Thoughts after the 1997 season

Well, the 1997 season is over. Jacques Villeneuve is World Champion, and Michael Schumacher is involved in yet another controversial accident, which could well have changed the result of the 1997 season.

On the whole it was a great season. Some good races, with a good mix of drivers fighting for victory in a number of races. It was also ITV's first year of coverage, and I think that the coverage was on the whole fairly good. I think towards the end they were trying to fit in as many ad-breaks as possibly before the race, so as to avoid too many interruptions during it. There were a few problems during the season with missed incidents, but at least these were shown later on return from the ads.

It was a disappointing season on the whole for the reigning World Champion, Damon Hill. The season started badly, but did at least pick up, with a very good performance in Hungary, which almost culminated in a surprise first victory for the Arrows team. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Another unfortunate this season was Mika Hakkinen. I was lucky to be at Silverstone (thanks to my wonderful girlfriend Luned) where he led for a large proportion of the race, before retiring right in front of us! Well, we got some good photos at least! The whole thing was so good, we're all going for Saturday and Sunday next year.

Similar races followed for poor Mika, before finally being handed his first win on a plate in the final race of the season. I'm not sure if I would be pleased if I were him. Admittedly, a win is a win, but to be so obviously given it must certainly pray on his mind. Hopefully this will be the psychological boost he needs and will lead to some more deserved wins next season.

It would be impossible to comment on the 1997 season without mentioning the unfortunate incident involving Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher. I have to admit that I didn't really want JV to win the championship, so I was rooting for Schumey iun the last race. However, it appeared to me so blatant that he tried to take JV out, that it just brought back more memories of Adelaide in 1994.

I can see the reasoning behind the FIA not giving Michael a ban for next year, as it would not have been much of a deterrent had he won the championship this year as a result. However, will Michael really care that his second place has been wiped out? I'm not so sure.

It's difficult to know what punishment would have been fair. Schumey has so much money that a fine would have to be ridiculously high to have made any difference to him, and as I mentioned above, the ban route wouldn't really have cut it if he had won the championship as a result. Ah well, at least he has to appear in a road safety advert!

So, on to next year. The majority of the major players have stayed with their teams from this year. The notable exceptions are:

1. Damon Hill to Jordan.
2. Jean Alesi to Sauber.
3. Gerhard Berger to retirement.

The Jordan team appears to be a good move for Damon. They had some good performances this year, with Fisichella being in a good position to win on more than one occasion. Perhaps next year with a more experienced head in the team, they can finally achieve that elusive first win.

The Stewart team also showed great potential in their first season of Formula 1. Let down by an unreliable Ford engine which was still being developed, the team consistently had good performances, with the best being Rubens Barrichello's second place in Monaco. Let's hope they have now found their feet in Formula one, and can continue to develop as a team.

Roll on 1998!

Last updated: 10 January 2001