The 1960s were a time of great change for Formula One. The first generation of heroes from the 1950s were replaced with newer, younger drivers. New teams appeared, such as Honda, Brabham, Eagle, McLaren and Matra, while some older teams disappeared, such as Cooper and Porsche. Drivers such as McLaren, Clark, Brabham, Stewart, Hill, Surtees and Gurney became the heroes of the races in their new low-slung, mid-engined cars that replaced the 1950s front-engined roadsters. National colours also began to fade with sponsorship becoming more and more visible - the British Racing Green Lotus was now a Gold Leaf Tobacco Lotus; soon Ferrari were the only ones left their national colour - red. Wings appeared on the cars, near the end of the decade, adding a whole new area of development and problems. Engines were also a focus of change, with the decade ending under the Ford banner and the mighty Cosworth V-8. Titles were well spread amongst drivers and the competition was as fierce as ever.

The Tracks of the 1960s

1960:

1960 was the first great year of the Climax engine, which powered every race-winning car of the season except Phil Hill's Ferrari at Monza. This was the last year of the 2.5 litre engine formula but that still did not prevent teams from making major technical leaps. Lotus set new standards in design with the Lotus 18 and Colin Chapman showed his genius in this extremely lightweight car. Weighing only 390 kgs, with new design in suspension and chassis construction, it had several mechanical problems due to its radical new design. It would be a long year for Lotus.

In the first race of the year, Bruce McLaren continued his form from he season ending win in 1959 by taking the Argentinean Grand Prix. However, the sensation of the race was the new Lotus 18 that had been completed only days before and had had no testing, yet still led the race and finished sixth at the hands of Innes Ireland. Stirling Moss, in a Lotus 18, won the next race in Monaco, though it was a private entry by Rob Walker Racing, and not official team Lotus. Also at Monaco, Ferrari debuted their first mid-engined design, which finished sixth, and a front-engined American car going by the name Scarab appeared. By this point, it was totally outclassed and failed to make the field.

Jack Brabham and his Cooper-Climax then took charge in mid season, winning a total of five races in a row. Of note in the races that Brabham won was the appearance of future star Jim Clark at Zandvoort in a Lotus 18 and, during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the fact that Brabham was forced to fight a mighty duel with Graham Hill in his BRM, until Hill spun out. Also at the British Grand Prix was John Surtees making his first four-wheeled start, having been a motorcycle racer before Formula One, taking second in his first-ever race.

This season, like others, was not without sorrow, with two fatalities at Spa-Francorchamps, involving the Lotus of Alan Stacey and the Cooper of Chris Bristow. Also in Belgium were two serious accidents for Stirling Moss and Mike Taylor, both in Lotus 18s. This series of incidents caused a big stir over the safety of these new lightweight cars and specifically the Lotus. Lotus' construction came under fire for a half-shaft failure caused Moss' crash and a sudden steering failure that caused Taylor's. Alan Stacey's crash was not the fault of Lotus, but that of a bird that hit him in the face on one of the long straits of the course.

At Monza, the only factory team was Ferrari, due to the fact that the British teams refused to run on the rough surfaces of the oval for fear of damaging their cars. Phil Hill gave America its first Formula One win and the first for Ferrari and a mid-engined car. However, the Ferrari team did not compete in the United States Grand Prix run this year in Riverside, California and Stirling Moss took his second win of the year for Rob Walker.

At the end of the season it was Jack Brabham who won his second title and in the process made Cooper-Climax the first repeat winner of the constructors title. Promising young star Bruce McLaren was second ahead of Moss, Ireland, and Phil Hill. However, the next year brought new rule changes so it would all have to start all over again.

1961:

1961 was the first year of the new 1.5 litre engine formula. The new formula had been used in Formula Two for the past several years and both Ferrari and Porsche had put considerable efforts into their Formula Two engines making them the favourites for the year. However, the British motor industry was far behind in their development of engines of the new size. Where other teams had been preparing for the new formula, the British manufacturers had been trying to get an extension of the previous years' 2.5 litre engine size. They failed in their attempt to extend the previous formula, but they had neglected development for the upcoming season leaving the British teams out in the cold for the first half of the season until their new engines could be completed.

