The 1997 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 13 July 1997. It was the ninth round of the 1997 Formula One season. Jacques Villeneuve won the race despite being stuck in the pitlane for half a minute during his first pitstop, after a wheelnut problem.
Two previous leaders retired from the race due to mechanical failures. Michael Schumacher led by over 40 seconds before a wheel bearing failure caused retirement. Mika Häkkinen seemed set for his first win but his engine blew while he was holding off Villeneuve, having made one stop to the French-Canadian's two (a strategy ITV's Martin Brundle had earlier commented was unlikely to be a race-winner). The Finn threw his race gloves into the crowd and lapped their applause.
Further back, Alexander Wurz scored his first podium finish in only his 3rd Grand Prix, also briefly leading the race during the pitstops. David Coulthard ran 3rd early on, but faded with braking problems. Schumacher's team-mate Eddie Irvine was close behind Villeneuve when both made their second pitstop, but his car failed as he exited the pits. The race was a disaster for Heinz-Harald Frentzen. He stalled on the grid with the race about to begin, forcing the race start to be aborted and having him to start from the back of the grid. Then on the first lap Jos Verstappen crashed into the back of his Williams car at Becketts' corner ending the German's race immediately.
Damon Hill finally scored his first points for the Arrows team after a late retirement for Shinji Nakano.
The 1997 British Grand Prix at Silverstone is also notable for being the first GP in which Martin Brundle performed his now customary pre-race grid walk.
Famous quotes containing the words british and/or grand:
“They have to prove their superiority every day. It’s their one tremendous weakness.”
—Edmund H. North, British screenwriter, and Lewis Gilbert. Captain Shepard (Kenneth More)
“One of my playmates, who was apprenticed to a printer, and was somewhat of a wag, asked his master one afternoon if he might go a-fishing, and his master consented. He was gone three months. When he came back, he said that he had been to the Grand Banks, and went to setting type again as if only an afternoon had intervened.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)