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The 1962 Formula One season was the 13th season of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Lasting from the 20th of May in the Netherlands for the Dutch Grand Prix, until the 29th of December with the South African Grand Prix, the nine race season saw Phil Hill run with Ferrari as the defending World Champions.

The first four races saw three maiden winners, with Graham Hill starting the season with victory at Zandvoort.[1] After Bruce McLaren claimed his third career win around Monte-Carlo, Jim Clark claimed his first victory by sweeping to a battling win over Hill in Belgium.[2] It was then Dan Gurney's turn to step onto the top of the podium, the American claiming a maiden win for both himself and Porsche at the French Grand Prix.[3]

The rest of the season's races were shared between Clark and Hill, with Clark dominating the British Grand Prix to earn his first Grand Chelem.[4] He and Hill would arrive for the season finale with three wins apiece, but with the Englishman holding a nine point lead over the Scot.[5] The race, and the Championship, looked to be going to Clark as the race drew on, until an oil leak ended his season just twenty laps from the end.[5] Hill was promoted to the lead of the race and duly earned his first title, with his team BRM also taking the honours in the Intercontinental Cup for Manufacturers.

The season was not without tragedy however, with three major accidents in non-Championship races ending the careers of three drivers while they were racing for the Rob Walker Racing Team. The first came at the X Glover Trophy meeting, where Stirling Moss was put into a coma after destroying his Lotus 18 by hitting an earth bank.[1] The Brit would miss the season while recovering from injuries, attending several races at the end of the season as a spectator. The other two major accidents, however, proved fatal with both occurring in the break between the United States Grand Prix and the season finale. The first came at the I Mexican Grand Prix, where Ricardo Rodríguez, home hero, was killed in practice, before Gary Hocking came to his demise in practice at the II Natal Grand Prix.[5]

Background[]

Teams and Drivers[]

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 1961 Formula One Season is shown below, sorted by car number:

Constructor Chassis Tyre Driver Rounds
Team Engine
Ferrari 156 D United States Phil Hill 1-3, 5-7
Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 178 V6 1.5 Italy Giancarlo Baghetti 1, 3, 6-7
Mexico Ricardo Rodríguez 1-3, 6-7
Italy Lorenzo Bandini 2, 6-7
Belgium Willy Mairesse 2-3, 7
Lotus-Climax 24
25
D United Kingdom Jim Clark All
United Kingdom Team Lotus Climax FWMV V8 1.5 United Kingdom Trevor Taylor All
Porsche 804
718
D United States Dan Gurney 1-2, 5-8
West Germany Porsche System Engineering Porsche 753 F8 1.5
Porsche 547/3 F4 1.5
Sweden Jo Bonnier 1-2, 4-8
United States Phil Hill 8
Cooper-Climax T60
T55
D New Zealand Bruce McLaren All
United Kingdom Cooper Car Company Climax FWMV V8 1.5
Climax FPF L4 1.5
South Africa Tony Maggs All
United States Timmy Mayer 8
BRM P57 D United Kingdom Graham Hill All
United Kingdom Owen Racing Organisation BRM P56 V8 1.5 United States Richie Ginther All
Brabham-Climax
Lotus-Climax
BT3
24
D Australia Jack Brabham 1-6, 8-9
United Kingdom Brabham Racing Organisation Climax FWMV V8 1.5
Lotus-Climax
Lotus-BRM
24 D United Kingdom Innes Ireland 1-5, 7-9
United Kingdom UDT Laystall Racing Team Climax FWMV V8 1.5
BRM P56 V8 1.5
United States Masten Gregory 1-5, 7-8
Porsche
Emeryson-Climax