Even with the under-powered four cylinder Coventry Climax in the back of all British cars, including the BRM, they were still nimble enough to allow Stirling Moss to win the first event of the year in Monte Carlo for Lotus. Ferrari dominated the next four events with four wins, twice sweeping all the podium positions. Von Trips took a clear win at Zandvoort while his team-mate Hill came back at the next race to take the win at Spa.

The next race would go to Giancarlo Baghetti, in his first ever World Championship Grand Prix. Outlasting a duel with American Dan Gurney, who was driving for Porsche to take the win, it is the only time in history that a driver has won his first ever start in an official Grand Prix. However, Baghetti was no stranger to the winners' podium as he had won the non point-paying Syracuse Grand Prix , which was his first start ever in a Grand Prix car.

Ferrari domination continued again in England with Von Trips becoming the first repeat winner of the year in Aintree. When handling and not power was the key, at the twisty Nurburgring, Moss was able to take a win for Lotus over the Ferraris of Hill and Von Trips, with Jim Clark fourth in another Lotus. The next race at Monza ended in tragedy when Von Trips, who had been leading the championship coming into the Italian Grand Prix, was killed along with several spectators in a crash with Jim Clark. Clark survived and Phil Hill went on to win the race not knowing of his team-mates fate, in the process clinching the championship.

Ferrari decided not to participate in the last race of the season at Watkins Glen so the new world champion missed his home race. With no Ferraris on the track Innes Ireland was able to take home the win in the new Lotus 21 over home favourite Dan Gurney. The season ended under this black cloud - Phil Hill had 34 points, Von Trips 33 and both Moss and Gurney had 21 points apiece - despite that, Ferrari took the constructors championship for the first time. Surprisingly, at the end of the season were many personnel changes within teams, with Innes Ireland fired from Lotus and most of Ferrari's core team of designers and mechanics leaving the team. Ferrari would be hard pressed for success in the coming years with the loss of such talented people.

1962:

This year saw the return of British power in the form of new BRM and Coventry Climax eight cylinder engines. It was clear from the beginning of the season that Ferrari would not be a challenge as they had very little development and concentrated more on rebuilding their infrastructure, leaving the English cars the field almost to themselves. The only interruption to British dominance was Dan Gurney's win for Porsche at Rouen in France. In the technical arena Colin Chapman, owner of Lotus, started the monocoque¹ revolution with his new Lotus 25 powered by the new Coventry Climax.

The season opened at Zandvoort with Graham Hill taking the win in the new BRM, finally running its own in-house engine. Second place in the race was Lotus driver Trevor Taylor in his only points position of the season. However, missing from the grid was Stirling Moss, who had suffered a massive pre-season crash in his Lotus at the Goodwood circuit in England and was to be out for good.

The next race of the season was in Monaco and Bruce McLaren took home the victory, while the third race of the season saw the first success for the new Lotus 25 with Jim Clark at the wheel. The fourth and next race fell to Dan Gurney, giving him and Porsche their first victory in Formula One, but Jim Clark bounced back and claimed the win in his home Grand Prix. The last four races of the season would be dominated by Graham Hill for BRM, who claimed three wins and one second place in the last four starts. Hill won at the Nurburgring, Monza, and the new East London track in South Africa. Only Clark was able to interrupt his streak with a win at Watkins Glen making it two for two for Lotus there.

The season ended with Hill beating out Clark for the title by twelve points, with Bruce McLaren, who had a strong showing in the second half of the season with four podium finishes in the last five races, coming in third. The year then ended again on a sad note for Formula One when rising star Ricardo Rodriguez was killed during practice for his non-points home Grand Prix in Mexico.

Also of note during the season was the appearance of a small new car at the Nurburgring, which was piloted by its builder and owner, Jack Brabham.

1963:

This year was unquestionably the year of Jim Clark and the Lotus 25. Besides the one non-finish Jim Clark had at the first race of the year, he never finished outside the top three for the rest of the season and notched up an impressive seven wins and seven poles during the season. The new Brabham team also had a successful year considering that this was its first full year in competition by gathering up several podium finishes from Jack Brabham and Dan Gurney. However, the other teams were left behind and would be forced to catch up to Lotus.

