zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Here's That Time When Michael Schumacher Rammed Jacques Villeneuve Off The Track
Here's That Time When Michael Schumacher Rammed Jacques Villeneuve Off The Track-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:04

It was October 1997 and the entire racing world was looking down on Curcuito Permanente de Jerez to see who would take the driver’s cup. Would Michael Schumacher win it all in his Ferrari, or would Jacques Villeneuve make up the single point that separated him from the series win?

Welcome to You Could Be Watching Racing. Since motorsport is basically on pause while we patiently wait for the world to safely reopen, I have decided to find the best and most exciting full races available to watch online and share them with you.

With those two greats wrestling for the drivers’ championship to the very end, the 1997 European Grand Prix was bound to be filled with competitive spirit. A world-class seat of drivers was competing that day, with many drivers in the Aside from Schumacher and Villeneuve, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, and Mikka Häkkinen were all out on the grid that October day, with Häkkinen pulling out the race win.

The entire race was exciting with a lot of dogfighting between Schuey and Villeneuve at the front of the pack from the beginning on, but the big action came during lap 48 (about an hour and fifteen minutes into the race) when contact was finally made.

Schumacher, worried about losing his lead (and his chance at the drivers’ championship) to Villeneuve who was passing him on the inside of turn six of the track, known as Curva Dry Sack (really), Schumacher dug in to try and box the Canadian and his Williams-Renault out. The result was catastrophic for Michael, though.

An FIA investigation found Schumacher responsible for the collision (his actions were regarded as “intentional but not premeditated”) and disqualified him from the 1997 drivers’ championship, even after the collision had retired Schumacher from the race. Many called for him to be fired at Ferrari, seeing his actions as dishonorable and unsportsmanlike.

The result of the collision, which didn’t hinder Villeneuve other than a loss of pace in lap 48, was an outright win for Häkkinen 22 laps later, with Coulthard in second and a third-place race finish for Villeneuve. Though he didn’t win the race, that third-place finish was enough to secure him the drivers’ championship despite the run-in with Schumacher.

The win would be Villeneuve’s only Formula One title while Schumacher would go on to win five more for Ferrari. The collision, and with Damon Hill in 1994 that caused a lot more damage to his competitor, would remain blemishes on Schumacher’s record despite his absolute domination of the sport in the decade to follow.

Still, it’s a lot of fun to sit down in front of a race from another era of Formula One, when the cigarette ad-festooned cars were powered by screaming V10s and the drama of a late-race collision could keep us all on our toes. I think we all deserve it right about now.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
How to Watch NASCAR, MotoGP, NHRA and Everything Else in Racing This Weekend, October 15-16
How to Watch NASCAR, MotoGP, NHRA and Everything Else in Racing This Weekend, October 15-16
Welcome to the Jalopnik Weekend Motorsports Roundup, where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, how to watch this weekend’s NASCAR, Formula 1, and ARCA racing, and where you can talk about it, all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to...
Nov 13, 2025
Double Champions Techeetah Won’t Race in Formula E Next Year
Double Champions Techeetah Won’t Race in Formula E Next Year
All-electric racing series Formula E is having a bit of a time at the moment. Sure, it’s about to launch and promises closer racing, but it’s also losing a raft of big names from the sport. After winning back-to-back world titles, Mercedes has stepped away from the sport, and...
Nov 13, 2025
The 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring Almost Ended in Financial Ruin
The 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring Almost Ended in Financial Ruin
As neared its first decade of existence, promoters in America began to look at the World Championship and wonder just what it would take to actually bring the globe’s greatest racing stars to United States. Unfortunately, the first-ever United States Grand Prix at was a little bit of a...
Nov 13, 2025
Formula E Is Reportedly Ditching FanBoost for 2023
Formula E Is Reportedly Ditching FanBoost for 2023
One of Formula E’s much-maligned gimmicks might just be laid to rest this year. reports that is set to die with the introduction of the Gen3 cars as a way to add “authenticity” to the racing product. I know I’m not alone when I say it’s about damn time....
Nov 13, 2025
How Hubris Killed the United States Grand Prix at Riverside
How Hubris Killed the United States Grand Prix at Riverside
Let’s say you came from out of state and wanted to host a pretty massive event at a venue that already has an established and dedicated local fanbase. It would perhaps make sense to treat that venue with ample respect — to assume, perhaps, that your event would not...
Nov 13, 2025
Give Yourself an Eargasm Watching Pato O'Ward Drive Ayrton Senna's Championship McLaren Around Laguna Seca
Give Yourself an Eargasm Watching Pato O'Ward Drive Ayrton Senna's Championship McLaren Around Laguna Seca
Formula 1 fans spend a lot of time waxing about the aural sensations of the sport’s V10 era, and for good reason: These machines were absolute screamers. This video, from racing journalist extraordinaire Marshall Pruett, proves that. But the sound is only about the third most important thing going...
Nov 13, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved