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The 1964 FIA Formula One World Championship was the fifteenth edition of the Formula One World Championship, staged over ten rounds in two continents. The season opened in Monte Carlo on the 10th of May 1964, running throughout the summer and autumn to its conclusion in Mexico on the 25th of October.

The first race of the season saw Graham Hill earn another Monaco victory, benefiting from an engine failure for defending Champion Jim Clark.[1] The Scot then bounced back in the Netherlands with victory, before following that up with a triumph in Belgium.[2] Clark then showed his dominance in the 1964 French Grand Prix, leading every lap until his engine failed to hand victory to Dan Gurney.[3]

Brands Hatch made its Grand Prix debut as host of the British Grand Prix in early July, with Clark bouncing back from his French failure to take a record equalling fifth Grand Chelem.[4] John Surtees then claimed a memorable victory at the Nürburgring by sweeping home to earn the first win of the season for Ferrari, the start of a run for the Italian manufacturer.[5]

Lorenzo Bandini managed to get his name in the history by taking victory in the first Austrian Grand Prix to be part of the World Championship.[6] The season then came to the end of its European tour at Monza, where Surtees and Gurney duelled for victory until the New Yorker's engine began to misfire.[7] The Italian Grand Prix meant that three drivers would head to North America with a chance at the title with Hill, Clark and Surtees set to fight for the honours.[7]

The battle around the Glen in the United States saw Hill manage to claim a second win to extend his Championship lead, with Surtees in second and Clark leaving nine points back.[8] The three then head to Mexico for the season finale, with Clark dominating the weekend needing to win with Hill failing to get on the podium and Surtees lower than second.[9] Then, just one lap from the end of the race, the Scot's engine seized, and with Hill way down the order, Surtees collected the title by claiming second place on track as Gurney won, becoming the first man to win both the Motorcycle and Formula One World Championships.[9]

Away from the dramatic title fight, the 1964 season would also be remembered for the emergence of Honda, whose V12 engine threatened to score points a couple of times before failing. Gurney would also impress, the only man to consistently deny Clark pole positions throughout the season, with many tipping the American as a future Champion. Jo Siffert would also be hinted at for greater things after a series of good displays, although the season would be marred by the death of popular Dutchman Carel Godin de Beaufort in Germany.[5]

Background[]

Teams and Drivers[]

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 1964 Formula One Season is shown below:

Constructor Chassis Tyre Driver Rounds
Team Engine
Lotus-BRM 24 D United States Peter Revson 1, 6, 8
United States Privateer BRM P56 V8 1.5
Lotus-Climax 24 D France Bernard Collomb 1
France Privateer Climax FWMV V8 1.5
BRM P57 D France Maurice Trintignant 1, 4–6, 8
France Privateer BRM P56 V8 1.5
Brabham-Climax BT7
BT11
D Australia Jack Brabham All
United Kingdom Brabham Racing Organisation Climax FWMV V8 1.5 United States Dan Gurney All
BRM P67
P261
D United States Richie Ginther All
United Kingdom Owen Racing Organisation BRM P56 V8 1.5 United Kingdom Graham Hill All
United Kingdom Richard Attwood 5
Cooper-Climax T66
T73
D United States Phil Hill 1–7, 9–10
United Kingdom Cooper Car Company Climax FWMV V8 1.5 New Zealand Bruce McLaren All
Rhodesia John Love 8
Lotus-Climax 25
33
D United Kingdom Peter Arundell 1–4
United Kingdom Team Lotus Climax FWMV V8 1.5 United Kingdom Jim Clark All
United Kingdom Mike Spence 5–10
West Germany Gerhard Mitter 6
United States Walt Hansgen 9
Mexico Moisés Solana 10
Lotus-BRM
BRP-BRM
24
Mk1
Mk2
D United Kingdom Innes Ireland 1, 3–5, 7–10
United Kingdom British Racing Partnership BRM P56 V8 1.5 United Kingdom Trevor Taylor 1, 3–5, 7–10
Brabham-Climax BT11 D United Kingdom Bob Anderson 1–8
United Kingdom DW Racing Enterprises Climax FWMV V8 1.5
Lotus-BRM
Lotus-Climax
24
25
D New Zealand Chris Amon 1–7, 9–10
United Kingdom Reg Parnell Racing BRM P56 V8 1.5
Climax FWMV V8 1.5
United Kingdom Mike Hailwood 1–2, 4–10
United States Peter Revson 3–5
Brabham-BRM
Brabham-Climax
Cooper-Climax
BT7
BT11
T66
D West Germany Edgar Barth 6
United Kingdom R.R.C. Walker Racing Team BRM P56 V8 1.5
Climax FWMV V8 1.5
Sweden Jo Bonnier 1–3, 5–10
Austria Jochen Rindt 7
Italy Giacomo Russo 8
United States Hap Sharp 9–10
Switzerland Jo Siffert 9–10
Ferrari 156
158
1512
D Italy Lorenzo Bandini All
Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC
United States North American Racing Team
Ferrari 178 V6 1.5
Ferrari 205B V8 1.5
Ferrari 207 F12 1.5
United Kingdom John Surtees All
Italy Ludovico Scarfiotti 8
Mexico Pedro Rodríguez 10
Brabham-BRM
Lotus-BRM
BT11
24
D Switzerland Jo Siffert 1–8
Switzerland Siffert Racing Team BRM P56 V8 1.5
Porsche 718 D Netherlands Carel Godin de Beaufort 2, 6
Netherlands Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 547/6 F4 1.5
BRM P57 D Italy Giancarlo Baghetti 2–3, 5–8
Italy Scuderia Centro Sud BRM P56 V8 1.5 South Africa Tony Maggs 2–3, 5–7
Scirocco-Climax SP D Belgium André Pilette 3, 6
Belgium Equipe Scirocco Belge Climax FWMV V8 1.5
Cooper-Ford T71/73 D United Kingdom John Taylor 5
United Kingdom Bob Gerard Racing Ford 109E L4 1.5
Brabham-Ford BT10 D Australia Frank Gardner 5
United Kingdom John Willment Automobiles Ford 109E L4 1.5
Brabham-BRM BT3 D United Kingdom Ian Raby 5, 8
United Kingdom Privateer BRM P56 V8 1.5
Honda RA271 D United States Ronnie Bucknum 6, 8–9
Japan Honda R&D Company Honda RA271E V12 1.5
ATS D-F G Portugal Mário de Araújo Cabral 8
United Kingdom Derrington-Francis Racing Team ATS 100 V8 1.5
Cooper-Climax T60 D Switzerland Jean-Claude Rudaz 8
Switzerland Fabre Urbain Climax FWMV V8 1.5

