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THE RISE OF LOTUS

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Lotus founder Colin Chapman

 

In 1958 Ferrari would have a titanic battle with Vanwall for the F1 championship, with Ferrari intimately winning. But in the background a new British team called Lotus, founded by Colin Chapman, would score a fourth place in Belgium and start the rise of the team to F1 champions.

This is the story of the rise of Lotus.

 

The Rise

Colin Chapman was born on May 19, 1928 in London and grew up near the Muswell Hill area in the north of the city.

His father Stanley ran the Railway Hotel pub in Hornsey, (where the family also lived) which was to become a significant early location for Lotus.

As a teenager Chapman was an enthusiastic attendee of dances at Hornsey Town Hall (he got in free since Stanley ran the catering) and at one such event in March 1944 he met Hazel Williams. His future wife of 38 years was a key pillar against Chapman’s tumultuous life to come of triumph and tragedy.

“I wasn’t an enthusiast – I never went to a race meeting until I actually raced myself” Colin Chapman

“I remember thinking after our first meeting, ‘Here is someone a bit different. This chap will go places,’” she told Jabby Crombac in his authorised Chapman biography.

Hazel relates how even at an early age, the precocious young Chapman was already set on engineering invention.

“In late 1944 when the Germans were bombing London with their doodlebugs [the V1 rockets], Colin and his father designed a device which spotted whether a particular ‘doodlebug’ was going to land anywhere near the hotel.

“They would then know whether everybody should take shelter or not!”

Chapman would enrol for an engineering degree at University College, but at that time showed little interest in formal study – instead developing a burgeoning second-hand car business with his friend Colin Dare.

Despite Chapman not being completely bowled over by a life of lectures and seminars, he was still learning what would become crucial engineering information.

Buying second-hand cars had made him aware of how antiquated most British automotive technology was, so he soon set about modifying vehicles which came into his possession.

The most famous early example was the boxy Austin Seven saloon, a car so unedifying that Chapman couldn’t sell it, so he began to experiment with it instead. His new creation – the Lotus MkI – was completed in 1947.

“I was not really an enthusiast [who wanted to go racing, at first],” he said. “In fact I never went to a race meeting until I actually raced myself.

“I was enthusiastic for building a thing which moved, so while at university I decided to build my own ‘special’.

 

The MK1 – The First Lotus Car

 

By 1954 Chapman designed the first true Lotus race car. The V111 races in the British touring car championship from 1954 to 1957.

 

The Lotus V111

While the V111 and variants became dominant in the British touring car championships, Chapman had his eyes on the relatively new F1 championship. In 1957 he started design work on Lotus F1 car. It was named the Lotus 12 and would compete in the 1958 championship.

 

 

The 1958 Lotus 12

 

The Lotus 12 Technical Specs

Chassis Aluminium body on multi-tubular space frame
Suspension (front) Double wishbone, coils springs, dampers, anti-roll bar
Suspension (rear) Chapman strut, trailing arms, fixed length drive shaft
Length 130.9 in (332.5 cm)
Width 60 in (152.4 cm)
Height 35 in (88.9 cm)
Axle track 48 in (121.9 cm)
Wheelbase 87.9 in (223.3 cm)
Engine Coventry Climax FPF 1,965 cc (119.9 cu in) Inline 4-cylinder, DOHC Naturally-aspirated Front engined, longitudinally-mounted
Transmission Ansdale-Mundy transaxle 5-speed manual ZF diff. with bespoke casing
Power 175 bhp (130.5 kW)
Weight 320 kg (705.5 lb)
Fuel Petrol
Brakes Disc, all-round
Tyres Dunlop

 

 

 

The Lotus 12 had it’s first race at Monaco in 1958

 

 

1958

Lotus scored their first ever F1 points when Cliff Allison scored a 4th place finish at the 1958 Belgian GP.

 

Cliff Allison scored the first ever F1 points for Lotus

 

 

1959

1959 saw an improvement for Lotus with a 4th and a 5th place finish, finishing the season in 4th place. Innes Ireland scored.

 

Ireland in his Lotus 16

 

1960

1960 was a breakthrough season for Lotus with new driver Sterling Moss winning two races, Monaco and the US, and finishing 3rd in the championship.

 

Moss winning Monaco 1960

1961

1961 saw Lotus win three races but the car was totally outclassed by Ferrari. Moss would again finish the championship in 3rd and Ireland in 5th.

 

The 1961 Lotus 21

1962

1962 saw Lotus getting close to the top but ultimately finished the season I 2nd with three wins. The revolutionary Lotus 25 was fast but too fragile. In Clarks hands it would be unbeatable if it finished.

