The recent news of Yamaha’s collaboration with Lola to enter Formula E next season marks the return of the renowned MotoGP powerhouse to the world of car racing. This decision comes after their last venture in Formula 1 in 1997, which had a mixed result. However, it was during their final season in F1 that Yamaha came close to achieving what could be considered one of the most surprising victories in the sport’s history. Damon Hill’s impressive performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix almost resulted in a shocking win, which we explore in an episode of our podcast series, Bring Back V10s. In this episode, our panelists Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, and Matt Beer thoroughly analyze how Hill came within half a second of securing this remarkable victory.
Prior to this memorable race, Hill had already caused a stir by choosing to join Arrows after being ousted from Williams, despite being on course to win the 1996 championship. Arrows had struggled for most of their existence and only managed to score one point in the previous season. Hill was drawn to the ambitious plans of the new team boss, Tom Walkinshaw, as well as the potential of the new Bridgestone tires. However, his journey with Arrows began with the humiliation of struggling to qualify for the season opener in Australia due to an unreliable and poorly prepared car.
When the Hungarian Grand Prix arrived in August, Hill had already secured at least one point with a sixth place in the British GP. However, no one could predict that Arrows would allow him to qualify in an impressive third position at the Hungaroring. Hill overtook championship rival Michael Schumacher from Ferrari early in the race and maintained his dominance until a clutch component failure forced him to crawl to the finish line. This unfortunate turn of events allowed eventual champion Jacques Villeneuve to steal the victory.
So, how did this incredible turn of events unfold? In our podcast, we discuss five crucial factors that contributed to this captivating race.
Williams’ controversial decision to replace Hill with Heinz-Harald Frentzen was met with criticism throughout 1997. Frentzen’s performance was often considered unworthy, as he only managed to win one race and frequently lagged behind Villeneuve. Additionally, he was involved in several incidents on the first lap. However, the Hungarian Grand Prix presented Frentzen with the opportunity to secure a dominant victory.
According to the rules of 1997, drivers had to commit to their choice of tire compound throughout the weekend after the free practice session. Most drivers, both using Bridgestone and Goodyear tires, opted for the softer option. Crucially, Bridgestone’s soft compound was still harder than the Goodyear equivalent. This put those using soft Goodyear tires at a significant disadvantage.
Although the harder Goodyear tires performed well during the race, they proved to be more difficult to generate speed with during qualifying. Frentzen was the only driver who managed to do so and started the race in sixth place. He devised a one-stop strategy while everyone else, including the Bridgestone drivers, committed to making two stops.
As the race leaders made their first pit stops, it became evident that everyone would need to make one more stop. At this point, Frentzen had a 19-second advantage over Hill. He also set the fastest lap time, which remained seven tenths faster than Villeneuve’s and 1.3 seconds quicker than Hill’s fifth fastest lap in the race.
However, Frentzen’s race came to a bizarre end before he could complete his pit stop. Television images showed a component bouncing off the Williams car on the main straight. It was discovered to be the fuel tank connector, preventing Frentzen from refueling during his stop. This incident potentially cost him a comfortable victory. The only uncertainty is whether he would have faced issues with his second set of tires after the pit stop, as they would have to last for more than half the race distance.
Despite Ferrari’s difficulties in the previous season, Michael Schumacher arrived in Hungary with a 10-point advantage in the championship over Villeneuve. The Canadian driver was struggling in his title bid at this stage. Ferrari introduced a new, lighter chassis for the Hungarian Grand Prix, as they were struggling to meet the weight limit with their 310B design. The team believed that the new chassis would provide a 0.3-second advantage per lap, equivalent to 23 seconds over the entire race distance. Ferrari’s technical director, Ross Brawn, acknowledged that the team was putting significant efforts into their 1997 car due to the unexpected opportunity to win the championship in Schumacher’s second season with the team.
But after securing pole position with a 0.187-second gap over Villeneuve, Schumacher faced a setback during the warm-up session at Hungaroring. He went off track and damaged his car, forcing a switch back to the heavier previous chassis. This worsened the situation, as the softer Goodyear tires already had a tendency to wear out quickly on race day.
Schumacher was not familiar with how this particular chassis would handle the conditions in Hungary, as he had not used it before the race. He also did not anticipate the tires deteriorating as quickly as they did. As a result, he pushed harder than intended in the early stages of the race. From the fourth lap, his lap times gradually increased from 1m19.8s to 1m23.5s. His driving became visibly problematic and the tires suffered from blisters. However, Schumacher eventually adjusted his driving style and pace to better manage the tires in the later stages of the race.
Unfortunately for Schumacher, when he figured out how to handle the tires, he had already fallen behind the faster cars. He ended up finishing a distant fourth place. Hill, on the other hand, suspected that there would be races where Arrows would have an advantage with their Bridgestone tires. His goal was to get the team within a second of the leading pace and rely on the tires to make a difference.
Bridgestone had planned to enter Formula 1 for a long time and had been testing their tires since the mid-80s. Their entry into the sport was unexpectedly brought forward to 1997, catching Goodyear off guard and leaving them little time to react. However, Bridgestone only had underdog teams at their disposal, like the struggle of Arrows, the non-competitive Minardi, the newly established Stewart-Ford, and the recently acquired Prost team.
