“Michael Schumacher retires after a staggering 40 seconds lead”- The last time both Ferrari had heartbreaking double mechanical failure DNFs was in 1997

25 years since Ferrari last retired both of their cars due to a mechanical failure at the British Grand Prix during the 1997 season.

Ferrari had a nightmare race as both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr retired from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to mechanical issues. Pole sitter Leclerc retired due to smoke from the engine on lap 20th while Sainz retired due to hydraulic failure on the 10th lap.

However, the last time both the Ferrari cars retired due to mechanical issues and not crashes was way back at Silverstone during the 1997 season.

Confident Michael Schumacher looking for a Hattrick of wins

Michael Schumacher was on a comfortable fourteen points lead ahead of rival Jacques Villeneuve right before the British Grand Prix.

The German won the previous two Grand Prix in Canada and France and was looking sharp. He planned on making it a hattrick at the Silverstone Circuit. Teammate Eddie Irvine also finished on the podium in the previous race looking to secure a confident Ferrari 1-2 finish.

Jacques Villeneuve took the pole while his teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen locked the front grid. McLaren’s Mika Haikkenen started third while favourite Schumacher only qualified fourth.

The last time both Ferrari cars retired with mechanical issues not caused by collisions, was Silverstone…

In 1997…#F1 #Formula1 #AzerbaijanGP

— r/Formula1 (@F1Subreddit) June 12, 2022

Also Read: Watch Lewis Hamilton struggle to walk due to back pain after Azerbaijan GP

Double DNFs for Ferrari in British Grand Prix 1997

The Canadian driver led the race with Schumacher in second while McLaren’s David Coulthard jumped from sixth to third. However, Villeneuve’s lead would be cut short for time being.

Villeneuve had to pit for thirty seconds to a loose wheel nut on lap 10. Schumacher got a clean road ahead and comfortably led the race with a lead of over 40 seconds.

However, Schumacher’s race would come to an abrupt end when he had to go back to the pits to retire due to a wheel-bearing failure.

His teammate Eddie Irvine also retired due to a Halfshaft issue while he was running seventh on the grid. In total, there were 11 retirements during the 1997 British Grand Prix.

In the space of just 28 laps, 10 drivers would suffer mechanical failures during the 1997 British Grand Prix. Seven of those would be engine failure, including all four Ford powered cars. #f1 #f11997 pic.twitter.com/R3ALwl4mEQ

— F1 1997 (@1997_f1) February 8, 2021

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