 

Clark’s Lotus 25

 

 

1963 The First Lotus F1 Championship

The 1963 F1 championship would see 10 races. Starting in Monaco and ending in South Africa. Lotus would use a revised 25.

 

The Revised Lotus 25

 

Round Grand Prix Circuit Date
1 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 26 May
2 Belgian Grand Prix Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 9 June
3 Dutch Grand Prix Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort 23 June
4 French Grand Prix Reims-Gueux, Gueux 30 June
5 British Grand Prix Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 20 July
6 German Grand Prix Nürburgring, Nürburg 4 August
7 Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 8 September
8 United States Grand Prix Watkins Glen International, New York 6 October
9 Mexican Grand Prix Magdalena Mixhuca, Mexico City 27 October
10 South African Grand Prix Prince George Circuit, East London 28 December

 

 

 

Race 1 – Monaco

The 1963 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 26 May 1963. It was race 1 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 100-lap race was won by British driver Graham Hill driving a BRM P57 after Jim Clark retired from the lead with a broken gearbox on lap 78.

Clark took pole position for the event ahead of Hill and John Surtees. The two BRM drivers, Hill and Richie Ginther, led the opening laps in first and second respectively. Clark overtook Ginther for second on lap 5, and Hill for the lead on lap 18. Surtees was also able to overtake Ginther and Hill into second by lap 56, before Hill re-overtook him. Surtees then fell back. Clark retired on lap 78 with a gearbox failure, allowing Hill to win the race, with Ginther and Bruce McLaren completing the podium. Surtees, suffering from his mechanical issue, finished fourth.

 

Qualifying

1 9 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 1:35.3 1:34.3 1:35.2 1
2 6 Graham Hill BRM 1:37.0 1:35.7 1:35.0 +0.7 2
3 21 John Surtees Ferrari 1:38.7 1:35.2 1:36.5 +0.9 3
4 5 Richie Ginther BRM 1:37.0 1:35.8 1:35.2 +0.9 4
5 14 Innes Ireland Lotus–BRM 1:37.9 1:35.5 1:35.7 +1.2 5
6 4 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 1:38.9 1:36.1 1:35.8 +1.5 6
7 20 Willy Mairesse Ferrari 1:37.6 1:36.0 1:35.9 +1.6 7
8 7 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 1:43.8 1:38.3 1:36.0 +1.7 8
9 10 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax 1:39.1 1:37.2 1:38.6 +2.9 9
10 8 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 1:38.4 1:37.9 1:39.1 +3.6 10
11 11 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 1:42.5 1:39.4 1:38.6 +4.3 11
12 25 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 1:41.7 1:40.9 1:39.4 +5.1 12
13 12 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM 1:41.0 1:41.7 1:43.6 +6.7 13
14 17 Maurice Trintignant Lola–Climax 1:43.0 1:41.3 1:48.9 +7.0 14
15 15 Chris Amon Lola–Climax 1:43.8 1:41.4 — +7.1 DNS 1
16 24 Bernard Collomb Lotus–Climax 1:46.8 1:43.3 1:44.9 +9.0 DNQ 2
17 3 Jack Brabham Lotus–Climax 1:44.7 No time No time +10.4  

15

 

 

The Race

The Monaco Grand Prix received the honorary title of European Grand Prix and, more importantly, functioned as the 1963 season opener. With little driver changes in the front-running teams and constructors withholding to introduce new designs to the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, the battle between the 1962 championship protagonists was expected to restart. Only five drivers were guaranteed a starting place: the previous World Champions or winners of the Monaco Grand Prix. The rest had to fight in qualifying over the remaining eleven spaces. 1962’s runner-up Jim Clark managed this with ease in his Lotus–Climax. He posted the fastest practice time and started the race on pole position. Reigning champion Graham Hill started second in his BRM, while John Surtees (Ferrari) and Richie Ginther (BRM). Hill and Ginther took the lead at the start, but the first nine cars kept going nose-to-tail. Clark managed to get past Hill on lap 7, but then went wide at the Station hairpin and going down to third once again. He tried again and the lead changes hands multiple times, before Clark went ahead definitively and increased his lead to 17 seconds at three-quarters race-distance. Then suddenly, his gearbox jammed and his wheels locked. Hill was gifted the win, ahead of teammate Ginther and Bruce McLaren in the Cooper.