The season opened with a BRM one two finish in Monaco with Hill winning over American Richie Ginther, but this would be one of only two BRM wins in the season. The next four races at Spa, Zandvoort, Rheims, and Silverstone, were dominated by Jim Clark, who took victory in all four. The next race at Nurburgring was won, surprisingly, by John Surtees for Ferrari on a track where the handling of the Lotus should have ensured them another win. Ferrari then unveiled a new car at Monza but it suffered from the normal early mechanical troubles and although Surtees led the first lap of the race, the car broke on the second, allowing Clark to take the win. By winning at Monza, Clark had clinched the title for drivers and constructors with still three races to go.

BRM was able to take another one two finish at Watkins Glen, again with Hill prevailing over Ginther, while Clark was forced to settle for third place, his lowest finish since the first race of the season. Clark came back though, winning the last two races of the season in Mexico and South Africa.

The season also marked the appearance of some new teams full of great expectations: British Racing Partnership, or BRP, Scirocco and the much anticipated Automobili Turismo e Sport, or ATS, the team that was made up of much of the crew that had left Ferrari in 1961. All were unsuccessful in their ventures in their first season. The Lotus 25 had revolutionized chassis design and every other team would rush to copy it so as to remain competitive. While engine development had been the key for the past few seasons, it was now time for the chassis to catch up.

1964:

The competition this season was fierce with four teams winning no less than two races apiece and wins split among five different driver. Four of those five drivers also split amongst them the pole positions for the season. Honda made its Formula One debut during the season, at the Nurburgring, one of many it would make into Formula One in the coming decades.

The season opened the same as it had before with a BRM top two of Hill and Ginther, followed by back to back wins for Clark at Zandvoort and Spa. Clarks win at Spa was due mostly to luck as both Gurney and Hill, who had been leading, were forced to pit, or in Hills case, stop entirely due to fuel problems. Clark himself only just coasted over the line with an empty tank. Gurney was repaid for his bad luck at Spa as he took the first win for the Brabham chassis at the French Grand Prix held at Rouen.

Clark took the next race at Brands Hatch over Hill and Surtees, who up till that point had only one other points position with Ferrari during the season; however, that was about to change. Surtees won the next race of the year for Ferrari at the Nurburgring. The next race of the year, in Austria, was held at the extremely bumpy Zeltweg track on an old airfield. The track was in such terrible condition that many of the top cars failed to finish, creating some surprise finishers. Lorenzo Bandini took his first win for Ferrari over Ginther, Bob Anderson and Tony Maggs. Then Surtees won next at Monza giving Ferrari their first home win in several years: he also finished second at the next race in Watkins Glen, won by Hill for BRM.

Going into the last race of the season, Hill, with 39 points, was leading but both Surtees, with 34, and Clark, with 30, had a chance to win, although Clark would have to win and Hill would have to not score at all, for Clark to win the title. Early on in the race Hill fell victim to a collision with Bandini and although he was able to return to the pit and have minor repairs carried out, he was out of the points for good. Clark was leading the race and it seemed he was going to win until about five laps from the end when an oil leak developed in his car. Clark's car gradually slowed and on the last lap he was passed by Gurney, who won. Clark eventually crawled past the finishing line in fifth place, which eliminated him from title contention. Surtees ran a quiet race and due to Clark's failure, scored second place, giving him enough points to take the title by one point over Hill and Ferrari won the constructors title at the end of the year for the second time.

1965:

Jim Clark only scored points in six races this season and won the title, for all six points paying positions were wins. He also went on to win the Indianapolis 500 this year, again competing for Lotus. The BRM was by far the most reliable car on the track, claiming second place in the championship for Hill and third for new driving sensation Jackie Stewart who won a race in his first Formula One season. Honda also won its first race at the hands of Richie Ginther this season.

Jim Clark won the first race of the season in South Africa but the star of the race was Jackie Stewart, the new driver for BRM, who scored a point in his first ever Formula One race. Clark decided not to race in Monte Carlo so he could compete in the Indy 500, which was run at about the same time. Hill took his third straight win on the twisty street-circuit of Monte Carlo, followed by Bandini in second and again the sensational Jackie Stewart, taking his first podium finish. Clark then went on a winning spree of five races, taking the chequered flag at Spa, Clermont-Ferrand, Silverstone, Zandvoort and the Nurburgring.

