Summary

There seems to be getting some action back into Formula One: the Williams team is still the only team at the top, clinching the constructors championship after this weekends one-two, but the spectators saw a very exciting race with a blasting Hill making up for his bad start and Villeneuve taking his third win of the season.

The Championship title fight is between both the Williams drivers.

The Ferrari team are still not getting it right, but the Benetton team are getting there.

Notes

• Nigel Mansell will commentate the Grand Prix reviews on ITV next year.
• Salo, Diniz and Verstappen hit each other on lap 0. All three drivers retire because of this: Salo lap 0, Diniz lap 5 and Verstappen lap 10.
• Brundle goes through the gravel and is out of the race on lap 5.
• Coulthard spins on the start-finish straight on lap 23 because hit gearbox seized.
• Lamy retires due to a technical defect on lap 24.
• Irvine retires with a smoking Ferrari on lap 31.
• Herbert's new Ford engine lets go on lap 35.
• Frentzen retires after two pitstops in two laps on lap 50.
• Berger blows up his Renault engine, just like in the last race, on lap 64.
• Schumacher retires with mechanical problems on lap 70.

Results

1. Jaques Villeneuve, Williams-Renault, 1:46.21.134
2. Damon Hill, Britain, Williams-Renault, 1:46:21.905
3. Jean Alesi, France, Benetton Renault, 1:47:45.346
4. Mika Hakkinen, Finland, Mclaren Mercedes, 76.
5. Olivier Panis, France, Ligier Mugen Honda, 76.
6. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Jordan Peugeot, 75.
7. Ukyo Katayama, Japan, Tyrell Yamaha, 74.
8. Ricardo Rosset, Brazil, TWR F1 Hart, 74.
9. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 70.
10. Giovanni Lavaggi, Italy, Minardi Ford 69.

Quotes

Villeneuve: "I'm just really frustrated with the operation of the clutch. I got a bit of wheel spin, I tried to use the clutch to moderate it, and it just gripped."

"I am very happy. This is not the kind of track I really enjoy."

Schumacher: "A couple of laps before I retired the throttle was getting stiff and tended to stick open. Then even the gearbox began to play up downshifts. Approaching the slower corners the only way I could slow down was by turning off the cut-out switch to kill the engine and then switch it on again. However at one point I made a mistake and hit the neutral selector switch and the engine cut out and would not fire up again. It's true that I could have got on the podium but I am not frustrated because I have said it before and I say it again, that this year, I did not expect to fight for the title."

A Quick Look at the Standings

Drivers championship

1. Hill 79
2. Villeneuve 62
3. Alesi 35
4. Schumacher 29
5. Hakkinen 19
6. Coulthard 18
7. Berger 16
8. Panis 13
9. Barrichello 12
10. Irvine 9
11. Frentzen 6
12. Salo 5
13. Herbert 4
14. Brundle 3
15. Diniz 1
16. Verstappen 1

Constructors championship

1. Williams-Renault 141 (World Champion 1996)
2. Benetton-Renault 51
3. Ferrari 38
4. McLaren-Mercedes 37
5. Jordan-Peugeot 15
6. Ligier-Mugen-Honda 14
7. Sauber-Ford 10
8. Tyrrell-Yamaha 5
9. TWR 1