Michael Schumacher started to establish himself as one of Formula 1’s greatest talents in the 1990s, becoming a two-time champion by 1995.
But those title wins did not come without controversy. Driving with Benetton, the German claimed the 1994 title over Damon Hill at the final round in Adelaide, after he deliberately turned into the Brit and sent them both out of the race.
Outraged, the Williams driver sought revenge and smashed into the side of his rival at the 1995 British Grand Prix, taking them both out. Schumacher labelled Hill’s move as ‘really stupid’, but it would have little effect on his title challenge.
Schumacher won his second title in 1995 by 33 points, before leaving Benetton for Ferrari. His championship defence did not get off to a good start at Maranello, as Hill got the better of him in 1996 to claim his only title.
Williams established themselves as the dominant force that year, and it would continue into 1997, only this time, Schumacher’s opponent for the title was Jacques Villeneuve.
Fresh off finishing runner-up in his rookie season in F1 the year prior, the Canadian took the 1997 title fight with Schumacher to the final race of the season at Jerez. It was here where F1 would see one of its most extraordinary and bizarre results in qualifying history.
Michael Schumacher went fastest in qualifying at the 1997 European Grand Prix, but Jacques Villeneuve took pole
Schumacher led the championship over Villeneuve by one point heading into the 1997 European Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver knew he needed to beat his rival to clinch his third title, but he would not make it easy for him.
In qualifying, Schumacher produced a blistering time of 1:21.072, which would have been good enough for pole position. The problem was that Villeneuve had also set a rapid lap on his earlier run – the exact same lap, no less.
The situation got even more bizarre as Villeneuve’s teammate Heinz Harald Frentzen would also set a time of 1:21.072, leaving all three drivers with identical times.
| POS. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams Renault | 1:21.072 |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 1:21.072 |
| 3 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams Renault | 1:21.072 |
| 4 | Damon Hill | Arrows Yamaha | 1:21.130 |
| 5 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren Mercedes | 1:21.369 |
| 6 | David Coulthard | McLaren Mercedes | 1:21.476 |
| 7 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 1:21.610 |
| 8 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton Renault | 1:21.656 |
| 9 | Olivier Panis | Prost Mugen Honda | 1:21.735 |
| 10 | Jean Alesi | Benetton Renault | 1:22.011 |
As the Canadian set the lap first out of the trio, he was awarded pole position. It left Schumacher in the extraordinary position of setting the fastest lap in qualifying, but did not start at the front of the grid.
It is rare for drivers to set identical lap times for pole position, but it did happen again in 2024 at the Canadian Grand Prix, as George Russell and Max Verstappen both set a 1:12.000. The former was awarded pole for setting the lap first.
Michael Schumacher was disqualified from the 1997 season for crashing into Jacques Villeneuve at Jerez
Of course, while the 1997 European Grand Prix saw an incredible result in qualifying, the race is more well-known for an infamous reason.
On lap 47, while battling each other for position, Schumacher continued his antics of colliding with his rivals as he drove into the side of Villeneuve. However, it would have a different and more severe outcome, as the Ferrari driver retired from the race while the Canadian carried out.
He went on to finish third, thus clinching the title by three points. It got worse for Schumacher as he was disqualified from the 1997 championship for the incident and his reputation was damaged, as he was publicly ridiculed in the media.
Years after the incident, he did express regret for the incident, as he said via Crash: “What would I change in my career? I have some moments that if I could have them again, yes I would do them differently – probably 1997 at Jerez.
“I would have had a couple of opportunities to avoid all this and still win the championship, but you take your lessons and you learn from them.”