718
787
61
D Netherlands Carel Godin de Beaufort All
Netherlands Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 547/3 F4 1.5 Netherlands Ben Pon 1
West Germany Wolfgang Seidel 1
Lola-Climax Lola Mk4 D United Kingdom John Surtees All
United Kingdom Yeoman Credit Racing Team Climax FWMV V8 1.5 United Kingdom Roy Salvadori 1-2, 4-9
Cooper-Climax T53 D United Kingdom Jackie Lewis 1-2, 4-6
United Kingdom Ecurie Galloise Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax Lotus 24 D France Maurice Trintignant 2-4, 6-8
United Kingdom Rob Walker Racing Team Climax FWMV V8 1.5
Lotus-Climax
Porsche
18/21
718
24
D Italy Nino Vaccarella 2, 6-7
Italy Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia Climax FPF L4 1.5
Porsche 547/3 F4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 21 D Switzerland Jo Siffert 2
Switzerland Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
Emeryson-Climax
Lotus-Climax
61
18
D United Kingdom John Campbell-Jones 3
United Kingdom Emeryson Cars Climax FPF L4 1.5 United States Tony Settember 5, 7
Lotus-Climax 18/21 D Belgium Lucien Bianchi 3, 6
Belgium Equipe Nationale Belge Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax
Lotus-BRM
Porsche
21
24
718
D Switzerland Jo Siffert 3, 6
Switzerland Ecurie Filipinetti Climax FPF L4 1.5
BRM P56 V8 1.5
Porsche 547/3 F4 1.5
Switzerland Heinz Schiller 6
Switzerland Heinrich Walter 6
Lotus-BRM 24 D United States Dan Gurney 3
West Germany Autosport Team Seidel BRM P56 V8 1.5 West Germany Wolfgang Seidel 5-6
West Germany Gunther Seiffert 6
New Zealand Tony Shelly 7
Cooper-Climax T59 "Aiden" D United Kingdom Ian Burgess 5-7
United Kingdom Anglo-American Equipe Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 18 D United States Jay Chamberlain 5-7
United States Ecurie Excelsior Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 18/21 D New Zealand Tony Shelly 5-6
United Kingdom Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
Gilby-BRM 62 D United Kingdom Keith Greene 6-7
United Kingdom Gilby Engineering BRM P56 V8 1.5
Cooper-Climax T53 D France Bernard Collomb 6
France Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
De Tomaso 801 D Argentina Nasif Estéfano 7
Italy Scuderia De Tomaso De Tomaso F8 1.5
De Tomaso-OSCA F1 D Italy Roberto Lippi 7
Italy Scuderia Settecolli OSCA 372 L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 18/21 D United Kingdom Gerry Ashmore 7
United Kingdom Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 18 D Italy Ernesto Prinoth 7
Italy Scuderia Jolly Club Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 24 D United States Roger Penske 8
United States Dupont Team Zerex Climax FWMV V8 1.5
Cooper-Climax T53 D United States Hap Sharp 8
United States Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 21 D United States Jim Hall 8
United States Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 24 D United States Rob Schroeder 8
United States Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
BRM P48/57 D South Africa Bruce Johnstone 9
South Africa Privateer BRM P56 V8 1.5
Lotus-Climax 21 D South Africa Ernie Pieterse 9
South Africa Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
Cooper-Climax T55 D Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland John Love 9
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
Lotus-Climax 21 D South Africa Neville Lederle 9
South Africa Privateer Climax FPF L4 1.5
LDS-Alfa Romeo Mk1 D South Africa Doug Serrurier 9
South Africa Otello Nucci Alfa Romeo Giulietta L4 1.5
Cooper-Alfa Romeo T53 D South Africa Mike Harris 9
South Africa Privateer Alfa Romeo Giulietta L4 1.5