Calendar[]

The 1964 Championship was scheduled to begin in May and end in October with ten rounds selected across two continents. Europe, as usual, would dominate the calendar, aided by two rounds in North America to complete the season, as the South African Grand Prix was dropped. Eight additional races were held to Formula One specifications to inflate the F1 calendar to eighteen races, adding a non-Championship visit to South Africa at the end of the competitive season.

World Championship Schedule[]

The only casualty from the 1963 season from the calendar would be the South African round at the end of the season, as the only available date for the race would be in 1965. With South Africa opting instead to become the opening round of 1965, a former non-Championship race in the form of the Austrian Grand Prix was added to the World Championship schedule. Held in between the German and Italian Grand Prix, the 1964 calendar only saw one other change from 1963. That was to do with the second and third rounds, as the Dutch and Belgian Grand Prix were swapped, with the North American double header ending the season in Mexico.

Round Grand Prix Date
1 Monaco Monaco Grand Prix 10 May
CircuitdeMonaco1950
Official Title XXII Grand Prix Automobile 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 10 May Laps 100
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
2 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix 24 May
CircuitZandvoort1980
Official Title XII 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 24 May Laps 80
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
3 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix 14 June
Spa 1950
Official Title XXIV 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 14 June Laps 32
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
4 France French Grand Prix 28 June
Circuit-Reims-1954
Official Title L Grand Prix de l'ACF
Circuit Rouen-Les-Essarts
Location France Rouen, Normandy, France
Lap distance 6.542 km (4.065 mi)
Race distance 372.894 km (231.706 mi)
Date 28 June Laps 57
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
5 United Kingdom British Grand Prix 11 July
Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit 1960-1975
Official Title XVII RAC British Grand Prix
Circuit Brands Hatch
Location United Kingdom Fawkham, Kent, England
Lap distance 4.265 km (2.650 mi)
Race distance 341.2 km (212.012 mi)
Date 11 July Laps 80
Local time 14:00 BST UTC 13:00
6 West Germany German Grand Prix 2 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 2 August Laps 15
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
7 Austria Austrian Grand Prix 23 August
Official Title II Großer Preis von Österreich
Circuit Zeltweg Airfield
Location Austria Zeltweg, Austria
Lap distance 3.187 km (1.980 mi)
Race distance 334.635 km (207.933 mi)
Date 23 August Laps 105
Local time 15:00 SAST UTC 13:00
8 Italy Italian Grand Prix 6 September
Monza 1957
Official Title XXXV Gran Premio d'Italia
Circuit Monza
Location Italy Monza, Italy
Lap distance 5.750 km (3.573 mi)
Race distance 448.5 km (278.685 mi)
Date 6 September Laps 78
Local time 14:00 CEST UTC 12:00
9 United States United States Grand Prix 4 October
Watkins Glen 1956
Official Title VII 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 407.11 km (252.966 mi)
Date 4 October Laps 110
Local time 14:00 EDT UTC 18:00
10 Mexico Mexican Grand Prix 25 October
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez 1963
Official Title III Gran Premio de Mexico
Circuit Magdalena Mixhuca Circuit
Location Mexico Magdalena Mixhuca, Mexico City, Mexico
Lap distance 5.000 km (3.107 mi)
Race distance 325 km (201.946 mi)
Date 25 October Laps 65
Local time 14:30 CDT UTC 08:30