 

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 6 Graham Hill BRM 100 2:41:49.7 2 9
2 5 Richie Ginther BRM 100 + 4.6 4 6
3 7 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 100 + 12.8 8 4
4 21 John Surtees Ferrari 100 + 14.1 3 3
5 8 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 98 + 2 laps 10 2
6 10 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax 98 + 2 laps 9 1

 

Drivers’ Championship Standings

 

 

Pos Driver Points
1 Graham Hill 9
2 Richie Ginther 6
3 Bruce McLaren 4
4 John Surtees 3
5 Tony Maggs 2

 

Race 2 – Belgian

 

 

The 1963 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held at Spa-Francorchamps on 9 June 1963. It was race 2 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Jim Clark won the race in extremely wet and rainy conditions. After starting eighth on the grid, Clark passed all the cars in front of him, including early leader Graham Hill. At the end of the race, Clark had not only lapped the entire field except for Bruce McLaren, but the margin to the second-placed Cooper driver was almost five minutes. The Scot’s performance was made even more impressive by the fact that gearbox issues meant that he had to hold his gear lever in place, thus driving one-handed, whenever fifth gear was selected on this high-speed circuit. Given the rainy conditions, Clark eventually chose not to engage fifth gear at all, leaving him with only four gears.[1] This would be the first of seven victories for Clark and Team Lotus that year.

 

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Qualifying times Gap
Q1 Q2
1 7 Graham Hill BRM 4:01.6 3:54.1 —
2 18 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 4:28.8 3:55.0 +0.9
3 10 Willy Mairesse Ferrari 3:56.2 3:55.3 +1.2
4 15 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 3:57.1 3:56.0 +1.9
5 14 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 3:58.3 3:56.2 +2.1
6 17 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 3:56.6 4:00.7 +2.5
7 4 Innes Ireland BRP–BRM 4:05.3 3:56.9 +2.8
8 1 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 4:06.7 3:57.1 +3.0
9 8 Richie Ginther BRM 4:04.5 3:57.6 +3.5
10 9 John Surtees Ferrari 3:57.9 3:57.9 +3.8
11 2 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax 4:02.7 3:58.1 +4.0
12 5 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM 4:05.4 4:00.1 +6.0
13 12 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 4:01.4 4:00.1 +6.0
14 28 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 4:03.9 4:02.3 +8.2
15 21 Chris Amon Lola–Climax 4:17.2 4:04.9 +10.8
16 22 Lucien Bianchi Lola–Climax 4:08.5 4:06.5 +12.4
17 26 Phil Hill ATS 4:26.1 4:06.7 +12.6
18 29 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 4:14.6 6:55.2 +20.5
19 24 Tony Settember Scirocco–BRM 4:31.7 4:25.2 +31.1
20 27 Giancarlo Baghetti ATS 8:34.8 4:33.6 +39.5

 

Race

 

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 32 2:27:47.6 8 9
2 14 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 32 + 4:54.0 5 6
3 18 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 31 + 1 lap 2 4
4 8 Richie Ginther BRM 31 + 1 lap 9 3
5 12 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 30 + 2 laps 13 2
6 29 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 30 + 2 laps 18 1

 

Drivers’ Championship standings

 

Pos Driver Points
2 1 Bruce McLaren 10
6 2 Jim Clark 9
2 3 Graham Hill 9
2 4 Richie Ginther 9
5 5 Dan Gurney 4

 

Spa 1963

 Race 3 – Dutch GP

 

The 1963 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on 23 June 1963. It was race 3 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 80-lap race was won by Lotus driver Jim Clark – by a margin of more than a full lap – after he started from pole position. Dan Gurney finished second for the Brabham team and Ferrari driver John Surtees came in third.

 

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Qualifying times Gap
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 6 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax No time 1:33.0 1:31.6 —
2 12 Graham Hill BRM 1:33.3 1:32.2 1:32.5 +0.6
3 20 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 1:34.1 1:33.3 1:32.3 +0.7
4 16 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 1:35.1 1:33.0 1:32.4 +0.8
5 2 John Surtees Ferrari 1:33.7 1:33.6 1:33.0 +1.4
6 14 Richie Ginther BRM 1:37.2 1:34.5 1:33.3 +1.7
7 30 Innes Ireland BRP–BRM 1:33.6† 1:39.0 (1:33.4) +1.7
8 28 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 1:35.3 1:34.7 1:34.1 +2.5
9 22 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 1:35.8 1:35.0 1:34.3 +2.7
10 8 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax No time 1:40.4 1:35.2 +3.6
11 4 Ludovico Scarfiotti Ferrari 1:37.3 No time 1:35.6 +4.0
12 10 Chris Amon Lola–Climax 1:37.3 1:38.4 1:35.9 +4.3
13 24 Phil Hill ATS 1:40.1 1:38.0 1:36.0 +4.4
14 18 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax No time 1:36.2 No time +4.6
15 26 Giancarlo Baghetti ATS 1:49.7 1:37.8 1:41.0 +6.2
16 34 Gerhard Mitter Porsche No time 1:41.4 1:38.8 +7.2
17 36 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM No time 1:39.0 1:39.7 +7.4
18 42 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM No time No time 1:39.0 +7.4
19 32 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche No time 1:40.2 1:39.3 +7.7