Calendar[]

The 1962 season would feature nine World Championship races held across three continents with the addition of the South African Grand Prix in late December, with the calendar largely the same as it had been in 1961. With an additional twenty non-Championship races running to Formula One specifications, it would be a busy season for the drivers, starting from the non-Championship V Cape Grand Prix on the 2nd of January.

World Championship Schedule[]

The World Championship rounds started in the Netherlands, the Dutch Grand Prix kicking off proceedings. After the visit to Zandvoort the season would head to Monaco for the Monaco Grand Prix, before following the same race order from 1961. The United States Grand Prix would serve as the penultimate round on the 7th of October ahead of an eleven week break before the season finale. The biggest ever sporting event in South Africa would end the season on the 29th of December, with the Championship potentially coming to a conclusion at the first World Championship level South African Grand Prix.

The full World Championship Schedule for 1962 is outlined below:

Round Grand Prix Date
1 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix 20 May
CircuitZandvoort1980
Official Title X Grote Prijs van Nederland
Circuit Zandvoort
Location Netherlands Zandvoort, Netherlands
Lap distance 4.193 km (2.605 mi)
Race distance 335.44 km (208.433 mi)
Date 20 May Laps 80
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
2 Monaco Monaco Grand Prix 3 June
CircuitdeMonaco1950
Official Title XX Grand Prix de Monaco
Circuit Circuit de Monaco
Location Monaco Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Lap distance 3.145 km (1.954 mi)
Race distance 314.5 km (195.421 mi)
Date 3 June Laps 100
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
3 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix 17 June
Spa 1950
Official Title XXII Grand Prix de Belgique
Circuit Spa-Francorchamps
Location Belgium Spa, Belgium
Lap distance 14.120 km (8.774 mi)
Race distance 451.84 km (280.760 mi)
Date 17 June Laps 32
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
4 France French Grand Prix 8 July
Rouen Les Essarts 1955
Official Title XLVIII Grand Prix de l'ACF
Circuit Rouen-Les-Essarts
Location France Rouen, Normandy, France
Lap distance 6.542 km (4.065 mi)
Race distance 353.268 km (219.511 mi)
Date 8 July Laps 54
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
5 United Kingdom British Grand Prix 21 July
Circuit Aintree
Official Title XV RAC British Grand Prix
Circuit Aintree
Location United Kingdom Aintree Circuit, Liverpool, England
Lap distance 4.828 km (3.000 mi)
Race distance 362.1 km (224.999 mi)
Date 21 July Laps 75
Local time 14:00 BST UTC 13:00
6 West Germany German Grand Prix 5 August
Nürburgring 1927
Official Title XXVI Grosser Preis von Deutschland
Circuit Nürburgring
Location West Germany Nürburg, West Germany
Lap distance 22.810 km (14.173 mi)
Race distance 342.15 km (212.602 mi)
Date 5 August Laps 15
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
7 Italy Italian Grand Prix 16 September
Monza 1957
Official Title XXXIII Gran Premio d'Italia
Circuit Monza
Location Italy Monza, Italy
Lap distance 5.750 km (3.573 mi)
Race distance 494.5 km (307.268 mi)
Date 16 September Laps 86
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
8 United States United States Grand Prix 7 October
Watkins Glen 1956
Official Title V United States Grand Prix
Circuit Watkins Glen
Location United States Watkins Glen, New York, USA
Lap distance 3.701 km (2.300 mi)
Race distance 370.1 km (229.969 mi)
Date 7 October Laps 100
Local time 14:00 EDT UTC 18:00
9 South Africa South African Grand Prix 29 December
Prince George Circuit 1959
Official Title IX South African Grand Prix
Circuit Prince George Circuit
Location South Africa East London, South Africa
Lap distance 3.920 km (2.436 mi)
Race distance 321.44 km (199.734 mi)
Date 29 December Laps 82
Local time 15:00 SAST UTC 13:00

Non-Championship Schedule[]

In addition to the World Championship races, 20 independently organised Grand Prix were staged in 1962, all of which offered prize money to the winner. The non-Championship rounds also effectively extended the season by staging races in January, while simultaneously opening Formula One to other countries including Sweden and Denmark. 1962 would also witness the first Mexico Grand Prix ever to be held, appearing in early November as a non-Championship race.

Date Event Circuit Report
2nd January South Africa V Cape Grand Prix Killarney Report
1st April Belgium IV Brussels Grand Prix Heysel Report
14th April United Kingdom III Lombank Trophy Snetterton Report
23rd April United Kingdom XIV Lavant Cup Goodwood Report
23rd April United Kingdom X Glover Trophy Goodwood Report
23rd April France XXII Pau Grand Prix Pau Report
29th April United Kingdom VII Aintree 200 Aintree Report
12th May United Kingdom XV BRDC International Trophy Silverstone Report
20th May Italy XX Naples Grand Prix Posillipo Report
11th June United Kingdom I International 2000 Guineas Mallory Park Report
11th June United Kingdom XIII Crystal Palace Trophy Crystal Palace Report
1st July France III Grand Prix de Reims Reims Report
15th July West Germany XII Solitude Grand Prix Solitudering Report
12th August Sweden VIII Kanonloppet Karlskoga Report
19th August Italy I Mediterranean Grand Prix Enna-Pergusa Report
25th-26th August Denmark III Danish Grand Prix Roskilde Ring Report
1st September United Kingdom IX Gold Cup Oulton Park Report
4th November Mexico I Mexican Grand Prix Magdalena Mixhuca Report
15th December South Africa V Rand Grand Prix Kyalami Report
22nd December South Africa II Natal Grand Prix Westmead Report

Once again the drivers would not be restricted in competing in other categories during the season, with may attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans, won by defending World Champion Phil Hill. Various support races would also support the Formula One events across the year, the British Saloon Car Championship one of the primary categories for the British based races. Formula Junior would join the Grand Prix scene at World Championship rounds in Europe, enabling the next band of young talents to shine through.

Season Review[]

With an expanded calendar for 1962, the addition of the South African Grand Prix meaning that the World Championship would visit three continents. The season was set to kick off in the Netherlands, the event swapping with the Monaco Grand Prix for the season opener, following twelve non-Championship events and a winter of intense testing.

Pre-season[]

It had been a productive winter for the British constructors ahead of the 1962 Championship, as Cooper, Team Lotus and BRM led the charge to catch up to the all conquering Ferrari 156 which had dominated 1961. It was Lotus who claimed the spoils first, débuting the Lotus 24 which had been built around the now ready to race Climax FWMV V8 engine. The 24 was sold to many privateer outfits with a pair retained by Lotus themselves, before Colin Chapman begun development on the Lotus 25 which would début at the season opener.[1] The Rob Walker Racing Team, UDT Laystall Racing Team and new entrant Jack Brabham would order the new 24, with the stock of Lotus 21s now sold on to privateers with lesser budgets.

