Gerhard Berger's 10th and final Grand Prix victory, also the last win for an Austrian driver as of 2025 and the last for the Benetton team.
Key Facts
- Race distance
- 45 laps
- Winner
- Gerhard Berger (Benetton-Renault)
- Berger's career GP wins
- 10 (final victory)
- Benetton team GP wins
- 27 (final victory)
- Championship race number
- 10th of 1997 season
- Drivers' Championship gap
- Schumacher led Villeneuve by 10 points
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Gerhard Berger, returning from a three-race absence caused by a sinus problem, qualified on pole position at Hockenheim. Jacques Villeneuve's championship rival Michael Schumacher started as a local favourite, while Berger's recovery gave Benetton an unexpected front-running opportunity.
The 45-lap 1997 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim was won by Gerhard Berger, who led from start to finish aside from pit stops, driving a Benetton-Renault. Michael Schumacher finished second in a Ferrari and Mika Häkkinen third in a McLaren-Mercedes, while championship leader Jacques Villeneuve retired from the race.
Berger's victory proved to be both his final Formula One win and the final Grand Prix victory for the Benetton team. Villeneuve's retirement allowed Schumacher to extend his Drivers' Championship lead to 10 points. No Austrian driver had won a Formula One Grand Prix again as of 2025.
Result
at Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany