1997 Formula One World Championship

"F1 1997" redirects here. For the video game based on the 1997 Formula One season, see Formula 1 97.

Jacques Villeneuve (pictured in 2002) won the championship in only his second year of F1 participation. He remains the last Williams driver to win a championship, the only Canadian driver to win a championship, and the last non-European driver to win a championship.
Villeneuve's teammate, Heinz-Harald Frentzen (pictured in 2006), was promoted to runner-up with 42 points following Michael Schumacher's disqualification from the standings at the end of the year. He had moved from Sauber to Williams for 1997.
David Coulthard (pictured in 1999), finished the season ranked third for McLaren.
Michael Schumacher (pictured in 1998) initially finished second in the championship, but was disqualified after colliding with Villeneuve during the last race.

The 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 51st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1997 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1997 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 9 March and ended on 26 October.

The Drivers' Championship was won by Jacques Villeneuve under controversial circumstances: championship leader Michael Schumacher deliberately rammed him whilst trying to defend his race lead in the final race.[1] Schumacher came to a halt in the gravel while Villeneuve finished third, giving him enough points to secure the drivers' championship. Schumacher was later deemed at fault for the accident by the FIA. He kept his five race wins, but was stripped of all his points for the season, promoting Villeneuve's Williams teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen to second in the championship.

The Constructors' Championship was awarded to Williams-Renault.

As of 2024, this is the last championship for a non-European driver, the last Constructors' and Drivers' championships for Williams, and the last championship won on Goodyear tyres. It was also the last championship for a Renault-powered driver, until Fernando Alonso's championship in 2005.

  1. ^ "BBC News - Europe - Schumacher loses championship runner-up crown". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2017.