Jim Clark driving for Lotus won his first Drivers' Championship with three races to go.[1] He won seven races in the championship, a number that would not be beaten until 1988, when Ayrton Senna won eight, and a win percentage that nearly beat Alberto Ascari's record from 1952. Lotus also won the Manufacturers' Championship for the first time.[2]
Every pole position and race in the 1963 championship were won by British drivers, the first time that this was achieved by any single nation. (Italy is sometimes considered to have achieved this feat in 1952, but this only goes if the Indianapolis 500 is excluded from the statistic.)
The British Grand Prix was moved from Aintree to Silverstone. Aintree had alternated with Silverstone since 1955, but 1962 was the last time that they hosted F1.
The Monaco Grand Prix received the honorary title of European Grand Prix and, more importantly, functioned as the 1963 season opener. With little driver changes in the front-running teams and constructors withholding to introduce new designs to the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, the battle between the 1962 championship protagonists was expected to restart. Only five drivers were guaranteed a starting place: the previous World Champions or winners of the Monaco Grand Prix. The rest had to fight in qualifying over the remaining eleven spaces. 1962's runner-up Jim Clark managed this with ease in his Lotus-Climax. He posted the fastest practice time and started the race on pole position. Reigning champion Graham Hill started second in his BRM, while John Surtees (Ferrari) and Richie Ginther (BRM). Hill and Ginther took the lead at the start, but the first nine cars kept going nose-to-tail. Clark managed to get past Hill on lap 7, but then went wide at the Station hairpin and going down to third once again. He tried again and the lead changes hands multiple times, before Clark went ahead definitively and increased his lead to 17 seconds at three-quarters race-distance. Then suddenly, his gearbox jammed and his wheels locked. Hill was gifted the win, ahead of teammate Ginther and Bruce McLaren in the Cooper.[3]
The Belgian Grand Prix was run at Spa-Francorchamps, one of the fastest circuits of the year, with the 1.5 litre cars running full throttle for some three minutes per lap. Clark was still suffering from gearbox issues, so Hill took pole position, ahead of Dan Gurney (Brabham) and local hero Willy Mairesse (Ferrari). Clark started eighth, but somehow, managed to take the lead before the first corner was reached. Hill followed him and the pair had a 15 second lead after the first lap. The race was run in very wet conditions and Clark had the upper-hand, stretching out a lead of his own to almost 30 seconds at half-distance. Then when Hill's gearbox broke, his win looked sealed, expect the heaviest storm of the day flooded the track. Five drivers crashed and it was discussed to stop the race, but Clark cautiously completed the laps, ahead of McLaren and Gurney.[4]
Moving north some 300km (190mi), Circuit Zandvoort hosted the Dutch Grand Prix. Clark started on pole, ahead of Hill and McLaren. The three arrived side-by-side at Tarzan corner, but the positions were unchanged. Brabham had started fourth but got up to second while his teammate Gurney drew everyone's attention with a heroic recovery drive after a bad start. Hill got back up to second, but his BRM was overheating. Gurney had climbed to fourth, but a strut underneath the car had come loose and a pit stop brought him back down the order. Hill's engine had enough on lap 58 and he was forced to pit, letting Surtees into second and Gurney up to third. The latter had been working wonders again, but Clark, meanwhile, was a lap ahead of everyone else. He won the race to make it a "grand slam", ahead of Gurney and Surtees, a late spin by the Ferrari driver gave Gurney a deserved place as 'best-of-the-rest'.[5]
In the Drivers' Championship, Jim Clark (Lotus) was leading with 18 points, ahead of Richie Ginther (BRM with 11 and Bruce McLaren (Cooper) and Dan Gurney (Brabham), both with 10. Lotus was leading the Manufacturers' Championship with 19 points, ahead of BRM with 14 and Cooper and Brabham with 10.
