Belgian Grand Prix 1997 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Michael Schumacher produced a brilliant victory at Spa-Francorchamps, mastering the changeable weather conditions to claim Ferrari's fourth win of 1997. Starting from third on the grid, Schumacher used his renowned wet-weather skills to perfection, navigating the treacherous conditions better than his rivals to take the lead and control the race. Giancarlo Fisichella delivered a career-best second place for Jordan-Peugeot with an impressive performance in the difficult conditions, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen secured third for Williams after Jacques Villeneuve encountered problems.

Villeneuve's retirement after colliding with a backmarker while leading proved costly, allowing Schumacher to close the championship gap to just seven points with five races remaining. The title fight was swinging back toward Ferrari, with Schumacher showing superior racecraft and consistency in the second half of the season. Spa demonstrated once again that Schumacher was the master of wet-weather driving, a skill that would serve him well in the championship's final act.