Non-Championship Schedule[]

A slightly reduced eight race non-Championship schedule was made for the 1964 season, with the Daily Mail Trophy opening the season on the 14th of March. Goodwood, Syracuse, Aintree and Silverstone would also get to host rounds before the start of the World Championship in May. The Solitude and Mediterranean Grand Prix would be held during the season, before the Rand Grand Prix in South Africa ended the 1964 Formula One season on the 12th of December.

The full non-Championship race schedule for 1964 is outlined below:

Date Event Circuit Report
14th March United Kingdom II Daily Mail Trophy Snetterton Report
30th March United Kingdom I News of the World Trophy Goodwood Report
12th April Italy XIII Gran Premio di Siracusa Syracuse Report
18th April United Kingdom IX BARC Aintree 200 Aintree Report
2nd May United Kingdom XVI BRDC International Trophy Silverstone Report
19th July West Germany XIV Solitude Grand Prix Solitudering Report
16th August Italy III Mediterranean Grand Prix Enna-Pergusa Report
12th December South Africa VII Rand Grand Prix Kyalami Report

Away from the Championship, all of the drivers were free to compete in other Championships, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans a well attended race from the F1 world. As well as a support programme for local talent, and, occasionally, the Formula Junior Championship, a Grand Prix weekend would also be well supported. Another notable claim for the F1 circus would be the triumph of Jim Clark in the British Saloon Car Championship, with many of the British drivers also having competed.

Season Report[]

Pre-Season[]

Round 1: 1964 Monaco Grand Prix[]

Jim Clark, whom had a new team mate at Team Lotus in the form of Peter Arundell, arrived in Monaco intending to continue his dominant form from 1963.[1] And so he did, with Clark claiming pole for the opening race, sharing the front row with Jack Brabham while John Surtees and Graham Hill shared the second row.[1] The all conquering Scot immediately roared off the line to lead the race from the start, as Brabham battled for second.[1]

Yet, the Lotus 25 was not in a healthy state, trailing an anti-roll bar which had come lose shortly after the start, prompting the race officials to discuss the possibility of black flagging the Scot.[1] Colin Chapman called in his lead driver before they could do so, with the semi-enforced stop forcing Clark down the order, with Dan Gurney and Hill inheriting the lead.[1] Yet the repair was swift to leave Clark in third, with Gurney and Hill about to enter a duel for the lead.[1]

The New Yorker had jumped up the order at the start to inherit Clark's lead, but a fuel leak just after half distance saw the Brabham-Climax slip back towards Hill.[1] The battle was fierce but short, the Englishman soon able to dispose of the hindered Gurney before disappearing up the road.[1] Gurney was out soon after with an unrelated gearbox failure, while Clark never got the chance to take Hill, the Scot suffering an engine failure a few laps from the end.[1] Hill duly won the Monaco Grand Prix for the second year in succession, while Richie Ginther completed a BRM one-two, ahead of debutante Arundell.[1]

Round 2: 1964 Dutch Grand Prix[]

Dutch Grand Prix 1964 I

Jim Clark sweeps through the first corners at Zandvoort at the head of the field.

Having been denied a victory in Monaco once again, Jim Clark had arrived in the Netherlands hoping to get back to winning ways.[10] Clark, however, would have to settle for second in qualifying as Dan Gurney earned Brabham-Climax their maiden pole position with a new circuit record.[10] It would be Scotland versus New York off the line, and with better line into Tarzan, the green-gold Lotus was able to pull into the lead of the race.[10]

Gurney also got caught out by Graham Hill who surged into second, with a fast starting Peter Arundell getting his Lotus into fourth.[10] John Surtees, however, was the man on the move, with the Englishman picking off car after car to climb into second in the first quarter of the race.[10] Shortly after the scarlet Ferrari claimed second, Gurney suffered a steering failure and so dropped out, joined later on on the sidelines by Jack Brabham in the sister car.[10]