BRM arrived for 1962 with their new car, the P57 which was fitted with a fuel injected engine of their own construction, producing 190 bhp making it the most powerful engine in the field. This car would also début in Zandvoort, although various units of the BRM engine did prove competitive in older chassis over the winter. Elsewhere, Cooper had built a new car, the T60 although they did not get to run the car in anger until the Netherlands race. Also joining the fray were Lola, a small outfit even by early F1 standards, with the British team building the Lola Mk4 which would run as an unknown at the start of the competitive season.

Porsche, meanwhile, were set to race with a new car, the 804 which now featured a "Flat 8" engine in the back producing 180 bhp. The West German car manufacturer had learnt a lot from 1961 and poured all they could into the 804 in the hopes of claiming a first Championship victory. This was in stark contrast to Ferrari, who would field the 156 once again, with no major updates being put onto the car before the season opener.

Just a month before the season kicked off there was a horrific accident at the X Glover Trophy meeting, a race which had been attended by many of the factory F1 racers. During the non-Championship race, four time World Championship runner-up Stirling Moss had hit an earth bank around Goodwood, obliterating his car and putting himself into a coma. The Englishman would wake from the coma just as the field began to arrive in Holland, but it would be the end of his racing career.

Round 1: 1962 Dutch Grand Prix[]

There was a shock in store for many at the season opening race at Zandvoort, as John Surtees put the new Lola-Climax on pole at its maiden race, beating the much fancied BRM of Graham Hill and the new "monocoque" Lotus 25 of Jim Clark.[1] Jack Brabham put his privately entered Lotus on the grid in fourth, ahead of former team Cooper led by Bruce McLaren in fifth.[1] Innes Ireland, now with privateers UDT Laystall would start the season ahead of Trevor Taylor, his replacement at Team Lotus, while Dan Gurney put the new Porsche into eighth for its début race.[1] Defend World Champion Phil Hill was a disappointing ninth for Ferrari.[1]

Dutch Grand Prix 1962 I

John Surtees briefly battles with World Champion Phil Hill before the former's accident.

A superb start saw Clark roar into the lead ahead of Graham Hill, while a stunning start for Gurney put him into third from eighth on the grid.[1] Surtees ran the opening lap in fourth ahead of a strong starting Phil Hill, before the American fell into a race long battle for fifth featuring several drivers, both past and future World Champions.[1] Gurney and Surtees would slowly fall back into the chasing pack after the opening stages, with Clark and Hill running well ahead of the rest, before a clutch problem for the Scot saw him slowly get clawed in by the Englishman for the lead.[1]

The clutch problem developed into a failure for Clark to force him out of the race, leaving Hill to dance his BRM to a maiden victory on his own.[1] With Gurney and Surtees falling away to be engulfed in the titanic scrap for fifth, fourth and then second, Hill was able to take victory by almost half a minute, with Taylor prevailing from the group to snatch second.[1] The first podium of the new season would be completed by Phil Hill, the American keeping the reliable Ferrari going to the flag as his rivals retired with mechanical problems, including accidents for Surtees and Brabham.[1]

Round 2: 1962 Monaco Grand Prix[]

The field returned to the principality of Monaco for the second race of the season, the tight narrow city streets meaning that there would only be sixteen starts, ten of which would automatically qualify for the race.[6] Regardless of his automatic qualification, it was Jim Clark who secured his maiden pole position, with Graham Hill and Bruce McLaren lining up alongside.[6] Dan Gurney would qualify in fifth place, behind an excellent run from Willy Mairesse, the Belgian racer the fastest of the Ferraris and one of only five drivers within a second of Clark's time.[6]

Yet, the talented Belgian would make headlines on Sunday at the start, with the scarlet Ferrari leaping into the lead off the line, only to carry too much speed into the first corner.[6] The Belgian's late braking for the hairpin threw him into a spin, with the front three bunching up the field as they braked heavily in avoidence.[6] The result was a huge accident that wrote of Maurice Trintignant's Lotus, with Gurney sustaining gearbox damage.[6] Richie Ginther was the cause, having got out of shape while braking, and in hitting Gurney saw a wheel come off his car and fly over the straw bales ahead.[6] Unfortunately, that wheel hit marshal Ange Baldoni square on in the chest, with the marshal succumbing to his injuries in hospital a few days later.[7]

The chaotic start left Hill leading from McLaren and Clark, with the Scot retiring a short way into the race with a gearbox issue as he battled for the lead with Hill.[6] With battles throughout the field, the Monaco Grand Prix of 1962 was filled with incident, further enhanced when Hill himself ground to a halt just a few laps from them end.[6] An engine failure cost him a victory, with McLaren inheriting the win for Cooper-Climax ahead of Phil Hill and Lorenzo Bandini for Ferrari.[6]

Round 3: 1962 Belgian Grand Prix[]

