The race that unearthed Schumacher's greatest rival

The 1997 European GP, which Formula 1 is streaming today, will forever be remembered for the famous tangle between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve that decided the outcome of the world championship. But it was also notable for the first time GP winner who would become Schumacher's most respected adversary

Luke Smith Apr 8, 2020, 3:05 PM

Upd: Apr 8, 2020, 5:59 PM

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The 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez can be seen as a defining race in one of Michael Schumacher's great rivalries - but not the one you may think. While it was the final, futile act in Schumacher's fight against Jacques Villeneuve, the race also gave rise to the man he would later call "the best opponent I've had".

Mika Hakkinen had been at risk of fading into F1 'nearly-man' territory nearing the end of the 1997 season. Seven years on from his titanic tussle with Schumacher at the Macau Grand Prix, the Finn had enjoyed a solid grand prix career as a podium regular for McLaren.

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Author Luke Smith

Luke Smith is Autosport’s Formula 1 reporter. Luke has been working in F1 as a journalist since 2013, initially alongside a History degree at University College London. Luke served as the lead F1 writer at American broadcaster NBC Sports from 2013-17 before spending two years as the F1 Editor for Crash.net. Luke joined Autosport for the 2020 season.

Luke is also a contributor to The New York Times for its F1 special reports, and has previously worked with Al Jazeera and CNBC, as well as hosting FIA press conferences. Outside of F1, Luke is a fan of sports and music, with an ever-growing vinyl collection, and has being bitten by the running bug in recent years. He also runs a surprisingly popular blog reviewing the often-terrible media centre coffee from his F1 travels.