Home | Grand Prix race report | 1997 German Grand Prix
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Giancarlo Fisichella took his first ever front-row start, and was challenging Berger for the win until he punctured a tyre on the debris of Jan Magnussen's blown engine. This same incident had helped him gain the lead, as the smoke from the engine delayed Berger prior to his pit stop. Fisichella only led for two laps before Berger repassed him. After Fisichella broke down due to damage from the flailing tyre (caused while he tried to drive back to the pits), Michael Schumacher gave him a lift back to the pits after the race. Jacques Villenueve had a disastrous race, spinning off while trying to overtake rookie Jarno Trulli, thus losing championship ground to Schumacher. Schumacher's team-mate Eddie Irvine and Villeneuve's Heinz Harald Frentzen collided at the first corner, with David Coulthard also forced out by damage from the incident. Berger's last win was also Benetton's last win, just like Berger's first had been Benetton's first. |