 

Race

 

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 6 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 80 2:08:13.7 1 9
2 18 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 79 + 1 lap 14 6
3 2 John Surtees Ferrari 79 + 1 lap 5 4
4 30 Innes Ireland BRP–BRM 79 + 1 lap 7 3
5 14 Richie Ginther BRM 79 + 1 lap 6 2
6 4 Ludovico Scarfiotti Ferrari 78 + 2 laps 11 1

 

Drivers’ Championship Standings

 

Pos Driver Points
1 1 Jim Clark 18
2 2 Richie Ginther 11
2 3 Bruce McLaren 10
1 4 Dan Gurney 10
2 5 Graham Hill 9

 

 

Phil Hill in an ATS 100 leads Jo Bonnier in a Cooper T60 Climax, Trevor Taylor in a Lotus 25 Climax, Chris Amon in a Lola Mk4A Climax and Innes Ireland driving a BRP 1-BRM.

 

Clark and Hill at the 1963 Dutch GP

Race 4 – French GP

 

The 1963 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Reims on 30 June 1963. It was race 4 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was won by Jim Clark driving a Lotus 25–Climax 1.5 litre V8

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Qualifying times Gap
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 18 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 2:21.0 No time 2:20.2 —
2 2 Graham Hill BRM 3:13.4 2:36.4 2:20.9 +0.7
3 8 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax No time 3:02.4 2:21.7 +1.5
4 16 John Surtees Ferrari 2:24.4 2:33.8 2:21.9 +1.7
5 6 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax No time 2:39.2 2:21.9 +1.7
6 10 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 2:25.1 No time 2:22.5 +2.3
7 20 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax 2:23.7 No time 2:25.1 +3.5
8 12 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 2:24.5 No time 2:24.4 +4.2
9 32 Innes Ireland BRP–BRM No time 2:41.8 2:25.1 +4.9
10 36 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 2:26.9 No time 2:25.2 +5.0
11 44 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 2:26.5 2:40.5 2:25.7 +5.5
12 4 Richie Ginther BRM 2:26.8 2:40.0 2:25.9 +5.7
13 14 Ludovico Scarfiotti Ferrari 2:27.0 2:41.6 No time +6.8
14 42 Phil Hill Lotus–BRM No time No time 2:27.7 +7.5
15 28 Maurice Trintignant Lotus–Climax No time 2:49.5 2:28.3 +8.1
16 22 Peter Arundell Lotus–Climax 2:28.5 — — +8.3
17 30 Chris Amon Lola–Climax No time 2:53.1 2:30.5 +10.3
18 34 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM No time 3:25.2 2:30.9 +10.7
19 48 Masten Gregory Lotus–BRM No time No time 2:33.2 +13.0
20 38 Tony Settember Scirocco–BRM No time 2:54.5 2:36.7 +16.5
21 46 Lorenzo Bandini BRM No time No time 2:37.8 +17.6
Race report

Jim Clark took the lead at the start from Richie Ginther in the BRM. All Graham Hill‘s hard work in qualifying second despite mechanical problems in practice came to nothing when his engine died on the grid and his car had to be push started. The subsequent one-minute penalty dropped him well back. Clark led dominantly, his lead being extended when a stone pierced Ginther’s radiator, forcing him into the pits. Jack Brabham took second place after a strong fight with Trevor Taylor, who also suffered mechanical problems.

Brabham then began to gain significantly on Clark as the Scot’s Climax engine started to splutter, however this proved to be a sporadic fault and he had enough of a lead to maintain the position. Brabham himself was delayed when an ignition lead came loose, handing second and third to Tony Maggs and a delighted Hill. Clark was over a minute ahead of them after yet another start-to-finish victory. Graham Hill was push started, incurring a one-minute penalty from the organisers, and was awarded no championship points for his third place. By finishing 7th, at 19 years and 345 days old, Chris Amon became the youngest driver to finish a world championship race.