Formula One then headed to Spa Francorchamps for the third round of the World Championship, where Graham Hill claimed pole position by almost two seconds.[2] A poor display by rival Jim Clark saw the Scot down in twelfth place after engine issues severely hampered his running, with his team mate Trevor Taylor making the front row instead.[2] Bruce McLaren would start from second as the only man within two seconds of Hill, while Phil Hill, Innes Ireland and Willy Mairesse could be counted among those drivers to have completed the lap in under four minutes.[2]

A stunning start saw Clark shoot into the leading pack from his lowly grid slot as Hill led from McLaren and Taylor.[2] By the end of the lap the Scot was in fourth, taking the mightily impressive Mairesse just behind an increasingly confusing title fight.[2] Taylor, McLaren and Hill swapped countless times before Clark managed to pick them off one by one, being allowed to escape to victory with Taylor putting together a fine defence from Hill, McLaren and Mairesse.[2]

Belgian Grand Prix 1962 I

The remains of Willy Mairesse's car burn by the side of the circuit.

It was in this intense battle for second that Taylor and Mairesse became involved in a huge accident from which they were luvky to escape uninjured.[2] They had managed to gap Hill and McLaren as the race came closer to its conclusion, with Mairesse trying to elbow his way past at Blanchimont, causing the two to touch.[2] Traveling around the corner at over 100 mph the two were immediately thrown off the circuit and into the trees, with both drivers also catapulted from their cars.[2] This was particularly fortunate for Mairesse, as his car spiralled into the air after hitting a ditch before landing and bursting into flame.[2]

Round 4: 1962 French Grand Prix[]

Rouen-Les-Essarts was handed a rare opportunity to host the French Grand Prix in 1962, with the field arriving in Normandy in the north of France for the fourth race of the season.[3] There were no surprises in qualifying, however, as Jim Clark claimed a second pole of the season, having worked throughout the two days of practice to lower the times.[3] Graham Hill and Bruce McLaren would share the first row of the grid with him as usual, with Ferrari absent in their entirety after strikes in Italy.[3]

Clark and Hill would do battle for the race lead once again in the early stages of the race, ahead of a fast starting John Surtees who claimed third from McLaren before the end of the first lap.[3] They became engaged in a four way scrap for the lead until McLaren spun with an issue, while Hill used the situation to pull a few seconds clear.[3] Surtees was the next to fall after another issue for the new Lola-Climax, leaving Clark to slowly draw Hill back in.[3]

Surtees would fight back into the points with McLaren up ahead doing the same while Dan Gurney ran in third with his rivals falling by the way side.[3] Then the lead was thrown into the American's lap, as Clark suffered a suspension failure before Hill saw his race ended with a fuel injector problem.[3] Gurney would go on to claim a maiden victory for himself and Porsche, a lap ahead of second placed Tony Maggs, while BRM continued their scoring run with Richie Ginther in third.[3]

Round 5: 1962 British Grand Prix[]

Round five of the World Championship was hosted at Aintree, and saw one of the most dominant displays in Formula One history.[4] The man of the moment was Jim Clark, who took almost half a second out of the circuit record he set earlier in the year to claim pole position.[4] The Scot would share the front row with John Surtees and Innes Ireland, while Bruce McLaren and Graham Hill would share the second row.[4]

Another strong start for Clark saw him leap straight into the lead of the race, as Ireland suffered a transmission problem and was left stranded on the grid.[4] Fortunately the Englishman's car was avoided by the rest of the field and was returned to the pits to be restarted.[4] As Clark disappeared into the distance in the early stages, Surtees led a six way battle for second that featured Dan Gurney, McLaren, Hill, Jack Brabham and Masten Gregory, with Jo Bonnier catching the group soon after.[4]

Clark's charge at the front saw him set faster and faster lap times, before finally settling for fastest lap of 1:55.0.[4] Surtees managed to escape the group behind him, with Hill now leading a battle for third with Brabham and McLaren, Gurney and Bonnier having suffered mechanical issues to throw them out of the points.[4] Clark now set about ensuring he won the race, coming within sight of lapping Hill as the race came to its conclusion.[4] Having led every lap, won the race and claimed pole and fastest lap, Clark recorded his first Grand Chelem, beating Surtees by nearly 50 seconds with McLaren completing the podium.[4]

Round 6: 1962 German Grand Prix[]

Dan Gurney claimed a suberb maiden pole position for Porsche at the Nürburgring, although the combined qualifying and practice sessions would be remembered for two huge accidents for Graham Hill and Tony Maggs.[8] Englishman Hill was a short way behind Carel Godin de Beaufort through the sweeping drop through Fuchsröhre, and so could not be warned when the large camera mounted to the back of the Dutchman's car came off just after the crest of the corner.[8] The Englishman hit the camera with enough force to rip the radiator from his car, dumping enough oil on the circuit that Hill's own car was carried into the trees.[8] As Hill clambered out of his car Tony Maggs came charging through to slip on the oil, with his Cooper also carried into the forest.[8]

