1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

[1] Wayne Rainey's team was left with the inconsistent Norifumi Abe and Sete Gibernau, a rookie.

[1] Daryl Beattie wasn't able to come back from head injuries and retired at the end of the year while Anthony Gobert failed a drug test and was dismissed by the Suzuki team.

[1] The Elf team soldiered on with their Swiss-Auto V4 but Aprilia decided to pull their V twin from the 500 class at the end of the year.

Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap [6] Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers.

Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap [7] Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers.