1997 Monaco Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 17 in the 1997 Formula One season | |||
 |
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| Date | 11 May 1997 | ||
| Official name | LV Grand Prix de Monaco | ||
| Location | Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco | ||
| Course | Temporary street circuit | ||
| Course length | 3.36 km (2.08 mi) | ||
| Distance | 62 laps, 207.08 km (128.96 mi) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 78 laps, 260.52 km (162.24 mi) | ||
| Weather | Overcast, cold and rain | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Williams-Renault | ||
| Time | 1:18.216 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Michael Schumacher
|
Ferrari | |
| Time | 1:53.315 on lap 26 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Ferrari | ||
| Second | Stewart-Ford | ||
| Third | Ferrari | ||
The 1997 Monaco Grand Prix (formally the LV Grand Prix de Monaco) was a Formula One race held on 11 May 1997 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the fifth round of the 1997 Formula One season. The 62-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher for the Scuderia Ferrari team after starting from second position. Rubens Barrichello, who started the Grand Prix from tenth position, finished second in a Stewart car, with Eddie Irvine third in the other Ferrari. Schumacher's win saw him take over the lead of the World Driver's championship from Williams driver Jacques Villeneuve. Ferrari also took over the lead of the Constructors' Championship from Williams.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen, driving for Williams, started from pole position ahead of Schumacher. However, Frentzen and team-mate Villeneuve both made poor starts down to a case of tyre strategy made by Williams and both drivers later retired from the race from separate accidents. Schumacher won the race comfortably, with a gap of 53 seconds from Barrichello who scored the first podium slot for the Stewart team in only their 5th Grand Prix. The race had been scheduled for 78 laps, but was only run for 62 laps due to the race taking longer than 2 hours to complete. This was largely down to rainy conditions that the drivers encountered during the Grand Prix.
The Grand Prix was contested by eleven teams with two drivers each. The teams (also known as constructors) were Arrows, Williams, Ferrari, Benetton, McLaren, Jordan, Prost, Sauber, Tyrrell, Minardi and Stewart.
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