Fortunately, both drivers were uninjured and would race on Sunday, Hill starting from second as rain soaked the circuit to cause a delay.[8] As the field roared away from the grid an hour after scheduled, challenged Gurney through the opening lap, while Clark was left stranded on the grid having failed to start his fuel pumps.[8] Clark lost twenty seconds as he waited for his fuel pumps to get fuel into the flow chambers once again, although by the end of the first lap the Scot was back into the top ten as Gurney caused cheers in the 360,000 strong crowd with his lead for Porsche.[8]

German Grand Prix 1962 I

Graham Hill sweeps around the Nürburgring in front of John Surtees and Dan Gurney.

The race was being staged in soaking wet conditions, and soon Hill and Surtees were able to sweep past the Porsche ahead to claim first and second, while Clark broke into the top four by taking Bruce McLaren.[8] Hill, Surtees and Gurney, meanwhile, continued to battle for the lead, although the gaps would slowly grow between them over the final couple of laps.[8] The order remained unchanged, with Hill sweeping to victory ahead of Surtees and Gurney, while Clark claimed third almost three quarters of a minute back.[8]

Round 7: 1962 Italian Grand Prix[]

The Italian Grand Prix of 1962 would close out the European season of Formula One, with the race held on the 16th of September.[9] Jim Clark claimed pole after the two days of practice, but he and team mate Trevor Taylor managed to use Team Lotus' entire supply of gearboxes, with both having to start the race with reconditioned units.[9] The Scot's pole lap was a circuit record, although he only beat rival Graham Hill by a few hundredths of a second.[9]

It was the Englishman Hill who claimed the lead on the opening lap, overcoming an excellent start from pole sitter Clark to lead through Curva Grande.[9] They were quick to surge ahead from the rest, although by lap three Clark was in the pits with, shockingly given the rest of the weekend, a gearbox problem.[9] Ten laps later the Scot was out entirely with a total failure, as Hill had help from team mate Richie Ginther in escaping at the front of the field.[9]

The race became a battle for second with Hill disappearing further and further ahead of Ginther, who was working hard to keep John Surtees at bay.[9] That fight was then over when Surtees dropped out with an engine failure, although he was only running a few seconds ahead of a large battle for third featuring the Cooper-Climax, Porsche, Ferrari and the UDT Laystall Racing Team drivers.[9] Yet, this battle would slowly fall away in the closing stages as mechancial issues arose, leaving Bruce McLaren to claim third on the final lap from Willy Mairesse.[9]

Round 8: 1962 United States Grand Prix[]

A picturesque Autumn day played host to the penultimate race of the season, as the F1 circus headed to Watkins Glen in New York, USA.[10] Ferrari did not attend having nothing to fight for as they sat a lowly sixth in the Intercontinental Cup for Manufacturers, although their driver Phil Hill did head to his home race, only to learn that he had been sacked.[10] Otherwise it was business as usual, with Jim Clark taking pole ahead of Richie Ginther and Graham Hill, the latter set to win the Championship if he could beat the Scot.[10]

An early battle in the race saw Clark and Hill roar off to run on their own, exchanging fastest lap times well under Stirling Moss' lap record.[10] The Scot led until lap twelve when Hill managed to find his way past as they came through lapped traffic.[10] It also gave Hill a small lead, although as soon as they were in clear again the Scot made ground, and by lap nineteen it was the green and gold Lotus leading from the BRM.[10]

Their remarkable pace saw them lap the entire field well before the end of the race, including a tense battle for third.[10] Jack Brabham, Richie Ginther and Dan Gurney had all, at one time or another, run at the bottom step of the podium, before a charge by Bruce McLaren saw him leap onto the podium.[10] Clark duly swept home to deny Hill the Championship, and gave himself an outside chance of the title if he could win in the season finale.[10]

Round 9: 1962 South African Grand Prix[]

Three months after the battle around the Glen, the field arrived at the Prince George Circuit in South Africa for the season finale, although there was a dark mood around the paddock after two deaths in three non-Championship races.[5] Both Ricardo Rodríguez and Gary Hocking met their demise in accidents, both while driving for the Rob Walker Racing Team who had already lost Stirling Moss from the service after his accident.[5] Despite the bleak few weeks there was a Championship to be won, with Jim Clark taking pole from Graham Hill as they went head to head for the title.[5]

For Clark, the race would be win or bust, regardless of Hill's result, and excellent start for the Lotus 25 saw him leap into the lead.[5] Hill trailed in second, seeing his title inch ever so slightly further away with each lap as Clark danced the Lotus round the Prince George Circuit.[5] A three way scrap for third developed, with John Surtees taking on the two Cooper-Climaxes of Tony Maggs and Bruce McLaren.[5]