Clark, meanwhile, was dancing through the dunes claiming fastest lap as he built a minute lead to the rest of the field.[10] Surtees did well to stay within a minute of the charging Scot, while a misfire for Hill saw him lose out to Arundell just before half distance.[10] The rest of the race was largely undramatic, battles in the lower orders punctuated by the green-gold Lotus as the Scot came to lap everyone bar Surtees at least once on his way to an eleventh career victory.[10] Surtees and Arundell completed the podium, while Hill, Chris Amon and Bob Anderson rounded out the scorers.[10]

Round 3: 1964 Belgian Grand Prix[]

The Brabham-Climax racer Dan Gurney had claimed pole over the two days of practice/qualifying, although he did have some work to do after the start as Peter Arundell snatched the lead.[2] A strong start from the second Team Lotus driver had seen him leap into the lead from fourth on the grid through Eau Rouge to lead a Grand Prix for the first time.[2] Yet, the Englishman's joy was to be short lived, with John Surtees sweeping into the lead before the end of the opening tour.[2]

As Arundell slipped down the order after his moment in the sun, Surtees began to push his Ferrari in an attempt to build a lead.[2] But, he too was to lose out as the scarlet car ground to a halt on lap four with engine failure, allowing Gurney to slither into the lead.[2] He was able to build up a lead, as Jim Clark and Graham Hill, the leaders in the World Championship, cost themselves time by duelling for second as the New Yorker danced on ahead.[2]

A rare triumph for Hill over his rival saw the Englishman pull clear, leaving the Scot to fall into the clutches of Bruce McLaren, while Gurney continued to dance around in the lead.[2] Yet, as the race entered its closing stages, Gurney's Climax coughed and died on the run into La Source, the car running out of fuel, although he was able to slip into the pits a few seconds later.[2] He was sent straight back out as the team had no spare fuel, meaning he would be out of the race with just half a lap to go, handing victory to Hill.[2]

Yet, as the Englishman cruised through Blanchimont to start on the final lap, the BRM spluttered too, the fuel pump draining the last of the fuel in the tank.[2] McLaren then inherited the lead having battled his way past Clark earlier on, but his Cooper-Climax was in a sorry state, suffering an intermittent engine issue.[2] On the run to La Source on the final lap, the Cooper's engine finally cut out and refused to start, with the New Zealander left to roll out of the tight right hander and fall to the line.[2] As he did so, Clark came charging through the final corner to snatch the lead from the powerless Cooper, a shock victory for the Scot whom had been off the pace all weekend.[2]

Round 4: 1964 French Grand Prix[]

It was a return to form in qualifying for Jim Clark, the Scot finally managing to defeat Dan Gurney who had dominated the previous two races.[3] He would line up on pole with the New Yorker sharing the front row, and it would be the Scot that blasted into the lead off the line, leaving Gurney to fight with John Surtees.[3] As they roared away, Bruce McLaren dropped out of contention early on after a first lap spin.[3]

Clark was able to sprint away during the opening laps, while Gurney was prevented from challenging for the lead by Surtees, until the Ferrari suffered an oil pipe failure.[3] Graham Hill was also a victim of Surtees' failure, spinning on the oil while running in fourth, having already overturned a lowly sixth place grid slot.[3] The BRM lead driver would have to battle up from the middle of the pack, as Gurney began to hunt down the race leader.[3]

As Hill picked his way through the order to get back into fourth by half distance, Gurney was slowly drawing in the Scot although the green-gold Lotus 25 remained tantalisingly out of reach.[3] That was, until the Climax engine in the back of Clark's car failed in a cloud of smoke, handing the lead to Gurney.[3] His only challenger would be team mate Jack Brabham, who would soon fail to keep the charging Hill at bay a few laps later.[3]

Round 5: 1964 British Grand Prix[]

Having failed to score for the first time since the start of the 1963 season, Jim Clark arrived at Brands Hatch looking to bounce back straight away.[4] The Scot was in dominant form during practice, claiming pole by two tenths of a second from Graham Hill, while French Grand Prix winner Dan Gurney completed the front row.[4] There was also a successful demonstration of a four-wheel-drive BRM in the hands of Richard Attwood, although this was withdrawn before the start of the Grand Prix.[4]

Off the line, Clark managed to snatch the lead of the race from Gurney, who slithered inside of Hill before Paddock Hill Bend.[4] After a brief battle, the Englishman managed to elbow his way into second to chase down a disappearing Clark, although they were together before the end of the second lap.[4] As they began to exchange fastest lap times, Gurney dropped out of the race with ignition failure to leave a fairly big gap back to John Surtees in third.[4]

As Clark and Hill began to lap the back markers, Jack Brabham dragged his car into the pits to have his suspension examined, promoting Lorenzo Bandini into the top four.[4] Yet, try as he might, Hill could not force his BRM far enough up the inside of the Team Lotus machine at the front of the field, with Clark also collecting fastest lap during his impressive defence.[4] Come the end of the race, Clark was registered as the winner, and by leading every lap had ensured he collected a fifth Grand Chelem to go level at the top of the all time list with Alberto Ascari.[4]