 
Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 18 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 53 2:10:54.3 1 9
2 12 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 53 + 1:04.9 8 6
3 2 Graham Hill BRM 53 + 1:13.9 2
4 6 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 53 + 2:15.2 5 3
5 8 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 53 + 2:33.4 3 2
6 36 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 52 + 1 lap

 

Drivers’ Championship Standings

 

Pos Driver Points    
1 Jim Clark 27
2 2 Dan Gurney 12
1 3 Richie Ginther 11
1 4 Bruce McLaren 10
5 Graham Hill 9

 

1963 French GP

Race 5 – British GP

 

The 1963 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England on 20 July 1963. It was race 5 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was also the eighteenth British Grand Prix, and the first to be held at Silverstone since 1960. The race was won by Scotsman Jim Clark for the second year in succession driving a Lotus 25.

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Qualifying times Gap
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 4 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 1:39.6 1:34.4 1:34.6 —
2 9 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 1:42.0 1:35.8 1:34.6 +0.2
3 1 Graham Hill BRM 1:36.0 1:35.4 1:34.8 +0.4
4 8 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 1:36.0 1:39.0 1:35.0 +0.6
5 10 John Surtees Ferrari 1:37.4 1:35.8 1:35.2 +0.8
6 6 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 1:38.8 1:35.6 1:35.4 +1.0
7 7 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 1:41.2 1:38.0 1:36.0 +1.6
8 3 Lorenzo Bandini BRM No time 1:38.0 1:36.0 +1.6
9 2 Richie Ginther BRM 1:39.6 1:36.8 1:36.0 +1.6
10 5 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax 1:39.8 1:36.8 1:37.0 +2.4
11 11 Innes Ireland BRP–BRM 1:45.4 1:38.0 1:36.8 +2.4
12 14 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 1:38.0 1:37.6 1:36.8 +2.4
13 12 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM 1:38.0 1:37.0 No time +2.6
14 19 Chris Amon Lola–Climax 1:44.6 1:38.4 1:37.2 +2.8
15 25 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 1:45.2 1:39.4 1:38.4 +4.0
16 22 Bob Anderson Lola–Climax 1:43.2 1:39.0 1:39.4 +4.6
17 20 Mike Hailwood Lotus–Climax 1:42.0 1:41.0 1:39.8 +5.4
18 15 Tony Settember Scirocco–BRM No time 1:45.0 1:40.8 +6.4
19 26 Ian Raby Gilby–BRM No time No time 1:42.4 +8.0
20 16 Ian Burgess Scirocco–BRM No time 1:49.4 1:42.6 +8.2
21 23 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 1:45.6 1:44.0 1:43.4 +9.0
22 21 Masten Gregory Lotus–BRM No time 1:44.2 1:47.4 +9.8
23 24 John Campbell-Jones Lola–Climax No time No time 1:48.8 +14.4

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 4 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 82 2:14:09.6 1 9
2 10 John Surtees Ferrari 82 + 25.8 5 6
3 1 Graham Hill BRM 82 + 37.6 3 4
4 2 Richie Ginther BRM 81 + 1 lap 9 3
5 3 Lorenzo Bandini BRM 81 + 1 lap 8 2
6 12 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM 80 + 2 laps 13 1

 

Drivers’ Championship Standings

 

Pos Driver Points
1 Jim Clark 36
1 2 Richie Ginther 14
2 3 Graham Hill 13
3 4 John Surtees 13
3 5 Dan Gurney 12

 

1963 British GP Start

 

Ferrari at the 1963 British GP

 

Race 6 – German GP

The 1963 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 4 August 1963. It was race 6 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 15-lap race was won by Ferrari driver John Surtees after he started from second position. Jim Clark finished second for the Lotus team and BRM driver Richie Ginther came in third.

