1997 German Grand Prix

Championship standings

Schumacher leads Villeneuve by four points — 47 to 43 — with Alesi a distant third on 21. Ferrari leads Williams in the Constructors’ Championship by three points.

Previous race

Villeneuve won Britain despite being stuck in the pit lane for half a minute due to a wheel nut problem. Frentzen stalled on the grid before the start, forcing the race to be aborted, then had his race ended on the first lap when Verstappen hit the back of his Williams at Becketts. Schumacher led by over 40 seconds before a wheel bearing failure ended his race. Häkkinen was on course for his first win when his engine failed while holding off Villeneuve. Wurz scored his first podium in only his third Grand Prix — a podium that also gave Williams their 100th Formula One victory. Alesi finished second.

Between-race developments

Gerhard Berger returns to the Benetton after missing three races due to a recurring sinus problem requiring two operations. Wurz, who had stepped in admirably, stands down.

Teams conducted testing at Monza between 14–17 July. Shinji Nakano was fastest on the first day, Fisichella on the second, Herbert on the third, and Ralf Schumacher on the fourth.

Benetton have confirmed Fisichella for the 1998 season. The organisers of the German Grand Prix signed a deal with the FIA to continue hosting the race through 2001.

Practice

Damp and wet conditions affect both Friday sessions. Ralf Schumacher sets the fastest time of Friday practice — 1:46.196, one-tenth quicker than his brother. Berger takes pole in Saturday qualifying with a 1:41.873, the first for Benetton since the 1995 Japanese Grand Prix. He almost lost control on his final run before spinning at Sachs Kurve. Fisichella is second, 0.023 seconds off. Häkkinen qualifies third; Michael Schumacher fourth; Frentzen fifth; Alesi sixth after spinning in the closing seconds. Ralf Schumacher seventh; Coulthard eighth after spinning into the gravel. Villeneuve ninth — he switched to Frentzen’s spare car after a straight-line speed deficit in his race car, but found it harder to handle. Irvine tenth.