Jerez 1997:
with Murray Walker.
F1 Racing December 1997.

Was it a great race? Well, for me it was - until lap 48 when Mr Schumacher turned right into Mr Villeneuve. Everything
had been absolutely superb until then: A simply wonderful qualifying session which put the top three in the championship onto the top three places on the grid, an unpredictable race scenario and then an enthralling battle between the top two world title contenders which at one stage looked like going to the flag.

Now, I've often been accused of being a silly, starry-eyed, naive idealist who simply won't see the harsh realities that rule Formula 1, but I've always stoutly rejected any suggestions that Michael Schumacher deliberately turned into Damon Hill at Adelaide in 1994, or that Alain Prost did the same to Ayrton Senna in 1989. But now I'm not so sure - about Schumacher anyway. Because he did it to Villeneuve at Jerez, perhaps his move on Damon was deliberate too. And while I'm at it, I wasn't impressed with what appeared to be an accommodation between Williams and McLaren. "We'll tell Jacques to move over and yield the race to make sure he wins the championship without the risk of being punted off by an understandably eager Mika and David". And then Coulthard gives way to Hakkinen. You only had to look at his body language on the podium to see how underwhelmed with second place he was.

So now it's time to put the rose-coloured spectacles away and face reality, I suppose. After all, it's a business. And a big one. But to end on a high note, well done Jacques and well done Williams. A new champion who richly deserves the honour, and yet another reward for a magnificent team. Is the watching world going to be as impressed as it would have been with a genuine race to the flag, though? Sadly, I fear not.

-End of Article--

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