As the main team of Bridgestone, Prost was consistently 0.6% faster than Arrows throughout the season. So why weren’t they in contention for a win in the race where Bridgestone had the best chance? The answer lies in the absence of their lead driver. Olivier Panis had already shown the potential of Bridgestone with podiums in Brazil and Spain, a retirement from second place in Argentina, and a strong performance in qualifying at Imola. He was also in third place in the drivers’ championship halfway through the season.
However, during the Hungarian Grand Prix, Panis suffered severe injuries to both legs after a brutal accident. As a result, Prost decided to replace him with rookie Jarno Trulli from Minardi. It quickly became evident that the team had relied heavily on Panis’ three years of Formula 1 experience. Trulli had entered Formula 1 directly from Formula 3 that year, while his teammate Shinji Nakano was also a rookie, participating in his first season outside of Japan since his time in Formula Opel Lotus in 1991.
There were still moments when Trulli’s performance was impressive – he finished fourth in the German Grand Prix, just before Hungary, and even led a significant part of the Austrian Grand Prix. However, Prost’s days as the main driver for Bridgestone, consistently performing week after week, came to an end after Panis’ accident.
During the practice sessions in Hungary, Trulli showed promise by reaching third and sixth positions and expressing satisfaction with the car’s performance. However, for the rest of the weekend, he struggled to find grip. Trulli qualified in 12th place, 1.2 seconds slower than the leading Bridgestone car driven by Hill. Despite being half a second faster than Nakano in qualifying, Nakano’s driving style was gentler on the tires, allowing him to overtake Trulli to secure the final championship point with a margin of 34 seconds.
Nakano was a competent Formula 1 driver, but was never considered a potential race winner. Trulli’s performance during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend indicated his tendency to fade over the course of a race. Panis had previously shown his ability to challenge for the race lead in Argentina before retiring, showcasing his potential in hot and challenging races on twisty tracks when Bridgestone had the advantage. Unfortunately, Panis could only watch the events of the Hungarian Grand Prix unfold from the comfort of his home.
In tabloid format, it can be said that while Villeneuve and Ferrari struggled with deteriorating Goodyear tires, all other drivers who seemed to have a chance to handle the situation encountered problems or started from a disadvantageous position.
An example of misfortune was Frentzen, who had incredibly bad luck. However, he was not the only potential race winner whose car broke down.
During this race, the McLaren-Mercedes combination was starting to challenge the dominant pace, but was still very fragile. Hakkinen, who was ahead of Schumacher after Hill’s overtake, had to retire due to a hydraulic issue after only 12 laps. Coulthard, his teammate, briefly overtook Villeneuve after the second pit stop, but had electrical problems 12 laps before the end, still following the Williams.
The Jordan teams opted for the harder Goodyear tires, but couldn’t extract speed from them in a single lap, resulting in a starting position on the seventh row. Fisichella ended up spinning while trying to overtake Schumacher’s Ferrari, and Ralf Schumacher finished fifth without much resistance.
A Sauber and Johnny Herbert had a great performance in 1997, achieving third place in this race. However, they started from a disadvantaged position, as Herbert qualified only in 10th place.
Benetton, the winner of the previous race in Germany, had a disastrous performance in Hungary. They were significantly off the pace and encountered serious tire problems. Gerhard Berger, the winner in Hockenheim, finished in eighth place, well over a minute behind, while Jean Alesi was beaten by Ukyo Katayama’s Minardi and finished in 10th place.
The reasons behind the failures of the other six teams that showed potential to win races in 1997 were discussed, as well as the clear advantage that Hill and Arrows had in terms of tires.
However, a significant part of this remarkable story was Hill’s exceptional performance on that day, with the twisty circuit minimizing the usual weaknesses of the underpowered Arrows-Yamaha. At that time, Yamaha had progressed with their updated D-spec engine, and the Arrows car was relatively nimble. Hill had previously described it earlier in the year as “pretty cool to drive, probably because it was slow. It didn’t have downforce, but it was well balanced.”
Furthermore, Hill always excelled at the challenging and technical Hungaroring track. He even managed to qualify the terrible 1992 Brabham for the grid in Hungary, which was one of the only two races where he achieved this feat.
The Hungaroring circuit holds a special place in Damon Hill’s heart, as it was where he secured his first Formula 1 victory in 1993. Although his triumph in 1995 may not be widely remembered, it was an exceptional performance that showcased Hill’s dominance throughout the race weekend. Prior to that, Hill had faced a series of setbacks and unfortunate incidents that shook his confidence. However, at Hungaroring, everything clicked for Hill, with the track perfectly suiting his strengths, the Arrows team, and the Yamaha engine.
Despite the fact that his usual competitors at the time created opportunities for Hill to shine, it was clear that he was determined to make his mark regardless. This was exemplified by his unforgettable overtaking maneuver, where he displayed impeccable late braking skills and unwavering composure to resist Schumacher’s attempts to push him off the track. On that day, Hill showed his unwavering determination to succeed, proving that he was destined for greatness.
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