On this day in 1997, Michael Schumacher was disqualified from the F1 world championship for his actions in the season-ending European GP.
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When Ferrari signed Michael Schumacher in 1996, the hope was he would be the man to end their Formula 1 world championship drought. After all, the German had won back-to-back world titles at Benetton in 1994 and 1995.
The 1996 was largely a struggle, however, as Ferrari produced a car that was uneasy on the eye and even tougher to drive.
That Schumacher managed to get three wins in that car – including a memorable drive in the rain at Spain – was testament to his ability to drive any car to the best of its abilities.
In 1997, however, Ferrari produced a much better car. The result? Schumacher and Ferrari competed with Williams and Jacques Villeneuve for the world championship.
But the final race of that season is remembered more for Schumacher attempting to take Villeneuve. It was a bad end to what had been a very good season of racing.
And it wasn’t like this was a one-off. Schumacher had done the same in the title decider in 1994. The final race of the season in Australia saw him take out Damon Hill in similar circumstances.
This would eventually lead to the FIA doing what had never been done before; they disqualified Schumacher from the world championship. He kept his race wins, podiums and points finishes, but did not rank anywhere in the standings.
It was a shocking decision back then, and it is one that has not been repeated since. With 24 years having passed since the day of the verdict, let us look back at how the events transpired.
Going into the final race of the 1997 season, Michael Schumacher led the championship standings by a point. However, the miniscule gap meant that it was all to race for at the European GP in Jerez, Spain.
Qualifying saw an unusual feat: the top three drivers set the exact same lap timings. Yes, the trio of Schumacher, Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all set a time of 1:21.072.
How was this possible? Many questioned the veracity of timekeeper TAG Heuer’s system, while others just shrugged their shoulders. In an event of such a thing happening, the rules stated the drivers would line-up in the order of them setting the times.
Thus Villeneuve was on pole, with Schumacher second and Frentzen third. However at the start of the race, Schumacher got the better start and led after Turn 1.
The order of the race stayed this way until Lap 48, with Villeneuve unable to get too close to Schumacher. It appeared, for all intents and purposes, as if the Ferrari would cruise to a win.
However, Villeneuve went for broke after the second round of pit stops on Lap 43 and 44. Realising the only way he could catch Schumacher was by pushing the new tyres to the limit, the Canadian did just that.
Schumacher was caught out by this sudden assault. At the Dry Sack corner on Lap 48, Villeneuve made his move and got ahead.
Schumacher, realising what was happening, swerved right in a bid to take Villeneuve out. He made contact but Villeneuve carried on, although with some damage. Schumacher, on the other hand, was forced to retire.
Villeneuve would finish third and seal the title, with the McLaren of Mika Hakkinen leading teammate David Coulthard home in a 1-2 finish.
The heat of the incident, however, fell almost exclusively on Schumacher. Given his previous history, it was easy to understand why he and not Ferrari got flak for this.
Schumacher was criticised not only in the German media but by the Italian press too. And he was summoned to an FIA disciplinary hearing, where many were unsure what punishment he would cop.
Most expected him to get a ban for a few races or maybe be stripped of some points. However, the World Motorsport Council took the decision to disqualify him from the championship altogether.
He was also made to partake in a road safety campaign the following year. Notably, all his results for the season stood; he just wasn’t included in the final standings.
According to then-FIA president Max Mosley, a ban for 1998 was dismissed due to Schumacher’s actions being deemed instinctive and not premeditated.
The German accepted the result, saying afterwards he had struggled in the aftermath of the incident. “It was something not very easy to live with.
“Two or three days after the race I really started to struggle with it and had some bad nights sleeping and accepting what I had done, which is not usual for myself, but obviously I am as much a human being as anyone.”
He also thanked Ferrari for their support. “We have learnt. We have made mistakes. But we will become stronger and I hope we will become better in the future.”
Till date, Michael Schumacher remains the only driver to be disqualified from the title. And while he would go on to eventually win five world titles with Ferrari, the stain from the Jerez incident never truly went away.
