| Car Name: | Benetton B197 |
| Category: | Formula One |
| Constructor: | Benetton |
| Predecessor: | B196 |
| Successor: | B198 |
| Team: | Mild Seven Benetton Renault |
| Drivers: | 7.  Jean Alesi8.  Gerhard Berger8. Alexander Wurz |
| Chassis: | carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure |
| Front Suspension: | double wishbones, pushrod, triple damper |
| Rear Suspension: | double wishbones, pushrod, double damper |
| Engine Name: | Renault RS9/RS9A/RS9B, |
| Configuration: | 71° V10 |
| Power: | 730-755 hp @ 17,000 rpm[1] |
| Gearbox Name: | Benetton six-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic |
| Fuel: | Agip |
| Tyres: | Goodyear |
| Debut: | 1997 Australian Grand Prix |
| First Win: | 1997 German Grand Prix |
| Last Win: | 1997 German Grand Prix |
| Last Event: | 1997 European Grand Prix |
| Races: | 17 |
| Wins: | 1 |
| Cons Champ: | 0 |
| Drivers Champ: | 0 |
| Podiums: | 8 |
| Poles: | 2 |
| Fastest Laps: | 2 |
The Benetton B197 is a Formula One racing car with which the Benetton team competed in the 1997 Formula One World Championship. There it was driven by Frenchman Jean Alesi and Austrian Gerhard Berger, who were both in their second season with the team. However, Berger was forced to sit out three races in the middle of the season due to sinus problems, and compatriot Alexander Wurz made his F1 début by deputising for him, starting at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The car is a further development of the previous year's B196, from which both drivers had struggled to extract maximum performance. The B197 proved competitive at nearly every race, but only scored one win, courtesy of Berger on his return to the cockpit in Germany. The main problem with the car was its inability to bring its tyres up to temperature on low-grip circuits, particularly in qualifying. However, Berger and Alesi did secure one pole position each during the course of the season. By the end of the season, it was clear that Benetton would adopt a new driver line-up for, with Berger retiring and Alesi moving to Sauber.
The team eventually finished third in the Constructors' Championship, with 67 points.
The Benetton B197 was the last Benetton Formula 1 car to utilize fully-fledged Renault engines until the B201 in 2001 season due to the company's repositioning to privatisation plan.
The B197 was still painted in white and blue with additional red accents from a new sponsor Akai. FedEx and Gillette also joined the team.
Benetton used the Mild Seven logos, except at the French, British and German Grands Prix.
The B197 was still currently active in the BOSS GP. The original Renault engine were swapped out with a Judd engine.
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mild Seven Benetton Renault | Renault V10 | AUS | BRA | ARG | SMR | MON | ESP | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | AUT | LUX | EUR | 67 | 3rd | ||||
| Jean Alesi | Ret | 6 | 7 | 5 | Ret | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 2 | Ret | 2 | 5 | 13 | ||||||
| Gerhard Berger | 4 | 2 | 6 | Ret | 9 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 4 | |||||||||
| Alexander Wurz | Ret | Ret | 3 |