Round 6: 1964 German Grand Prix[]

John Surtees pressed on for pole with Ferrari, defeating Jim Clark and Dan Gurney whom had shared pole between themselves throughout the rest of the season.[5] Their pole battle, however, would be distracted by a huge accident at Bergwerk for Carel Godin de Beaufort, the ageing Porsche 718 flying off the circuit at high speed and slamming into a tree.[5] The Dutchman was flown to a local hospital before going to Cologne to be treated by trauma specialists, although he would succumb to his injuries the day after the race.[5]

Despite a fallen comrade in hospital, the Formula One drivers were set to do battle with the Nurburgring on Sunday, and it was Lorenzo Bandini who streaked into the lead from the start.[5] His joy, however, would be short lived as Clark elbowed his way past in a move which also opened the door for Gurney and the sister car of Surtees.[5] The leading Scot then began to build a gap, leaving Surtees to muscle his way past Gurney and hunt down the leading Lotus.[5]

Soon, the scarlet car was up with the Lotus, and a quick battle saw the Englishman come charging past the pits in the lead at the end of the second lap, before the order shuffled.[5] Clark suddenly tumbled with an engine issue that proved ultimately terminal while the two Brabham-Climaxes fell with unrelated mechanical failures.[5] That left Surtees to win at a cruise, while Graham Hill nursed his BRM to the flag ahead of Bandini in the second Ferrari.[5]

Round 7: 1964 Austrian Grand Prix[]

Practice and qualifying had seen an impressive battle for pole, with just a second covering the top seven drivers, and a little over three seconds for the entire field.[6] Graham Hill was the man who claimed the prime grid position, lining up on a four wide front row with John Surtees, Jim Clark and Dan Gurney, while debutante Jochen Rindt found himself down in thirteenth.[6] Off the line, it was advantage Gurney and Surtees, with Hill and Clark making poor starts with the latter suffering with a terminal problem.[6]

The early stages saw Surtees wrestle the lead away from Gurney while Lorenzo Bandini established himself in third ahead of an enticing battle for fourth.[6] Clark was challenging Hill, Jack Brabham and Richie Ginther, until the fight was broken up by a series of mechanical failures, while Surtees retired from the lead with a suspension failure.[6] Clark then chased down Bandini for second, only to have a total failure in his transmission.[6]

As Clark dropped out, so too did Gurney, handing victory seemingly to Bandini if he could survive the horrendous bumps of the airfield.[6] Other retirements had promoted Ginther to second, and Swede Jo Bonnier to third, although the latter would fall soon after to put Bob Anderson onto the podium instead.[6] As this was going on, Phil Hill crashed heavily and got thrown from his car, fortunate as the car suddenly burst into flame and burned to the ground.[6] Bandini, meanwhile, ran on untroubled to claim a maiden victory, ahead of Ginther and Anderson, the latter making his first visit to the podium.[6]

Round 8: 1964 Italian Grand Prix[]

Amid the sunshine around Monza, John Surtees was able to claim pole position for Ferrari, much to the delight of the tifosi.[7] Yet, at the start, the Englishman, and fellow front starters Dan Gurney and Graham Hill were all outdone by Bruce McLaren who launched into the lead.[7] Hill himself failed to get away at all, his BRM suffering a terminal clutch failure meaning most of the field had to avoid the former Champion.[7]

The top four, with Jim Clark joining in the fun, proceeded to duel around Monza using the slipstream effect to try and find an advantage over the car in front.[7] Soon Gurney and Surtees were able to make a break for a separate duel for the lead, leaving McLaren and Clark to scrap for third, until the defending Champion fell with an engine failure.[7] McLaren then ran just behind the lead battle, which saw Gurney and Surtees frequently swapping positions.[7]

As an ever enticing truel for fourth between Jack Brabham, Richie Ginther and Lorenzo Bandini drew eyes away from the lead battle, the issue was settled when Gurney's engine began to sound rough.[7] He slowly tumbled the order alongside team mate Brabham, whose engine also let him down, leaving Surtees to sweep home to claim a memorable home victory for Ferrari.[7] McLaren came home for an increasingly rare second place for Cooper-Climax, while Bandini managed to escape the clutches of Ginther to earn third place at his home race.[7]

Round 9: 1964 United States Grand Prix[]

Jim Clark arrived in New York State in second place in the Championship, and having been denied points in the previous three rounds, looked to start his weekend perfectly with pole.[8] Clark was indeed able to secure the top spot on the grid with a stunning lap, but was beaten off the line by John Surtees and team mate Mike Spence, with the former's Ferrari painted blue and white over a licensing dispute.[8]

