TWR Arrows - Williams - Ferrari - Benetton - McLaren - Jordan - Ligier - Tyrrell - Sauber - Minardi - Stewart - Lola
Qualifying : Look for Hill to qualify in the top 12 and Diniz in the top 20.
Race Day : As long as the engines stay together, both drivers could pick up points regularly, although podium finishes may be a little to much to hope for this year.
Qualifying : Both Villeneuve and Frentzen will be fighting for pole all year.
Qualifying : Once again, Schumacher will be up front all year. Irvine in the top 6.
Qualifying : Alesi and Berger will be regular top 6 qualifiers, with maybe Alesi sneaking a pole.
Qualifying : Both drivers in the top 8 with Mika topping DC most of the time.
Qualifying : Regularly in the top 12, though lack of track knowledge will hurt Schumacher.
Qualifying : Top 10 for Panis, top 15 for Nakano.
Qualifying : Top 10 within a few races
Qualifying : The lack of brute horsepower will relegate both drivers to the bottom of the pile. Getting in the top 15 will be an accomplishment.
Qualifying : Lack of horsepower means places in the rear third of the grid. Cracking the top 15 will be cause for celebration.
Qualifying : Bottom third of the grid to start the season, but both drivers will be moving up the grid as the year goes on.
Qualifying : Back of the grid, possibly falling foul of the 107% rule (especially when the new engine is introduced).
We gave several of our corresponents the task of coming up with their Top 10's for next season.
World Drivers Championship
World Constructors Championship
Rothmans Williams (Renault V10 / Goodyear)
Take away that aspect and chances are high that '97 will simply look like a '96 highlight reel, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen playing the part of Damon Hill.
Race Day : Expect Villeneuve to get the better of Frentzen overall, but Heinz-Harald will definitely be on the top step of the podium before mid-season.
Go back to the top!
Marlboro Ferrari (Ferrari V10 / Goodyear)
It is expecting too much for Schumacher to run away with the Championship, but chances are good that he will be in the thick of it up to the end.
Race Day : Expect Schumacher to pick up 3 or 4 wins, and don't be surprised if Eddie gets one too.
Go back to the top!
Mild Seven Benetton (Renault V10 / Goodyear)
The unrest between Alesi and Briatore could prove to be disruptive and the rumours of the team "starting from scratch" with the likes of Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli or Alex Wurz do nothing to help. Unless the team gets a couple of good results early in the season, things could fall apart quickly.
Race Day : Berger's consistency has the edge over Alesi's charging. Plenty of points but not many wins.
Go back to the top!
West McLaren (Mercedes V10 / Goodyear)
Race Day : With a little luck and a few key retirements, Mika could finally win. Both drivers consistently in the top 5.
Go back to the top!
Benson & Hedges Jordan (Peugeot V10 / Goodyear)
Race Day : Some points finishes, especially for Fisichella, but podiums may be scarce.
Go back to the top!
Gauloises Ligier (Mugen-Honda V10 / Bridgestone)
Though the new Bridgestone rubber and more involvement from Honda will help, don't expect to see Panis get win #2. His team-mate Shinji Nakano (courtesy of Honda) will have the handicap of a lack of track knowledge and very little testing time. Don't expect much from him, except at Suzuka.
Race Day : Possibly a podium finish for Panis, while Nakano will do well to get on the scoreboard
Go back to the top!
Petronas Sauber (Ferrari V10 / Goodyear)
All this bodes well for pilots Johnny Herbert and Nicola Larini, although the '97 car will not be ready to start testing until early February because of the late change to Ferrari power. Herbert showed at Benetton that he is capable of running up front given the right equipment, while Larini has done more miles in a Ferrari than anyone except maybe Berger and Alesi. As long as the car performs well straight out of the box, for they will have very little chance to test, the team could pull some surprises this year.
Race Day : It may take them a few races to get going, but expect many points finishes including a couple of podiums.
Go back to the top!
PIAA Tyrrell (Ford V8 / Goodyear)
Under Tyrrell's wing Verstappen could develop into a winner, whether the team can provide a winning car is quite another matter. Although the oft-exploding Yamaha engine is gone, the team has had to go with the customer Ford ED V8 which, as Minardi found out in '96, is sadly lacking in power. The switch to Bridgestone rubber and the addition of both Torasuke Takagi (as test driver) and Saturo Nakajima (as a director) could indicate a Honda engine in 1998. If that is the case then Salo and Verstappen should spend '97 getting ready to win.
Race Day : Though maybe not the fastest thing on the track they will be among the most reliable, giving Salo and Verstappen the chance to pick up points regularly but only in 1 or 2 point increments.
Go back to the top!
Mild Seven Minardi (Hart V8 / Bridgestone)
In the other seat, the team has in Jarno Trulli one of the best young drivers on the grid. The weak link in the chain is the Hart engine, which showed in '96 that it did not have the output of the major works engines and often failed when pushed hard. This could be the only damper on what looks set to be the best year Minardi has ever had.
Race Day : Katayama is steady, while Trulli is a racer. If the reliability is there, the team will be in the points.
Go back to the top!
HBSC Stewart (Ford V10 / Bridgestone)
As with all new teams there are bound to be teething troubles, but Jackie Stewart has set modest goals for his first season (to score just one championship point !) and they are well within reach.
Race Day : Reliability will be a major factor, but the cars will be getting in the top 10. The teams first points will come by mid-season.
Go back to the top!
Mastercard Lola (Ford V8 & Lola V10 / Goodyear)
However, the customer Ford V8 engine that they start the season with, will mean starting at the back of the grid and struggling to get in the top 10 during a race. Even more telling though is the decision to build their own V10 engine. It is a hard enough for a new team be competitive, without having to go through the inevitable (and numerous) failures of a new powerplant. This won't help the teams drivers, neither of which has the experience to develop a brand new car : Riccardo Rosset turned in some solid performances in his rookie year, but did not exactly set the world on fire, while Vincenzo Sospiri has never raced in F1 and did very little running during his time as Benetton's test driver in '96.
"This season will be a learning experience" is a major understatement.
Race Day : Both drivers will spend a lot of time looking in their mirrors. With some good fortune and numerous retirements, they may score a point.
Go back to the top!
We will see how they fared in our '97 Season Review!
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Jacques Villeneuve
H-H Frentzen
Gerhard Berger
Mika Hakkinen
Mika Hakkinen
H-H Frentzen
H-H Frentzen
Gerhard Berger
Mika Hakkinen
Gerhard Berger
Eddie Irvine
Johnny Herbert
David Coulthard
David Coulthard
Jean Alesi
Olivier Panis
Jean Alesi
Eddie Irvine
Gianni Fisichella
Johnny Herbert
David Coulthard
Jan Magnussen
Damon Hill
Olivier Panis
Nicola Larini
Go back to the top!
Williams
Williams
Williams
Ferrari
Ferrari
McLaren
McLaren
Benetton
Ferrari
Benetton
McLaren
Benetton
Jordan
Sauber
Jordan
Sauber
Ligier
Ligier
Tyrrell
Jordan
Sauber
Ligier
TWR Arrows
Stewart
TWR Arrows
Tyrrell
Tyrrell
Minardi
Stewart
Minardi
F1 Index