There were battles throughout the field, but with 20 laps to go it looked like the title was won, Clark now orbiting the circuit thirty seconds ahead of Hill.[5] That was, until the Lotus came past trailing blue smoke, and on lap 63 of 82 the Scot was out, an oil leak destroying his engine and handing Hill the Championship.[5] Hill, for his part, would complete the race without issue to claim his fourth victory of the season and his first World Championship title.[5]

Non-Championship Races[]

Final Standings[]

The title battles for both the World Championship and the Intercontinental Cup for Manufacturers went to the final rounds, with both BRM and Lotus-Climax arriving in South Africa with a chance of claiming a double, or coming runner up in both. Their drivers, Graham Hill and Jim Clark respectively, headed to South Africa with three wins apiece, and with the knowledge that the winner of the final race would earn both themselves, and their teams, the titles.

Formula One World Championship[]

Hill ultimately led the Championship from beginning to end, his maiden title coming through victory in South Africa, a race the Clark had dominated until retiring with just twenty laps to go. Englishman Hill ended up with four wins and 42 points (52 when dropped scores were not factored in), meaning he was twelve ahead of the Scot at the end of the year. Bruce McLaren was a consistent podium finisher to claim third, while John Surtees continued development as a race car driver to claim fourth in the brand new Lola-Climax outfit. The top five was completed by Dan Gurney, who beat fellow countryman and now ex-World Champion Phil Hill down to sixth.

Tony Maggs claimed seventh in his début season for Cooper-Climax, claiming half the points of team mate McLaren, while Richie Ginther claimed eighth in the second BRM. Ninth place went to Jack Brabham through a combination of scorers in a customer Lotus and his Brabham BT3, the first Formula One car to carry his name. Trevor Taylor ended a promising season in tenth for Team Lotus ahead of a series of young talents who drove for Ferrari several times during the season, led by Giancarlo Baghetti.

Pos. Driver 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pts*
Flag of the Netherlands Flag of Monaco Flag of Belgium Flag of France Flag of Great Britain Flag of Germany Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of South Africa 1928-1994
1st Graham Hill 1st 6th 2nd 9th 4th 1st 1st 2nd 1st 42 (52)
2nd Jim Clark 9th Ret 1st Ret 1st 4th Ret 1st Ret 30
3rd Bruce McLaren Ret 1st Ret 4th 3rd 5th 3rd 3rd 2nd 27 (32)
4th John Surtees Ret 4th 5th 5th 2nd 2nd Ret Ret Ret 19
5th Dan Gurney Ret Ret DNS 1st 9th 3rd 13th 5th 15
6th Phil Hill 3rd 2nd 3rd Ret Ret 11th DNS 14
7th Tony Maggs 5th Ret Ret 2nd 6th 9th 7th 7th 3rd 13
8th Richie Ginther Ret Ret Ret 3rd 13th 8th 2nd Ret 7th 10
9th Jack Brabham Ret 8th 6th Ret 5th Ret 4th 4th 9
10th Trevor Taylor 2nd Ret Ret 8th 8th Ret Ret 12th Ret 6
11th Giancarlo Baghetti 4th Ret 10th 5th 5
12th Lorenzo Bandini 3rd Ret 8th 4
13th Ricardo Rodríguez Ret DNS 4th 6th 14th 4
14th Willy Mairesse 7th Ret 4th 3
15th Jo Bonnier 7th 5th Ret Ret 7th 6th 13th 3
16th Innes Ireland Ret Ret Ret Ret 16th Ret 8th 5th 2
17th Carel Godin de Beaufort 6th DNQ 7th 6th 14th 13th 10th Ret 11th 2
18th Masten Gregory Ret DNQ Ret Ret 7th 12th 6th 1
19th Neville Lederle 6th 1
Maurice Trintignant Ret 8th 7th Ret Ret Ret 0
Jackie Lewis 8th DNQ Ret 10th Ret 0
John Love 8th 0
Nino Vaccarella DNQ 15th 9th 0
Lucien Bianchi 9th 16th 0
Roger Penske 9th 0
Bruce Johnstone 9th 0
Jo Siffert DNQ 10th Ret 12th DNQ 0
Rob Schroeder 10th 0
Ernie Pieterse 10th 0
Ian Burgess 12th 11th DNQ 0
Tony Settember 11th Ret 0
John Campbell-Jones 11th 0
Hap Sharp 11th 0
Heini Walter 14th 0
Jay Chamberlain 15th DNQ DNQ 0
Wolfgang Seidel NC Ret DNQ 0
Roy Salvadori WD Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret 0
Tony Shelly Ret DNQ DNQ 0
Keith Greene DNS Ret DNQ 0
Ben Pon Ret 0
Heinz Schiller Ret 0
Bernard Collomb Ret 0
Timmy Mayer Ret 0
Doug Serrurier Ret 0
Mike Harris Ret 0
Günther Seiffert DNQ 0
Gerry Ashmore DNQ 0
Ernesto Prinoth DNQ 0
Roberto Lippi DNQ 0
Nasif Estéfano DNQ 0
Jim Hall DNS 0
Pos. Driver Flag of the Netherlands Flag of Monaco Flag of Belgium Flag of France Flag of Great Britain Flag of Germany Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of South Africa 1928-1994
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pts*

*Only a drivers' best five point scoring finishes counted towards their points total.