An intense battle in the opening laps saw Clark fall behind Championship leader Graham Hill for a time, before Clark used Hill's move on Spence to get back into second.[8] Soon the Scot managed to elbow his way past Surtees and blast away into the lead, leaving the blue/white Ferrari to battle with Hill and Dan Gurney, who had taken Spence during Clark's surge.[8]

Only mechanical issues could have denied Clark victory, and on lap 40 a misfire destroyed his race, prompting Team Lotus to drag Spence in and put Clark in his car.[8] The Scot, who now could not score, but could deny his rivals points, duly rose up the order as Hill pulled clear of Surtees and Gurney, before the latter retired with an engine failure.[8] Clark's day was ended for a second time when Spence's engine failed him in the closing stages, as Hill swept home to extend his Championship lead from Surtees, while Jo Siffert survived the best to earn a maiden podium.[8]

Round 10: 1964 Mexican Grand Prix[]

It had been advantage Graham Hill when the field assembled in Mexico ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, but on the track no one could deny Jim Clark pole.[9] An incredible lap saw the Scot beat second placed Dan Gurney by nearly a second, with John Surtees on the second row in fourth, and Hill even further back in sixth.[9] Hill needed to finish third or better to win the title if Surtees won, while Surtees had to finish on the podium regardless. As for Clark, the Scot could only worry about himself, needing to win to stand any chance of defending his crown.[9]

Off the line the Championship swung in Clark's favour as he launched away from pole perfectly, just as Hill fell down to tenth after his goggles slipped as he pulled off the grid.[9] By the end of the opening lap, Clark was clear of Gurney and Lorenzo Bandini behind, while Hill was battling away at the back of the top ten.[9] Surtees' chances had also taken a nose dive when his Ferrari began to misfire halfway round the first tour, meaning he was in thirteenth by the end of the opening bout.[9]

The opening two thirds of the race then saw a dramatic recovery through the field, despite Clark blasting away at the front of the field.[9] Surtees' engine miraculously sorted itself out after a couple of laps allowing him to pick his way through the order, while Hill had a surge during the opening phases to climb into third.[9] That, however, was to change on lap 31, when Bandini, Surtees' team mate, misjudged his braking and put both into a spin.[9]

Hill rejoined behind Surtees and Bandini, and with a crumpled exhaust he could do little but coast around and hope his rivals faltered.[9] Bandini was faster than Surtees and so allowed by to try and hunt down Gurney in second for third place would not be enough for Surtees if Clark won.[9] Yet, as Clark opened the final lap of the season, the Lotus' Climax engine seized to end his title hopes, handing victory to Gurney while news spread down through the pit lane.[9]

The news reached the Ferrari pits just in time, who just managed to signal Bandini to slow down and allow Surtees pass before the both blasted past the pits.[9] Fortunately for Surtees, he and his team mate were friends as well as rivals, and the Italian duly moved aside to hand Surtees second, the six points enough for the Englishman to earn a maiden title.[9] Hill was beaten by just a single point, finishing down in eleventh, although most people's sympathies were with Clark, who had been cruelly denied by mechanical failure for a second time in three seasons.[9]

Non-Championship Rounds[]

Final Standings[]

The 1964 season was a complete contrast to the 1963 season, with three British drivers (a first for the Championship) heading into the season finale with a chance at the title. With six results counting to each driver's score for the season, and points award from first to sixth on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 scale. Pole and fastest lap were not awarded points, while manufacturers only had their best placed scoring driver from six races count to their final tally.

Formula One World Championship[]

The incredible finale to the Formula One Championship of 1964 saw John Surtees claim a maiden World Championship title by just a single point. Graham Hill ended the season in that second place, actually outscoring the Champion until dropped scores were applied, although most people's sympathies were with defeated Champion Jim Clark. The Scot's three wins, and dominance of the season finale meant many people though he had earned a second crown, but with the new season only five weeks away many thought that he could bounce back.

Twenty-two drivers managed to score points during 1964, with Mexican racer Pedro Rodríguez rounding out the scorers. Lorenzo Bandini ended the year level on points with Richie Ginther in fourth, with the Italian ahead after his victory in Austria. The other race winner in 1964, Dan Gurney ended the season down in sixth, while the rest of the top ten was composed of Bruce McLaren, the injured Peter Arundell, Jack Brabham and Swiss privateer Jo Siffert.

