnny Herbert	Sauber	8	1:55.840
14	8	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	8	1:55.841
15	20	Ukyo Katayama	Minardi	24	1:56.101
16	15	Shinji Nakano	Prost	19	1:56.906
17	17	Nicola Larini	Sauber	19	1:56.940
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Minardi	7	2:00.038
19	10	David Coulthard	McLaren	1	2:11.201
20	9	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1	2:15.786
21	1	Damon Hill	Arrows	1	2:17.648

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 Monaco Grand Prix.

1997 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

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

1997 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	38
2	Williams	30
3	McLaren	20
4	Benetton	13
5	Prost	9
6	Jordan	8
7	Stewart	6
8	Sauber	4
9	Tyrrell	2
–	Minardi	0
–	Arrows	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