The next race of the year was held at Monza, was won by Jackie Stewart. It was a great feat, considering it was only his eighth start in Formula One. Hill then won his second race at Watkins Glen, followed to the line by Gurney in the Brabham, which had come on strong in last half of the season, giving Gurney five podiums in the last five races. The last race of the year was won by Ginther for Honda, giving the Asian firm their first win in just over a year and half in Formula One.

The last season of the 1.5 litre formula was dominated by Clark, finishing with 54 points for the season. Next season it would be starting all over, again, with the beginning of the new 3.0 litre formula for un-supercharged engines and the current engine size limit would continue for supercharged engines. This new engine formula would be short one manufacturer though, as Coventry Climax withdrew from racing at the end of the season.

1966:

Again, though the change of formula was known, British engine suppliers were not ready for the season. Partly, this was due to the fact that because of the withdrawal by Coventry Climax, teams were forced to look elsewhere for engines. Lotus switched to the new BRM H-16 motor, made by using two of last seasons V-8s, which were hooked together in such a complicated mess of machinery that it was never reliable. The Cooper car company went to Maserati for engines while Brabham switched to Repco motors. The only car left using the old Coventry Climax engine was Dan Gurney's new Eagle and this was only until the new V-12 Weslake was complete. This season also saw the first appearance of a new team, founded by none other than Bruce McLaren.

For the fourth season in a row, the Monaco Grand Prix was won by BRM, this time not by Hill, but by Stewart, in an interim 2.0 litre car because the new H-16 was not completely ready. Only four cars were classified as finishing this race, Stewart, Bandini, Hill, and Bob Bondurant and much work was still needed on all cars for the season. The next race at Spa was the last win for Surtees while driving a Ferrari, for after the race he and Ferrari split ways, due to mutual differences and conflict within the team. Surtees then went on to join the Cooper team for the rest of the season. Also during the Spa race there was a sudden downpour, which sent cars spinning off the track in all directions. One of these was Jackie Stewart, who broke his collarbone, putting him out of contention for a few races, essentially ending his chances for a title this season.

The next four races were won by Jack Brabham who was able to return to the winners circle in his own car, the first time anyone had won in a car of their own make in Formula One. The new Lotus finally appeared mid-season but, due to the BRM power plant, was unreliable and rarely finished a race. John Surtees also debuted with Cooper at Brands Hatch and scored a second place at the Nurburgring for his new team. Monza was the scene of much excitement as it marked the debut of the new Honda car and of the new Weslake motor for the Eagle. After several retirements of top drivers, Ludovico Scarfiotti was able to take the win in his home race for the home team, Ferrari.

In the next race Clark scored the one and only win for the complex BRM engine in his Lotus, after the factory BRMs were forced to retire due, as usual, to mechanical faults. Jochen Rindt, last year's rookie, displayed his growing talent by finishing second for the Cooper Maserati team, ahead of his teammate Surtees. The final race of the year was run in Mexico and was won by John Surtees though Ginther in the new Honda was able to set a strong performance, even setting fastest lap of the race despite ending fourth.

This was the third and final title for Jack Brabham, who finished the season ahead of both Surtees and Rindt in their Coopers. Brabham's reliable and simple car had been able to take advantage of the chaos and disorganization among all the other teams and won the constructors title. At the end of the year also it was announced that Cosworth would be using the new Ford engine for their cars the next year, which could undoubtedly provide stiff competition to the other teams.

1967:

This season was mainly a continuation of last season's mechanical developments; apart from a new car for Honda and the new Cosworth motor for Lotus. BRM attempted to work on its H-16 motor still, Cooper was with Maserati again and Brabham was still with Repco. The new Lotus 49 was far and away the fastest car of the year, but the new Cosworth, though winning its debut race, was still not fully reliable. Again the simple and comparatively low revving Repco engine proved that reliability was the key and led the Brabhams of Denis Hulme and Jack Brabham, in that order, to the top of the points charts.