Pos. Driver 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pts*
Flag of Monaco Flag of the Netherlands Flag of Belgium Flag of France Flag of Great Britain Flag of Germany Flag of Austria Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of Mexico 1934-1968
1st John Surtees Ret 2nd Ret Ret 3rd 1st Ret 1st 2nd 2nd 40
2nd Graham Hill 1st 4th 5th 2nd 2nd 2nd Ret Ret 1st 11th 39 (41)
3rd Jim Clark 4th 1st 1st Ret 1st Ret Ret Ret 7th 5th 32
4th Lorenzo Bandini 10th Ret Ret 9th 5th 3rd 1st 3rd Ret 3rd 23
5th Richie Ginther 2nd 11th 4th 5th 8th 7th 2nd 4th 4th 8th 23
6th Dan Gurney Ret Ret 6th 1st 13th 10th Ret 10th Ret 1st 19
7th Bruce McLaren Ret 7th 2nd 6th Ret Ret Ret 2nd Ret 7th 13
8th Peter Arundell 3rd 3rd 9th 4th 11
9th Jack Brabham Ret Ret 3rd 3rd 4th 12th 9th 14th Ret Ret 11
10th Jo Siffert 8th 13th Ret Ret 11th 4th Ret 7th 3rd Ret 7
11th Bob Anderson 7th 6th DNS 12th 7th Ret 3rd 11th 5
12th Mike Spence 9th 8th Ret 6th Ret 4th 4
13th Tony Maggs DNS DNS Ret 6th 4th 4
14th Innes Ireland DNS 10th Ret 10th 5th 5th Ret 12th 4
15th Jo Bonnier 5th 9th Ret Ret Ret 6th 12th Ret Ret 3
16th Chris Amon DNQ 5th Ret 10th Ret 11th Ret WD Ret Ret 2
17th Maurice Trintignant Ret 11th DNQ 5th Ret 2
18th Walt Hansgen 5th 2
19th Phil Hill 9th 8th Ret 7th 6th Ret Ret Ret 9th 1
20th Trevor Taylor Ret 7th Ret Ret Ret DNQ 6th Ret 1
21st Mike Hailwood 6th 12th 8th Ret Ret 8th Ret 8th Ret 1
22nd Pedro Rodríguez 6th 1
Giancarlo Baghetti 10th 8th 12th Ret 7th 8th 0
Gerhard Mitter 9th 0
Ludovico Scarfiotti 9th 0
Moisés Solana 10th 0
Peter Revson DNQ DSQ DNS Ret 14th 13th 0
Ronnie Bucknum 13th Ret Ret 0
Hap Sharp NC 13th 0
John Taylor 14th 0
Carel Godin de Beaufort Ret DNS 0
André Pilette Ret DNQ 0
Ian Raby Ret DNQ 0
Frank Gardner Ret 0
Edgar Barth Ret 0
Jochen Rindt WD Ret 0
Mário de Araújo Cabral Ret 0
Richard Attwood DNS 0
Jean-Claude Rudaz DNS 0
Bernard Collomb DNQ 0
John Love DNQ 0
Giacomo Russo DNQ 0
Pos. Driver Flag of Monaco Flag of Belgium Flag of the Netherlands Flag of France Flag of Great Britain Flag of Germany Flag of Austria Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of Mexico 1934-1968
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pts*
  • *Only a drivers' best five point scoring finishes counted towards their points total.

Intercontinental Cup for Manufacturers[]

The late Championship shuffle at the final two rounds saw Ferrari, who ended the season in blue/white rather than their usual scarlet, snatch the Intercontinental Cup for Manufacturers. Like their driver Hill, it was actually BRM who had scored the most points overall throughout the season before dropped scores were applied. Lotus-Climax ended their title defence in third, although they would have won that title too if Clark had won the finale.

Brabham-Climax had a successful second season as a constructor, Gurney's two wins giving them fourth place overall, while Cooper-Climax slipped to fifth after an uninspiring season. Privately entered Brabham-BRMs managed to outscore the BRP-BRM manufacturer team, while the rest of the points went to Lotus-BRM privateers. Honda and Porsche both failed to score, while Ford were also represented as an engine manufacturer for a couple of privateer entrants.

