1997 Italian Grand Prix
The 1997 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza on 7 September 1997. It was the thirteenth round of the 1997 Formula One season. The 53-lap race was won by David Coulthard driving for McLaren after starting from sixth position on the grid. Jean Alesi finished second for Benetton after starting from pole position, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third for Williams.
| 1997 Italian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 17 in the 1997 Formula One World Championship | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 7 September 1997 | ||
| Location | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Italy | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 5.770 km (3.585 miles) | ||
| Distance | 53 laps, 305.810 km (190.022 miles) | ||
| Weather | Dry with temperatures reaching up to 29 °C (84 °F)[1] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Benetton-Renault | ||
| Time | 1:22.990 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | |
| Time | 1:24.808 on lap 49 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| Second | Benetton-Renault | ||
| Third | Williams-Renault | ||
|
Lap leaders | |||
Report
Qualifying
Fisichella set the early pace in qualifying. Alesi got pole position on his second set of tyres. Frentzen moved into second late in the session. The rest of the top six was Fisichella third, Villeneuve fourth, Häkkinen fifth and Coulthard sixth. The Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine qualified ninth and tenth respectively.
Race
At the start Alesi led with Frentzen in second and Coulthard moving from sixth on the grid into third place. The top three stayed this way until lap 28 when Frentzen pitted. On lap 32 Alesi and Coulthard pitted together, when Coulthard moved ahead of Alesi courtesy of a faster pit-stop. This left Mika Häkkinen in the lead until he pitted a couple of laps later. Coulthard took the lead on lap 34 when Michael Schumacher pitted. The top three after Michael Schumacher pitted was Coulthard first, Alesi second and Frentzen third. Häkkinen was fourth until he got a puncture on lap 36. The top six after Häkkinen's puncture was Coulthard first, Alesi second, Frentzen third, Fisichella fourth, Villeneuve fifth and Michael Schumacher in sixth. The top six stayed in that order for the rest of the race and was won by Coulthard by just under two seconds. This was the only race of the season where neither Jacques Villeneuve nor Michael Schumacher was on the podium.
Post-race
David Coulthard dedicated his win in this race to Princess Diana, who had been killed in a road accident the week before.[2]
Classification
Qualifying
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Race
Championship standings after the race
- Bold text indicates who still has a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
- "Italian Grand Prix Weather Information". Weather Underground. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
- "Italian Grand Prix Review". atlasf1.autosport.com. 1997-09-10. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- "Italy 1997 - Qualifications". StatsF1. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "1997 Italian Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- "Italy 1997 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
External links
