At Imola the Ferrari fans have not seen a Ferrari win since 1983, but after the encouraging tests at Fiorano, the fans are convinced that the 1997 edition could be the right one to see a red car triumph again.
In the qualifying tests the Williams obtained an easy first row, however, followed by Schumacher’s Ferrari which, thanks to the new engine, obtained an encouraging third place.
At the start Gilles’ son maintained the lead followed by Schumy’s Ferrari while further back Panis blocked Irvine, causing him to lose precious seconds.
That the red car is on the right track is demonstrated by the laps in the lead taken by Schumacher during the frenetic phases of the pit stops.
Only thanks to the stop of Ferrari number 5, Frentzen takes the lead, while the red car, thanks to a stop in record time, manages to maintain an excellent second place ahead of Villeneuve.
The battle between the German and the Canadian favors Frentzen, who thanks to some fast laps manages to consolidate first position.
While Schumy is playing for success, Irvine confirms that the second place obtained in Argentina was the beginning of a period of maturation that the Imola race contributes to strengthening: the Irishman stands out on the Santerno with an excellent start, a nice overtaking on Panis and perfect timing to understand to enter the pits to refuel in order to overtake Fisichella.
Perhaps due to the duel with Schumacher, or too many passes over the curbs, Villeneuve broke the gearbox on the forty-first lap, leaving the German from Ferrari to compete for the victory with the Williams number 4. At the English garage they decided to call Frentzen back onto the track right in front of an unnerved Schumacher. The German, during the chase for first place, was obstructed by Larini who, not seeing him, forced him to brake forcefully which effectively made him lose the race.
After this emotion nothing more happens until the end: Frentzen wins his first grand prix ahead of the Ferraris who celebrate as wildly after the race as after a victory.
On Todt’s face we can read tiredness mixed with satisfaction, only later will we know that the Frenchman was the mysterious hero of the Grand Prix, in fact the head of “GES” during the race had Villeneuve’s Williams moved, stopped with a broken gearbox, into space Ferrari just as Schumacher arrived for the stop and a few laps later, to prevent Larini from hindering the German champion again, he ran to the Sauber ordering the Swiss team to warn their driver not to create problems for Ferrari.