The opening race of the year was held at the new Kyalami circuit in South Africa. It was almost the scene of what would have been one of the greatest upsets in Formula One history, if luck held out for a local driver. Through mechanical problems and luck local driver John Love, driving an old four cylinder Cooper Climax, found himself in the lead of what was basically his home Grand Prix (he was Rhodesian), but with only six laps left he was forced to pit for fuel, passing the lead to eventual race winner Pedro Rodriguez in his Cooper Maserati. John Love went on to score his only point-paying position in his nine starts by finishing second.

The next race of the year was the beginning of what was to be a terrible year for Ferrari. Their lead driver Lorenzo Bandini was killed at the chicane along the waterfront in a crash that overshadowed Hulme's first career win. The next race marked the appearance of the new Cosworth engine in the Lotus: Clark drove it to victory on its maiden run, over the Brabhams. The next race also was the first win for an engine, the V-12 Weslake. Dan Gurney won in his own car, the Eagle, making him the second man in the modern era to do so after Brabham, but again his win was overshadowed by another tragedy for Ferrari. Ferrari's new lead driver after the loss of Bandini was Mike Parkes, but during the race at Spa he suffered a heavy crash that resulted in career-ending leg injuries. Also of note at Spa is the fact that it was the scene of the best BRM performance of the year with Jackie Stewart bringing the massive BRM home in second place. Brabham won his first race of the year at the French Grand Prix was held this year on a temporary circuit that used parts of the famous Le Mans track and it's parking lot, although it turned out to be unpopular with both fans and drivers.

Jim Clark then gave Lotus and the Cosworth a treat in the next race by winning their home race, his as well, at Silverstone, over Hulme, a consistent podium finisher. Hulme and Brabham split the next two races with Hulme winning at the Nurburgring ahead of Brabham and then reversing the order at the first Canadian Grand Prix, held in pouring rain at Mosport. Monza marked the first appearance of the new Honda RA300 with a chassis built by the British Lola firm. Surtees went on to win in grand fashion by just half a car length over Brabham, while Clark sputtered across the line in third place, remarkable considering that he had fought his way back from an early pit stop to the lead, only to lose it on the last lap when he ran out of fuel.

The season ended with Clark adding two more wins to his tally, at Watkins Glen and in Mexico, but it was not enough. Although having won the most races, the unreliability of the Lotus had hurt his chances, with the title falling to Denis Hulme for Brabham, who had eight podium finishes in eleven starts. Brabham, Hulme's boss, finished right behind his younger driver in second spot in the championship. Despite losing the title, Clark did achieve something special, as he tied with the great Fangio for most wins for one driver, 24, with his win in Mexico.

1968:

This is the year when cars sprouted both wings and sponsors. The new Ford Cosworth also became available as a custom engine to several teams, winning 11 of the 12 races, Ferrari being the only other engine to take a victory this season. This season also saw success from some newer teams, Matra and McLaren, who both picked up wins using the new Cosworth to power them. Wings also began to appear on cars and although the basic principle of down force was understood, wings were applied with almost no science at first though eventually teams began to learn. Some wings such as the wings on the Matra and the Ferrari were adjustable depending on the speed of the car to provide more down force in corners and less on straits. This season was also extremely competitive among the drivers, with seven drivers taking wins and eight taking pole positions.

The season opened with a Lotus one-two finish, with Clark winning his 25th, and last, race of his career. Tragedy struck the racing world yet again when at a minor Formula Two race, at the fast Hockenheim track in Germany, Jim Clark was killed in a still-unexplained accident. Hill came back and brought some joy to Lotus by winning the next two races of the season in Spain and Monaco. Hill's Monte Carlo win, being his fourth at the track, announced him to be the master of the twisting streets. The next race at Spa is of great historical importance for it is the first race that rear aerofoil wings were used on Formula One cars. It is not only important for that though, for it was also the scene of Bruce McLaren becoming the third man to win in a car of his own make after Stewart ran out of fuel during the race.