Rounds 4 to 7
Championship leader Jim Clark scored another pole position at the French Grand Prix, ahead of Graham Hill and Dan Gurney. At the start, Hill stalled his engine, along with Masten Gregory and the unrelated Phil Hill, but they were allowed to be push-started without further consequence, which was a diversion from the normal rules by the French race director. Behind Clark, a group of Brabhams and BRMs were fighting over second place. A couple of laps later, a series of retirements had changed the picture, and Clark's engine was not reaching full rpm either. Jack Brabham was catching the leading Lotus, but when the rain fell, Clark was again the fastest man on track and took the chequered flag to complete another "grand slam" and a hattrick of wins. When an electrical wire had come loose, Brabham's engine died. Although he could restart it, second place was now up for grabs. Hill took first advantage but his clutch slipped and it was Tony Maggs for Cooper that was the first to finish behind the almighty Clark. During the race, the stewards decided to penalise the three drivers that stalled on the grid by adding a minute to their race time.[6] Hill was still classified as third, but at a later point, it was decided to withhold his championship points. No points were awarded for third place.[7]
For the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Clark scored a fourth consecutive pole position, ahead of Gurney and Hill. Clark bogged down at the start, but he was back in front after just four laps. Brabham was the first of a group tightly fighting over second place. Gurney took over when Brabham's engine blew up. The race went on without incidents until Gurney's engine blew up on lap 60 and spread oil across the track. Hill went into second place before he starting running out of fuel, letting Surtees into second and coasting over the line in third place. Clark scored his fourth win in a row. [8]
Clark looked unstoppable going into the German Grand Prix, putting his Lotus on pole once again, ahead of Surtees and Bandini (BRM). Clark held the lead at the start and was expected to run away with it, but sixth-starting Richie Ginther overtook him and so did Surtees, later in the first lap. Surtees and Clark soon passed Ginther, but still, it was a Ferrari in front and not a Lotus. And that remained for a while, with Clark going faster through the corners, but his Climax engine cutting out a cylinder, slowing him down on the straights. Graham Hill retired with a failing gearbox. When Surtees set a new lap record, Clark eased off to at least ensure a second place. Surtees delivered Ferrari's first win in two years. Ginther finished third. There were multiple heavy crashes during the race: Surtees's teamamte Willy Mairesse came off worst with a broken arm.[9]
Clark was now 20 points ahead in the championship, and he would clinch the title if he won the Italian Grand Prix, no matter the results of his rivals. Unlike in 1962, the organisers had planned to use the full 10km (6.2mi)Monza circuit, including the oval. Bob Anderson crashed his Lola in practice and described it the safest accident he could wish to have. However, the police went round the track and noted that there were no fences on the inside of the oval to protect spectators. The organisers quickly agreed, seeing that there was a petition going to refuse the race unless the banking was eliminated, and declared to use the road circuit only for the rest of the weekend. Surtees qualified on pole in front of Ferrari's home crowd, ahead of Hill and Clark. Hill got the best start and was followed by Clark, before the traditional slipstreaming commenced and the lead changes hands multiple times through the next laps. Soon, though, Surtees and Clark were on their own, and then the Ferrari engine blew up. This gifted Clark the lead, but without a slipstream, the Climax engine was not up for it, so Hill and Gurney caught him and they formed a new trio at the front. But Hill's clutch gave out just after half-distance and Gurney's BRM had trouble with its fuel system, so Clark was left alone once more and his pace dropped. By this point, however, he was a lap ahead of second-placed Ginther and he cruised to the finish, to take the win and claim the 1963 championship.[10]
Jim Clark (Lotus) led the championship with 51 points, ahead of Richie Ginther (BRM, 24) and John Surtees (Ferrari, 22). On the basis of points, Ginther could still get level with Clark, but only the six best results in the season would count towards the championship, so on the minute chance that he would win the last three races, a number of third and second place finishes would be discounted. It marked Clark's and Lotus's first titles, and it was the first time that a driver secured the title with three races to go. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Lotus stood on 51 points, ahead of BRM (28) and Ferrari (22).
Rounds 8 to 10
Even with the title in the pocket, Jim Clark was not easing off and fought for pole position for the United States Grand Prix, but it was 1962 champion Graham Hill that snatched it by a tenth of a second. His rivals in the hunt for second position in the championship, John Surtees and Richie Ginther, started on the second row. At the start, Clark's engine stalled, so Hill was unchallenged into the first corner. The Lotus was pushed to life and the freshly crowned champion started his race over a lap down. On lap 7, Surtees took the lead from Hill and Dan Gurney took third place from Ginther. Hill followed the Ferrari but had had enough of it by lap 30. He tried to overtake twice, but both times, Surtees repassed him on the straight. By lap 80, Hill was falling back with handling problems, but Surtees came into the pits with a failing engine. The BRMs of Hill and Ginther finished 1-2, ahead of Clark in third, whose engine was misfiring but had seen more than ten other drivers retiring.[11]
Clark was back on top for the Mexican Grand Prix, he started ahead of Surtees and Hill. Ginther, second in the championship standings, started fifth. At the start, Hill missed a gear and moved down to eighth. Fourth-starting Gurney moved up to second. Surtees pitted on lap 19 and was disqualified for needing a push-start from his mechanics. Double World Champion Jack Brabham inherited third place and managed to get past Ginther. Clark finished an lonely race at the top, almost a lap ahead of Brabham and Ginther. Hill finished fourth.[12]
Going into the final race, the South African Grand Prix, Ginther (29 points), Hill (25) and Surtees (22) could all still finish runner-up in the championship. The deal would be done if one of them could beat Clark to victory, but the champion started on pole position. Surtees started fourth, was up to second at the end of the first lap, but was back to fourth on lap 5. He suddenly retired on lap 43 when his engine blew up. Brabham had started second but fell back with a loss of power, while teammate Gurney was running a comfortable second, actually keeping up with Clark but not able to do more than that. Ginther's driveshaft failed on lap 44, letting Hill into third place and gifting the Brit second place in the championship.[13]
The Drivers' Championship ended with Jim Clark (Lotus) on 54 points, winning his first title, ahead of BRM teammates Graham Hill and Richie Ginther, both scoring 29 points, but the Brit getting second place on countback. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Lotus gathered 54 points, winning their first title as well, ahead of BRM with 36 and Brabham with 28.
Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. Only the best six results counted towards the championship.
The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. Additionally, like the Drivers' Championship, only the best six results counted towards the cup.
Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:
1 2 3 Only the best 6 results counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
The 1962 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 3 June 1962. It was race 2 of 9 in both the 1962 World Championship of Drivers and the 1962 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 100-lap race was won by Cooper driver Bruce McLaren after he started from third position. Phil Hill finished second for the Ferrari team and his teammate Lorenzo Bandini came in third.
The 1962 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Rouen-Les-Essarts on 8 July 1962. It was race 4 of 9 in both the 1962 World Championship of Drivers and the 1962 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was won by Dan Gurney, his first Formula One victory, driving a Porsche, that company's only win as a constructor in a Formula One championship race coming after three years of racing. It was the third time that the French Grand Prix was held at Rouen, the previous time being 1957.
The 1962 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 7, 1962, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 8 of 9 in both the 1962 World Championship of Drivers and the 1962 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 100-lap race was won by Lotus driver Jim Clark after starting from pole position. Graham Hill finished second for the BRM team and Cooper driver Bruce McLaren came in third.
The 1963 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 6, 1963, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 8 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 110-lap race was won by BRM driver Graham Hill after he started from pole position. His teammate Richie Ginther finished second and Lotus driver Jim Clark came in third.
The 1964 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 4, 1964, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 9 of 10 in both the 1964 World Championship of Drivers and the 1964 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 110-lap race was won by BRM driver Graham Hill after he started from fourth position. John Surtees finished second for the Ferrari team and Brabham driver Jo Siffert came in third.
The 1965 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 30 May 1965. It was race 2 of 10 in both the 1965 World Championship of Drivers and the 1965 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers, albeit held almost five months after the first race of the season. The 100-lap race was won by BRM driver Graham Hill from pole position. Lorenzo Bandini finished second for the Ferrari team and Hill's teammate Jackie Stewart came in third.
The 1965 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 3, 1965, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 9 of 10 in both the 1965 World Championship of Drivers and the 1965 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 110-lap race was won by BRM driver Graham Hill after he started from pole position. Dan Gurney finished second for the Brabham team and his teammate Jack Brabham came in third.
The 1966 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 4 September 1966. It was race 7 of 9 in both the 1966 World Championship of Drivers and the 1966 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was the 36th Italian Grand Prix and the 32nd to be held at Monza. The race was held over 68 laps of the five kilometre circuit for a race distance of 391 kilometres.
The 1966 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 2, 1966, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 8 of 9 in both the 1966 World Championship of Drivers and the 1966 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was the ninth United States Grand Prix. It was the sixth to be held at Watkins Glen. The race was held over 108 laps of the 3.78-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 408 kilometres.
The 1972 Formula One season was the 26th season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 23rd World Championship of Drivers, the 15th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship season commenced on 23 January and ended on 8 October after twelve races.
The 1970 Formula One season was the 24th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 21st World Championship of Drivers, the 13th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and three non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over thirteen races between 7 March and 25 October.
The 1968 Formula One season was the 22nd season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 19th World Championship of Drivers, the 11th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and three non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over twelve races between 1 January and 3 November 1968.
The 1967 Formula One season was the 21st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 18th World Championship of Drivers, the 10th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and six non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over eleven races between 2 January and 22 October 1967.
The 1966 Formula One season was the 20th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 17th World Championship of Drivers, the 9th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and four non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over nine races between 22 May and 23 October 1966.
The 1965 Formula One season was the 19th season of FIA Formula One racing. It featured the 16th World Championship of Drivers, the 8th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and seven non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over ten races between 1 January and 24 October 1965.
The 1964 Formula One season was the 18th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 15th World Championship of Drivers, the 7th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and eight non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over ten races between 10 May and 25 October 1964.
The 1962 Formula One season was the 16th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 13th World Championship of Drivers, the 5th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship was contested over nine races between 20 May and 29 December 1962.
The 1961 Formula One season was the 15th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 12th World Championship of Drivers, the 4th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship was contested over eight races between 14 May and 8 October 1961.
The 1960 Formula One season was the 14th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 11th World Championship of Drivers, the third International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and five non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship was contested over ten races between 7 February and 20 November 1960.
The 1959 Formula One season was the 13th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 10th World Championship of Drivers, the second International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and five non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship was contested over nine races between 10 May and 12 December 1959.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