Qualifying

1 3 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 9:02.0 9:44.0 8:45.8 —
2 7 John Surtees Ferrari 8:53.7 9:46.6 8:53.4 +7.6
3 15 Lorenzo Bandini BRM 8:59.3 10:28.0 8:54.3 +8.5
4 1 Graham Hill BRM 9:11.8 10:13.8 8:57.2 +11.4
5 5 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 10:01.5 10:09.9 8:57.3 +11.5
6 2 Richie Ginther BRM 9:02.8 9:55.0 Unknown +17.0
7 8 Willy Mairesse Ferrari 9:05.5 10:41.2 9:03.5 +17.7
8 9 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 9:04.2 11:17.8 Unknown +18.4
9 18 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 9:23.3 9:59.3 9:11.1 +25.3
10 6 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 9:45.0 10:04.4 9:11.6 +25.8
11 14 Innes Ireland Lotus–BRM 9:48.1 10:37.9 9:14.6 +28.8
12 16 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 9:24.3 9:58.6 9:16.0 +30.2
13 10 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 9:38.2 10:41.4 9:17.2 +31.4
14 21 Chris Amon Lola–Climax No time No time 9:20.1 +34.3
15 26 Gerhard Mitter Porsche 9:34.8 10:58.8 9:20.9 +35.1
16 20 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM 9:50.1 11:19.0 9:22.7 +36.9
17 17 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 9:34.9 10:21.5 9:25.1 +39.3
18 4 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax 9:33.8 10:34.2 Unknown +48.0
19 24 Ian Burgess Scirocco–BRM No time No time 9:52.2 +1:06.4
20 22 Mário de Araújo Cabral Cooper–Climax 14:20.3 No time 9:53.1 +1:07.3
21 28 Bernard Collomb Lotus–Climax 10:11.4 No time 10:01.0 +1:15.2
22 23 Tony Settember Scirocco–BRM No time No time 10:02.0 +1:16.2
23 29 André Pilette Lotus–Climax 11:16.9 11:20.1 10:20.0 +1:34.2
24 25 Ian Raby Gilby–BRM 10:44.7 11:37.1 Unknown +1:58.9
25 30 Tim Parnell Lotus–Climax 11:07.2 12:02.2 No time +2:21.4
26 27 Kurt Kuhnke Lotus–Borgward 14:48.1 12:53.1 11:23.5 +2:37.7

 

Clark led away from pole in his customary fashion. Behind him Lorenzo Bandini spun in front of Innes Ireland who collected him, Willy Mairesse had an accident, and Chris Amon sustained a knee injury when the steering broke, catapulting him into the trees. Graham Hill retired leaving Clark to battle away with John Surtees and Trevor Taylor before engine problems befell Taylor. When Clark’s engine went down to just 7 cylinders, Surtees was able to pass him easily to lead him home to take his first F1 victory. Richie Ginther completed the podium. Gerhard Mitter finished in a superb fourth place in his home race from Jim Hall and Jo Bonnier.

This race was notable for being the only time Jim Clark ever finished second in a World Championship race, as well the only race of the season won by a non-British team.

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 7 John Surtees Ferrari 15 2:13:06.8 2 9
2 3 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 15 + 1:17.5 1 6
3 2 Richie Ginther BRM 15 + 2:44.9 6 4
4 26 Gerhard Mitter Porsche 15 + 8:11.5 15 3
5 20 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM 14 + 1 lap 16 2
6 16 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 14 + 1 lap 12 1

 

Drivers’ Championship Standings

 

Pos Driver Points
1 Jim Clark 42
2 2 John Surtees 22
1 3 Richie Ginther 18
1 4 Graham Hill 13
5 Dan Gurney 12

Surtees Winning Germany 1963

 

Race 8 – Italian GP

The 1963 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 8 September 1963. It was the seventh of ten races in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. At this race, Scottish driver Jim Clark clinched the World Championship crown with three races to go, the first time anyone had done so.

The organisers had planned to run on the full 10 km circuit but the very bumpy (and in some places ruined) nature of the banked concrete curves provoked much criticism and also caused accidents. Therefore, at the drivers’ request, for the next day it was decided to revert to the 5.75 km road layout.

This race was Scuderia Ferrari‘s 100th start in a World Championship event as a team.[1] Jim Clark became the first driver to win the World Drivers’ Championship with 3 races left to go. Lotus–Climax also won the Constructors’ Championship.

