The Benetton B197 was the car with which the Benetton

Benetton Formula

Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...

 Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 team competed in the 1997 Formula One season

1997 Formula One season

The 1997 Formula One season was the 48th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 9, 1997, and ended on October 26 after seventeen races.-Season summary:...

. It was driven by Jean Alesi

Jean Alesi

Jean Alesi is a French racing driver of Italian origin. His Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and most notably Ferrari where he proved very popular among the tifosi...

 and Gerhard Berger

Gerhard Berger

Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....

, who were both in their second season with the team. However, Berger was forced to sit out three races in the middle of the season due to sinus

Nostril

A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation...

 problems, and compatriot Alexander Wurz

Alexander Wurz

Alexander Wurz is an Austrian racing driver. He competed in Formula One from until , and is also a two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours....

 made his F1 début by deputising for him, starting at the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix

1997 Canadian Grand Prix

The 1997 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 15, 1997.The race was marred by a big crash involving Olivier Panis, who broke his legs and would be unable to start the next seven grands prix. It has been argued that this crash affected Panis's...

.

The car was a development of the B196

Benetton B196

The Benetton B196 was the car with which the Benetton team competed in the Formula One season. It was driven by the experienced pairing of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger, who both moved from Ferrari to replace departing and champion Michael Schumacher and his number two, Johnny Herbert.Many...

, which both drivers had found difficult to extract maximum performance from in . The B197 proved competitive at nearly every race, but only scored one win when Berger made his faultless return to the cockpit at Hockenheim

1997 German Grand Prix

The 1997 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheimring on July 27, 1997. It was won by Austrian driver Gerhard Berger in a Benetton. This race proved to be his final victory and final pole position, as he retired at the end of the season. Berger had missed the previous 3...

. The main problem with the car was its inability to bring its tyres up to temperature on low-grip circuits, particularly in qualifying. However, Berger and Alesi did secure one pole position

Pole position

The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...

 each during the course of the season. By the end of the season, it was clear that Benetton would adopt a new driver line-up for , with Berger retiring and Alesi moving to Sauber

Sauber

Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....

.

The team eventually finished third in the Constructors' Championship, with 67 points. The Benetton B197 can still be seen competing in the EuroBoss series.

Complete Formula One results

(results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Points	WCC
	Benetton Benetton Formula Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...	Renault Renault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...  V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...			AUS 1997 Australian Grand Prix The 1997 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 9 March 1997 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park, Melbourne. It was the first race of the 1997 Formula One season. It was the second Grand Prix to be hosted in Melbourne.-Pre-race:...	BRA 1997 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1997 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Autódromo José Carlos Pace near Interlagos, Brazil on March 30, 1997. It was the second race of the 1997 Formula One season.-Pre-Race:...	ARG 1997 Argentine Grand Prix The 1997 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 13, 1997. It was the third race of the 1997 Formula One season.-Pre-Race:...	SMR 1997 San Marino Grand Prix The 1997 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari near Imola, Italy on April 27, 1997. It was the fourth race of the 1997 Formula One season.-Pre-race:...	MON 1997 Monaco Grand Prix The 1997 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 11, 1997 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco.- Summary :Qualifying saw Heinz-Harald Frentzen in his Williams-Renault in front of Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari; third was Jacques Villeneuve in the other Williams...	ESP 1997 Spanish Grand Prix The 1997 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 25, 1997 at the Circuit de Catalunya.This classic Spanish Grand Prix is memorable for the great performance of Olivier Panis, starting from 12th on the grid, and finishing 2nd closing on the leader Jacques Villeneuve by 1.5 to 2 seconds...	CAN 1997 Canadian Grand Prix The 1997 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 15, 1997.The race was marred by a big crash involving Olivier Panis, who broke his legs and would be unable to start the next seven grands prix. It has been argued that this crash affected Panis's...	FRA 1997 French Grand Prix The 1997 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Magny-Cours on June 29, 1997.-Race summary:At the start, Michael Schumacher led away from pole with Frentzen in the Williams behind him all the way...	GBR 1997 British Grand Prix The 1997 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 13 July 1997. It was the ninth round of the 1997 Formula One season. Jacques Villeneuve won the race despite being stuck in the pitlane for half a minute during his first pitstop, after a wheelnut problem.Two previous...	GER 1997 German Grand Prix The 1997 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheimring on July 27, 1997. It was won by Austrian driver Gerhard Berger in a Benetton. This race proved to be his final victory and final pole position, as he retired at the end of the season. Berger had missed the previous 3...	HUN 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 10, 1997.Damon Hill, as defending world champion, had experienced a miserable year in the uncompetitive Arrows-Yamaha, but the team experienced a spike in performance levels at Hungary, mainly due to their...	BEL 1997 Belgian Grand Prix The 1997 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on August 24, 1997. The wet weather associated with the circuit came heavily, causing the race to be started behind the safety car for the first time in Formula One history....	ITA 1997 Italian Grand Prix The 1997 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 7, 1997. Jean Alesi, starting from pole position, led the race until the halfway stage; however, David Coulthard, who had jumped from sixth on the grid into third place coming out of the first corner, got ahead of...	AUT 1997 Austrian Grand Prix The 1997 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at A1-Ring on September 21, 1997. Qualifying threw up a few surprises, as the Bridgestone tyres used by several smaller teams proved strong, but it was ultimately Jacques Villeneuve who won...	LUX 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix The 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on September 28, 1997. Jacques Villeneuve took what proved to be his final Formula One victory, after the race-leading McLaren-Mercedes cars had identical engine failures within moments of each other...	JPN 1997 Japanese Grand Prix The 1997 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 12, 1997 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. It was the 16th and penultimate race of the 1997 Formula One season. The race, contested over 53 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Ferrari team after starting from...	EUR 1997 European Grand Prix The 1997 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 26, 1997 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Spain. Originally scheduled as the Grand Prix of Portugal at the Estoril circuit, it was moved when Estoril’s management had financial difficulties. It was the 17th and final...	67	3rd
				Jean Alesi Jean Alesi Jean Alesi is a French racing driver of Italian origin. His Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and most notably Ferrari where he proved very popular among the tifosi...	Ret	6	7	5	Ret	3	2	5	2	6	11	8	2	Ret	2	5	13
				Gerhard Berger Gerhard Berger Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....	4	2	6	Ret	9	10				1	8	6	7	10	4	8	4
				Alexander Wurz Alexander Wurz Alexander Wurz is an Austrian racing driver. He competed in Formula One from until , and is also a two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours....							Ret	Ret	3