1997 Australian Grand Prix

1997 Australian Grand Prix
Race 1 of 17 in the 1997 Formula One World Championship ← Previous race Next race →
Race details
Date	9 March 1997
Official name	Qantas Australian Grand Prix
Location	Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Albert Park, Melbourne
Course	Temporary street circuit
Course length	5.302 km (3.295 miles)
Distance	58 laps, 307.516 km (191.110 miles)
Weather	Partly Cloudy, Dry
Pole position
Driver	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault
Time	1:29.369
Fastest lap
Driver	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Williams-Renault
Time	1:30.585 on lap 36
Podium
First	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes
Second	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Third	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes
Lap leaders

The 1997 Australian Grand Prix (formally the Qantas Australian Grand Prix)^[1] was a Formula One motor race held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne on 9 March 1997. It was the first race of the 1997 Formula One World Championship, and the second Australian Grand Prix to be held in Melbourne.

The 58-lap race was won by David Coulthard, driving a McLaren-Mercedes, after he started from fourth position. It was Coulthard's second F1 victory, and the first for the McLaren team since the 1993 Australian Grand Prix. German Michael Schumacher finished second in a Ferrari, with Coulthard's Finnish teammate Mika Häkkinen third. Canadian Jacques Villeneuve took pole position in his Williams-Renault but retired after a first-lap collision, while reigning World Champion Damon Hill, in his first race for the Arrows team, suffered a throttle failure on the formation lap and did not start.

This race marked the debuts of Ralf Schumacher, Jarno Trulli and Shinji Nakano; the entry of Bridgestone as a tyre supplier to compete with Goodyear; and the only appearance of the MasterCard Lola team, whose cars were over 11 seconds off Villeneuve's pole time and thus did not qualify. It was also the first Formula One race to be broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom, with commentary from Murray Walker, Martin Brundle and James Allen.^[2]