Pos. Constructor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pts*
Flag of Monaco Flag of Belgium Flag of the Netherlands Flag of France Flag of Great Britain Flag of Germany Flag of Austria Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of Mexico 1934-1968
1st Ferrari 10th 2nd Ret 9th 3rd 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 45 (49)
2nd BRM 1st 4th 4th 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 4th 1st 9th 42 (51)
3rd Lotus-Climax 3rd 1st 1st 4th 1st 8th Ret 6th 5th 4th 37 (40)
4th Brabham-Climax 7th 6th 3rd 1st 4th 10th 3rd 10th Ret 1st 30
5th Cooper-Climax 5th 7th 2nd 6th 6th Ret Ret 2nd Ret 7th 16
6th Brabham-BRM 9th Ret 11th 4th Ret 7th 3rd 13th 7
7th BRP-BRM Ret 7th Ret 10th 5th 5th 6th 12th 5
8th Lotus-BRM 6th 5th Ret 8th Ret 11th 8th 13th 8th Ret 3
Honda 13th Ret Ret 0
Scirocco-Climax WD Ret DNQ 0
Porsche Ret DNS 0
Brabham-Ford Ret 0
ATS Ret 0
Cooper-Ford DNS 0
Pos. Constructor Flag of Monaco Flag of Belgium Flag of the Netherlands Flag of France Flag of Great Britain Flag of Germany Flag of Austria Flag of Italy Flag of the United States Flag of Mexico 1934-1968
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pts*
  • *Only the best placed driver for each constructor at each round had their points contribute to the Intercontinental Cup. Of these, only the six 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 D.S.J., 'XXII MONACO GRAND PRIX: B.R.M. Sweeps the Board', motorsportmagazine.com, (MotorSport Magazine, 01/06/1964), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/june-1964/11/xxii-monaco-grand-prix, (Accessed 19/06/2016)
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 D.S.J., 'Belgian Grand Prix: An Unsatisfactory Finish', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/07/1964), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1964/19/belgian-grand-prix, (Accessed 24/06/2016)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 D.S.J., '50th FRENCH GRAND PRIX A Well-Deserved Win', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/08/1964), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1964/27/50th-french-grad-prix and http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1964/68/french-grand-prix, (Accessed 27/06/2016)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 D.S.J., 'XVII BRITISH GRAND PRIX: A Hard Time for Clark', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/08/1964), , (Accessed 27/06/2016) ↑ 'Britain 1964: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), http://www.statsf1.com/en/1964/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 27/06/2016)
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 D.S.J., '26th GERMAN GRAND PRIX: Surtees (Ferrari) Wins Again', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/09/2016), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1964/29/26th-german-grand-prix, (Accessed 29/06/2016)
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 D.S.J., 'Austrian Grand Prix: Wild and Woolly', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/10/1964), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1964/39/austrian-grand-prix and http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1964/41/october-1964, (Accessed 02/07/2016)
  7. 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 D.S.J., '35th Italian Grand Prix: VICTORY THROUGH STRENGTH', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/10/1964), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1964/24/35th-italian-grand-prix and http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1964/24/october-1964, (Accessed 14/07/2016)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 M.S.J., 'GRAND PRIX OF UNITED STATES', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/11/2016), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-1964/30/grand-prix-united-states, (Accessed 15/07/2016)
  9. 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 M.S.J., 'III GRAN PREMIO DE MEXICO', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/12/1964), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-1964/25/iii-gran-premio-de-mexico, (Accessed 15/07/2016)
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 D.S.J., 'The Dutch Grand Prix Clark, Lotus and Climax Uncatchable', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport Magazine, 01/07/1964), http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1964/23/dutch-grand-prix AND http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1964/26/practice-times, (Accessed 22/06/2016)
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V T E 1964 Formula One Season
Constructors ATS • Brabham • BRM • BRP • Cooper • Ferrari • Honda • Lotus • Porsche • Scirocco
Engines ATS • BRM • Climax • Ferrari • Ford • Honda • Porsche
Drivers Amon • Anderson • Arundell • Attwood • Baghetti • Bandini • Barth • de Beaufort • Bonnier • Brabham • Bucknum • Cabral • Clark • Collomb • Gardner • "Geki" • Ginther • Gurney • Hailwood • Hansgen • G. Hill • P. Hill • Ireland • Love • Maggs • McLaren • Mitter • Pilette • Raby • Revson • Rindt • P. Rodríguez • Rudaz • Scarfiotti • Sharp • Siffert • Solana • Spence • Surtees • J. Taylor • T. Taylor • Trintignant
Cars Brabham BT3 • Brabham BT7 • Brabham BT10 • Brabham BT11 • BRM P57 • BRM P67 • BRM P261 • BRP Mk1 • BRP Mk2 • Cooper T60 • Cooper T66 • Cooper T73 • Ferrari 156 • Ferrari 158 • Ferrari 1512 • Honda RA271 • Lotus 24 • Lotus 25 • Lotus 33 • Porsche 718 • Scirocco SP
Tyres Dunlop • Goodyear
Races Monaco • Netherlands • Belgium • France • Britain • Germany • Austria • Italy • United States • Mexico
Non-championship Races Daily Mirror • News of World • Syracuse GP • Aintree 200 • International Trophy • Solitude GP • Mediterranean GP • Rand GP
See also 1963 Formula One Season • 1965 Formula One Season • Category
V T E Formula One Seasons
195019511952195319541955195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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