A shadow over Schumacher

Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari 310B comes down the straight at full speed during the 1997 Brazilian Grand Prix held at Interlagos. The German ace qualified in second and finished in fifth, 33 seconds behind the winner, Jacques Villeneuve in his Williams-Renault.

The Ferrari 310B was better performing and more reliable than its predecessor but suffered stability issues at the front of the car. A new front wing assembly, introduced after Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne joined the team improved the package.

Michael Schumacher initially finished second in the 1997 standings, but was disqualified after deliberately colliding with Villeneuve during the last and decisive race of the season at Jerez.

Jacques Villeneuve managed to finished third that day, giving him enough points to secure the drivers’ championship in only his second season in Formula One. He remains the last Williams driver to win a championship and the only Canadian to do so.