Intercontinental Cup for Manufacturers[]

An incredible season for BRM's lead driver Graham Hill was enough for them to claim the honours in the Intercontinental Cup for Manufacturers, claiming victory on four occasions, one better than closest challengers Team Lotus. Even without dropped scores, Lotus' total would not have been enough to deny BRM their maiden Championship, while a partially revived Cooper-Climax completed an all British one-two-three in the Championship. It had also been a successful début season for the Lola Mk4, which gave Lola-Climax their best ever Championship result by finishing fourth.

The success of the British constructors came at the cost of the major manufacturers, with Porsche and Ferrari tied on 18 points with just one win between them. It was Porsche whom claimed the victory out of the two, their only win in F1 to the point, and with spiralling costs, the German car manufacturer quit the Championship at the end of the season. Ferrari, in contrast, would continue on and hope to revive the Ferrari 156 which had dominated in 1961. Two other manufacturers secured points in 1962, Brabham-Climax taking points in two of their three races with their own machinery, while a privately entered BRM engined Lotus 24 claimed a point in the hands of Masten Gregory.

Pos. Constructor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pts*
Flag of the Netherlands Flag of Monaco Flag of Belgium Flag of France Flag of Great Britain Flag of Germany Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of South Africa 1928-1994
1st BRM 1st 6th 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 1st 2nd 1st 42 (56)
2nd Lotus-Climax 2nd 8th 1st 7th 1st 4th 9th 1st 5th 36 (38)
3rd Cooper-Climax 5th 1st Ret 2nd 3rd 5th 3rd 3rd 2nd 29 (37)
4th Lola-Climax Ret 4th 5th 5th 2nd 2nd Ret Ret Ret 19
5th Porsche 6th 5th 7th 1st 9th 3rd 6th 5th 11th 18 (19)
6th Ferrari 3rd 2nd 3rd WD Ret 6th 4th WD 18
7th Brabham-Climax Ret 4th 4th 6
8th Lotus-BRM DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret 12th 6th 1
Emeryson-Climax NC 11th Ret WD 0
ENB-Maserati 16th 0
Gilby-BRM WD Ret DNQ 0
LDS-Alfa Romeo Ret 0
Cooper-Maserati Ret 0
De Tomaso DNQ 0
De Tomaso-OSCA DNQ 0
Pos. Constructor Flag of the Netherlands Flag of Monaco Flag of Belgium Flag of France Flag of Great Britain Flag of Germany Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of South Africa 1928-1994
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pts*

*Only the best placed driver for each constructor at each round had their points contribute to the Intercontinental Cup. Of these, only the five best points finishes were counted.

References[]

Images and Videos:

References:

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 'THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 12/07/1962), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/june-1962/12/dutch-grand-prix , (Accessed 26/05/2016)
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 'XXI Belgian Grand Prix', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 14/07/1962), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1962/14/xxi-belgian-grand-prix , (Accessed 27/05/2016)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 'GRAND PRIX RESULTS: FRENCH GP, 1962', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2016), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr106.html, (Accessed 28/05/2016)
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 '15TH R.A.C. BRITISH GRAND PRIX', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/08/1962), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1962/14/15th-rac-british-grand-prix, (Accessed 28/05/2016)
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 'The 9th South African Grand Prix', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/02/1963), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-1963/28/9th-south-african-grand-prix, (Accessed 31/05/2016)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 'XX Grand Prix of Monaco', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 20/07/1962), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1962/20/xx-grand-prix-monaco, (Accessed 26/05/2016)
  7. 'GRAND PRIX RESULTS: MONACO GP, 1962', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2016), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr104.html, (Accessed 26/05/2016)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 'XXIV GERMAN GRAND PRIX', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/09/1962), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1962/51/xxiv-german-grand-prix, (Accessed 29/05/2016)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 'XXXIII ITALIAN GRAND PRIX: Grand Slam for BRM', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/10/1962), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1962/11/xxxiii-italian-grand-prix, (Accessed 30/05/2016)
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 '4th United States Grand Prix', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/11/1962), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-1962/22/4th-united-states-grand-prix, (Accessed 30/05/2016)
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