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Qualifying times Gap
Q1 Q2
1 4 John Surtees Ferrari 1:39.58 1:37.3 —
2 12 Graham Hill BRM 1:39.75 1:38.5 +1.2
3 8 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 1:39.68 1:39.0 +1.7
4 10 Richie Ginther BRM 1:41.2 1:39.2 +1.9
5 24 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 1:44.2 1:39.2 +1.9
6 2 Lorenzo Bandini Ferrari 1:40.1 1:40.1 +2.8
7 22 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 3:25.4 1:40.4 +3.1
8 18 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax No time 1:40.5 +3.2
9 6 Mike Spence Lotus–Climax No time 1:40.9 +3.6
10 32 Innes Ireland BRP–BRM No time 1:41.6 +4.3
11 58 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax No time 1:41.9 +4.6
12 42 Masten Gregory Lotus–BRM No time 1:42.1 +4.8
13 20 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax No time 1:42.2 +4.9
14 16 Phil Hill ATS 1:48.5 1:42.7 +5.4
151 38 Chris Amon Lola–Climax No time 1:42.9 +5.6
16 54 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 2:35.9 1:43.3 +6.0
17 30 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM No time 1:43.8 +6.5
18 40 Mike Hailwood Lola–Climax 1:46.2 1:43.9 +6.6
19 48 Bob Anderson Lola–Climax No time 1:44.2 +6.9
20 66 Maurice Trintignant BRM No time 1:44.4 +7.1
21 64 Mário de Araújo Cabral Cooper–Climax 1:55.0 1:44.8 +7.5
22 50 Ian Raby Gilby–BRM No time 1:45.1 +7.8
23 34 Tony Settember Scirocco–BRM No time 1:45.9 +8.6
24 28 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche No time 1:46.4 +9.1
251 14 Giancarlo Baghetti ATS 1:54.9 1:46.8 +9.5
26 62 Ernesto Brambilla Cooper–Maserati 2:00.1 1:50.3 +13.0
27 46 André Pilette Lotus–Climax 1:58.7 1:53.7 +16.4
28 44 Roberto Lippi de Tomaso–Ferrari 2:03.9 2:03.9 +26.6

 

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 8 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 86 2:24:19.6 3 9
2 10 Richie Ginther BRM 86 + 1:35.0 4 6
3 18 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 85 + 1 lap 8 4
4 32 Innes Ireland BRP–BRM 84 Engine 10 3
5 22 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 84 + 2 laps 7 2
6 20 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 84 + 2 laps 13 1

Drivers’ Championship Standings

 

Pos Driver Points
1 Jim Clark 51
1 2 Richie Ginther 24
1 3 John Surtees 22
2 4 Bruce McLaren 14
1 5 Graham Hill 13

 

Clark Winning The 1963 Italian GP

 

 

Chapman and Clark at Monza

Race 9 – US GP


 

The 1963 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 6, 1963, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 8 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 110-lap race was won by BRM driver Graham Hill after he started from pole position. His teammate Richie Ginther finished second and Lotus driver Jim Clark came in third.

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Qualifying times Gap
Q1 Q2
1 1 Graham Hill BRM 1:13.4 1:14.0 —
2 8 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 1:13.5 1:13.9 +0.1
3 23 John Surtees Ferrari (1:13.6) 1:13.7 +0.3
4 2 Richie Ginther BRM 1:14.0 1:14.2 +0.6
5 5 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 1:14.3 1:14.2 +0.8
6 6 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 1:15.5 1:14.5 +1.1
7 9 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax 1:15.6 1:16.1 +2.2
8 17 Masten Gregory Lola–Climax 1:15.6 1:19.0 +2.2
9 24 Lorenzo Bandini Ferrari 1:15.8 1:16.3 +2.4
10 4 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 1:16.4 1:15.8 +2.4
11 3 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 1:15.9 1:17.1 +2.5
12 11 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 1:16.4 1:16.3 +2.9
13 10 Pedro Rodríguez Lotus–Climax 1:17.5 1:16.5 +3.1
14 14 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 1:18.4 1:16.5 +3.1
15 25 Phil Hill ATS 1:17.1 1:19.6 +3.7
16 16 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM 1:18.5 1:17.7 +4.3
17 18 Rodger Ward Lotus–BRM 1:19.2 No time +5.8
18 22 Hap Sharp Lotus–BRM 1:28.5 1:20.0 +6.6
19 12 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 1:46.8 1:22.3 +8.9
20 26 Giancarlo Baghetti ATS 1:25.2 1:28.7 +11.8
21 21 Peter Broeker Stebro–Ford 1:28.6 1:28.9 +15.2

By the time the teams – including Ferrari for the first time at Watkins Glen – came to America, Jim Clark had wrapped up the Driver’s Championship with five wins in seven races. At The Glen, however, the day belonged to Graham Hill and BRM, as Hill started from the pole and won by more than half a minute over American teammate Richie Ginther. Hill owed much of his success to Clark’s dead battery on the dummy grid (used for the first time in F1), and the failure of John Surtees‘s Ferrari engine while leading with 30 laps to go.

In the first hour of qualifying on Friday, Clark’s Lotus equalled his lap record of 1:15.0 from the previous year. Hill and Surtees were right on the Scot’s pace, as well, and all three were soon under 1:14. At one point, Hill’s BRM jumped out of gear on the back straight and left the track, skipping through the woods without hitting any trees, but at the end of the session, he was fastest at 1:13.4. Jack Brabham was glad just to be at the circuit, after he was unable to find a rental car or a taxi at the airport in Elmira, twenty miles (32 km) away, and ended up hitchhiking to the track with his baggage and racing gear!