Stewart was rewarded with a win at the next race at Zandvoort, giving the Matra team and engine, their first victory in Formula One. At the next race at Rouen, a new Lotus appeared with a wing high up above the rear and with the supports bolted straight onto the suspension. Though providing great down force and traction, the stress on the parts was too much, causing the suspension to snap at high speed, which in turn caused a severe crash for Jackie Oliver who was lucky to walk away. Tragedy did strike at Rouen however when the new Honda RA302, driven by Jo Schlesser and not Surtees who had considered the car unsafe, crashed on the third lap killing the driver. Surtees did finish the race second in an older Honda Model, the RA301, behind Jackie Ickx, who drove for Ferrari this year. The next race was the first championship win for Jo Siffert, driving for the private Rob Walker team in a newly purchased Lotus. He beat out Chris Amon in Ferrari for the win at Silverstone by just over four seconds.

Jackie Stewart won the next race at the Nurburgring by over four minutes because of the appalling rain and fog over the circuit and it is amazing the race was even run at all. The next two races went to Denis Hulme in a McLaren at Monza and Mont Tremblant, having switched teams from Brabham. The race in Canada was also the end of Ickx's title hopes for the year as he broke his leg in an accident in his Ferrari. Jackie Stewart won the next race of the year at Watkins Glen though pole for the race went to a new Formula One driver, Mario Andretti. The final race in Mexico was won by Hill, cementing his second world title of his career.

Second behind Hill in the points chase was Stewart, followed by Hulme. Lotus also won its third constructors title at the end of the year. Following the end of the season Honda and Cooper withdrew from Formula One along with Dan Gurney who decided to only build his cars for racing in the United States. Several great makes had disappeared, though one would make a return later on.

1969:

This was again a year of domination by not only one driver but by one engine. Jackie Stewart won his first title, with six races, and the Ford Cosworth engine won every race of the season. Ferrari and BRM were the only teams left making their own engines, which left them behind the well made, powerful and reliable Ford. So complete was Ford's domination, it swept the top six positions in six races this year.

The year began with Stewart winning in South Africa in last years' Matra, running under the Tyrrell team banner. The next race saw the debut of the new Matra and Stewart took it to victory in Spain. Also at Spain were several, serious, wing related accidents and after this race it was announced that there would be rules regulating the wings from now on. The race at Monaco was won by Hill, his fifth at the streets, further cementing his reputation as master there. After the Lotus win by Hill, the Tyrrell team returned to dominance by winning the next the races at Zandvoort, Clermont-Ferrand, and Silverstone, thanks to Jackie Stewart. Silverstone was important as it marked the appearance of four wheel drive cars in modern Formula One with McLaren, Lotus, and Matra fielding new cars.

The Brabham appeared again in the winner's circle at the Nurburgring at the hands of journeyman driver Jackie Ickx. Monza was next and it developed into a great slipstreaming battle with Stewart eventually winning over Rindt in a Lotus by just half a car's length with Jean-Pierre Beltoise in another Matra and Bruce McLaren just behind them. The win at Monza clinched the title for Stewart with still three races to go. Next in Canada, Ickx led a Brabham one-two, by winning over his team boss, Jack Brabham. Matra failed to win a single event on the North American continent this year with Rindt in a Lotus taking the win at Watkins Glen, his first, and Hulme winning in Mexico for McLaren.

Stewart dominated the points with 26, over second place Ickx and Bruce McLaren, due to his reliable car, was a further 11 points back in third. Ford had also shown that the other companies had a long way to go to be able to match their well-funded program for engines. Also at the end of the season a new team was announced, March (from the initials of its founders, Mosley, Alan Rees, Coaker and Herd), and they would be ready by next season.

Statistics

Here are just a few statistics for the 1960s, including race wins, pole positions, fast laps and world champions.

World Champions:

Grand Prix Winners:

* = Winners of the Indianapolis 500 for 1960. During this year the Indy 500 was considered to be a World Championship event paying points for Formula One.

Pole Positions:

* = Winners of pole position for the Indianapolis 500 during 1960. During this year the Indy 500 was considered to be a World Championship event.

Fastest Laps:

* = Holders of the fastest lap for the Indianapolis 500 during 1960. During this year the Indy 500 was considered to be a World Championship event.

See Also

Formula One Racing in the 1950s
Formula One Racing in the 1970s
Formula One Racing in the 1980s