On this day in 1997, Heinz Harald Frentzen won his first race in Formula 1 after beating his former sportscar team mate Michael Schumacher in Ferrari.
In the first three races in Australia, Brazil and Argentina, Williams had twice locked out the front row with Jacques Villeneuve on pole three times. On two races (Brazil and Argentina) he managed to turn them into victories while in Australia celebrated David Coulthard in McLaren Mercedes.
In the fourth race of the season in Imola, Williams once again swept the front row and Villeneuve won another pole position, fourth time in first four races.
Villeneuve retained the lead but Schumacher passed Frentzen. From the top three, Schumacher started with the least fuel and entered the pits in lap 24, Villeneuve in lap 26 and Frentzen in lap 27.
After the first pitstops Jacques Villeneuve fell to third place while Heinz Harald took the lead in front of Michael Schumacher. By the end of the race, Villeneuve retired due to gearbox failure after his Williams stuck in third gear. Frentzen avoids the problems that hit him in the first three races and secures his first career win.
By the end of his career, Frentzen celebrated two more victories in Jordan in 1999 when due to numerous Hakkinen’s mistakes, McLaren’s unreliability and Schumacher breaking leg in Silverstone, as he suddenly found himself in the fight for the title.
Frentzen won the 1999 French GP in the rain and in Italy in the same year after Hakkinen spun off from the leading position and crashed, just like in Imola.
STARTING GRID
| 1 | 3 | J.Villeneuve | Williams/Renault | 1:23.303 | – |
| 2 | 4 | H-H.Frentzen | Williams/Renault | 1:23.646 | 0.343 |
| 3 | 5 | M.Schumacher | Ferrari | 1:23.955 | 0.652 |
| 4 | 14 | Olivier Panis | Prost/Mugen-Honda | 1:24.075 | 0.772 |
| 5 | 11 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan/Peugeot | 1:24.081 | 0.778 |
| 6 | 12 | G.Fisichella | Jordan/Peugeot | 1:24.596 | 1.293 |
| 7 | 16 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber/Petronas | 1:24.723 | 1.420 |
| 8 | 9 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren/Mercedes | 1:24.812 | 1.509 |
| 9 | 6 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 1:24.861 | 1.558 |
| 10 | 10 | David Coulthard | McLaren/Mercedes | 1:25.077 | 1.774 |
| 11 | 8 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton/Renault | 1:25.371 | 2.068 |
| 12 | 17 | Nicola Larini | Sauber/Petronas | 1:25.544 | 2.241 |
| 13 | 22 | R.Barrichello | Stewart/Ford | 1:25.579 | 2.276 |
| 14 | 7 | Jean Alesi | Benetton/Renault | 1:25.729 | 2.426 |
| 15 | 1 | Damon Hill | Arrows/Yamaha | 1:25.743 | 2.440 |
| 16 | 23 | Jan Magnussen | Stewart/Ford | 1:26.192 | 2.889 |
| 17 | 2 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows/Yamaha | 1:26.253 | 2.950 |
| 18 | 15 | Shinji Nakano | Prost/Mugen-Honda | 1:26.712 | 3.409 |
| 19 | 19 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell/Ford | 1:26.852 | 3.549 |
| 20 | 21 | Jarno Trulli | Minardi/Hart | 1:26.960 | 3.657 |
| 21 | 18 | Jos Verstappen | Tyrrell/Ford | 1:27.428 | 4.125 |
| 22 | 20 | Ukyo Katayama | Minardi/Hart | 1:28.727 | 5.424 |
RACE RESULTS
| 1 | 4 | H-H.Frentzen | Williams/Renault | 62 | 1:31:00.673 | |
| 2 | 5 | M.Schumacher | Ferrari | 62 | 1:31:01.910 | 1.237 |
| 3 | 6 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 62 | 1:32:19.016 | 1:18.343 |
| 4 | 12 | G.Fisichella | Jordan/Peugeot | 62 | 1:32:24.061 | 1:23.388 |
| 5 | 7 | Jean Alesi | Benetton/Renault | 61 | 1:31:18.063 | 1 Lap |
| 6 | 9 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren/Mercedes | 61 | 1:31:18.536 | 1 Lap |
| 7 | 17 | Nicola Larini | Sauber/Petronas | 61 | 1:31:39.396 | 1 Lap |
| 8 | 14 | Olivier Panis | Prost/Mugen-Honda | 61 | 1:31:56.734 | 1 Lap |
| 9 | 19 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell/Ford | 60 | 1:31:05.134 | 2 Laps |
| 10 | 18 | Jos Verstappen | Tyrrell/Ford | 60 | 1:31:11.741 | 2 Laps |
| 11 | 20 | Ukyo Katayama | Minardi/Hart | 59 | 1:31:53.912 | 3 Laps |
| (11) | 2 | Pedro Diniz | Arrows/Yamaha | 53 | 1:20:46.601 | Gearbox |
| (3) | 3 | J.Villeneuve | Williams/Renault | 40 | 59:26.559 | Gearbox |
| (4) | 10 | David Coulthard | McLaren/Mercedes | 38 | 56:51.618 | Engine |
| (9) | 22 | R.Barrichello | Stewart/Ford | 32 | 48:13.728 | Engine |
| (4) | 16 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber/Petronas | 18 | 27:01.098 | Electrical |
| (4) | 11 | Ralf Schumacher | Jordan/Peugeot | 17 | 25:31.006 | Transmission |
| (17) | 15 | Shinji Nakano | Prost/Mugen-Honda | 11 | 17:20.684 | Collision |
| (18) | 1 | Damon Hill | Arrows/Yamaha | 11 | 17:21.013 | Collision |
| (18) | 8 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton/Renault | 4 | 6:39.425 | Spun off |
| (15) | 23 | Jan Magnussen | Stewart/Ford | 2 | 3:27.629 | Spun off |
| 21 | Jarno Trulli | Minardi/Hart | 0 | – | Not started | |
Fastest lap: Heinz-Harald Frentzen: 1:25.531 (lap 42)
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 4/17 RACES
| 1 | Jacques Villeneuve | 20 | – | 10 | 10 | – |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher | 14 | 6 | 2 | – | 6 |
| 3 | David Coulthard | 10 | 10 | – | – | – |
| 3 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | 10 | – | – | – | 10 |
| 5 | Eddie Irvine | 10 | – | – | 6 | 4 |
| 6 | Gerhard Berger | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | – |
| 7 | Mika Häkkinen | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | Olivier Panis | 6 | 2 | 4 | – | – |
| 9 | Ralf Schumacher | 4 | – | – | 4 | – |
| 10 | Johnny Herbert | 3 | – | – | 3 | – |
| 10 | Giancarlo Fisichella | 3 | – | – | – | 3 |
| 12 | Jean Alesi | 3 | – | 1 | – | 2 |
| 13 | Nicola Larini | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
| 1 | Williams/Renault | 30 | – | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 24 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | McLaren/Mercedes | 20 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Benetton/Renault | 13 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Jordan/Peugeot | 7 | – | – | 4 | 3 |
| 6 | Prost/Mugen-Honda | 6 | 2 | 4 | – | – |
| 7 | Sauber/Petronas | 4 | 1 | – | 3 | – |
