Villeneuve clinches 1997 title as Häkkinen wins at Jerez 29 years ago today

The 1997 Formula 1 season finale ended at Jerez in Spain on 26 October 1997, 29 years ago today, with the European Grand Prix. McLaren's Mika Häkkinen won the 69-lap race. His teammate David Coulthard finished second, and Williams' Jacques Villeneuve took third, which was enough to give him the world championship.

Why the race was held at Jerez

The race was originally due to be the Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril. When Estoril's management ran into financial trouble, the calendar changed and the event moved to Jerez. The race was added after Japan because engine supplier Renault did not want the final Formula 1 race of the season to be held in Japan. The circuit was 4.428 km long.

Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) went into the finale with 78 points, while Villeneuve had 77. Villeneuve would take the title on a points tie because he had won two more races during the season. Williams had already secured the constructors' championship before the race, with 118 points to Ferrari's 100.

In qualifying, all three drivers set the same lap time of 1:21.072. It was the first time this had happened in the history of the world championship. Villeneuve set his time first and took pole position, with Schumacher second and Heinz-Harald Frentzen third.

The collision on lap 48

Schumacher got the better start and led for 40 of the first 47 laps. On lap 48, Villeneuve tried to pass him on the inside at the right-hand Dry Sac corner. As Schumacher turned sharply to the right, the two cars collided. The right front tyre of the Ferrari struck the left sidepod of Villeneuve's Williams, and Schumacher retired.

Villeneuve's car suffered damage to its battery connections, and his pace dropped. On the final lap, the two McLarens caught him. Häkkinen, on team orders, moved ahead of Coulthard to take second place and then went on to win. Gerhard Berger finished fourth, 0.116 seconds behind Villeneuve. Villeneuve's third place put him three points ahead of Schumacher, and he became champion.

After the race

The race stewards initially treated the collision as a racing incident. The FIA, however, called Schumacher before its disciplinary council and on 11 November 1997 excluded him from the 1997 championship. Schumacher lost second place in the drivers' standings to Frentzen, but kept his race wins and other results. Ferrari finished second in the constructors' standings. FIA President Max Mosley said the move was deliberate but not planned in advance. Schumacher was also ordered to take part in a road safety campaign during the 1998 season.

Claims also emerged that the result of the race had been agreed in advance between Williams and McLaren. The FIA found no evidence to support them and rejected the claims.

The race was Häkkinen's first win and the first by a Finnish driver since Keke Rosberg in 1985. Häkkinen went on to win the championship in 1998 and 1999. It was McLaren's first 1-2 finish since the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix. Gerhard Berger and Ukyo Katayama also raced in their final grands prix. Jerez was the last venue to host a world championship race.