On Saturday, Canadian Peter Broeker‘s Stebro (running a four-cylinder Ford with 110 horsepower (82 kW) compared to almost 200 for the Climax and BRM V8’s) dumped oil all around the circuit. The session was stopped for 30 minutes to clean up, but conditions were never again good enough for anyone to better their Friday times, so the top six were Graham Hill, Clark, Surtees, Ginther, and the Brabhams of Sir Jack and Dan Gurney. In addition to Ginther and Gurney, the grid contained five other Americans – Masten Gregory, Phil Hill, Jim Hall, Hap Sharp and Rodger Ward – the most ever in a Formula One field, as well as Mexican Pedro Rodríguez, who was making his Formula One debut.

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 Graham Hill BRM 110 2:19:22.1 1 9
2 2 Richie Ginther BRM 110 + 34.3 4 6
3 8 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 109 + 1 lap 2 4
4 5 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 108 + 2 laps 5 3
5 24 Lorenzo Bandini Ferrari 106 + 4 laps 9 2
6 12 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 99 + 11 laps 19 1

Race day was bright and clear with a record crowd of nearly 60,000. A dummy grid was used for the first time in a Championship Grand Prix, and when the field moved forward to the starting grid, Clark’s Lotus remained still. At the flag, Hill led Ginther, Surtees, Gurney, Tony Maggs, Gregory and Brabham up the hill and through the Esses. The Lotus crew discovered that Clark’s battery was dead, and by the time they replaced it, Broeker’s Stebro, trailing the field, was already into his second lap.

Surtees made the first move, getting by Ginther to split the BRM’s, and then, on lap seven, taking the lead from Hill. Gurney followed him and took second briefly, before surrendering the spot back to Hill. By lap 15, Clark was up into 14th place with his engine still not sounding entirely right.

Hill began pushing Surtees on lap 30. He got by to take the lead after shadowing for two laps, gave it back, took it again two laps later, and finally surrendered it again, settling into the Ferrari’s slipstream. On lap 43, Gurney suddenly slowed and then retired from third place with fuel starvation and a chassis failure, moving Clark up to seventh.

After trailing Surtees closely for some time, Hill lost his tow when his anti-roll bar came loose and the BRM’s handling changed abruptly. Fighting severe understeer, he began throwing the car into turns to slide the rear end around, flinging stones off the curbs and losing ground to the leading Ferrari. On lap 82, with no threat to his lead, Surtees’s engine lost power, and he cruised into the pits to retire. “I was just hanging on to him,” Hill said afterward. “He’s a very tricky driver. He was gaining a half-second each lap on me until he went out. I think it was a good measure of the difference in our two cars.” Suddenly in the lead again, with only Ginther on the same lap, Hill backed off and set his sights on bringing the car home.

The Englishman drove under the flag 34 seconds ahead of teammate Ginther, repeating BRM’s season-opening sweep at Monaco. New World Champion Clark took the final podium spot when he overtook Brabham, whose engine had been misfiring for much of the race. It was Hill’s first American win, but one that he would repeat in 1964 and 1965.

Drivers’ Championship Standings

 

Pos Driver Points  
1 Jim Clark 51 (55)
2 Richie Ginther 28 (30)
2 3 Graham Hill 22
1 4 John Surtees 22
1 5 Bruce McLaren 14

Hill winning the 1963 US GP

The “Glen” at the 1963 US GP

 

Race 10 – Mexican GP


Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 1963.

The 1963 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Ciudad Deportiva Magdalena Mixhuca in Mexico City on 27 October 1963. It was race 9 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

Jim Clark dominated the race from pole position, a time that was 1.7 seconds faster than anybody else. Mexico was considered one of his most successful venues. His fastest lap of the race eclipsed his pole time by 0.7 seconds, and he lapped the entire field except for second and third behind him.[1] He eventually scored a total of five pole positions, four fastest laps and three victories at the venue in his Formula One career. This was also his sixth win, his sixth fastest lap, and his sixth pole position of the nine races completed in 1963.

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Qualifying times Gap
Q1 Q2
1 8 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 1:58.8 2:07.3 —
2 23 John Surtees Ferrari 2:00.5 2:05.4 +1.7
3 1 Graham Hill BRM 2:00.6 2:05.7 +1.8
4 6 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 2:01.6 2:07.6 +2.8
5 2 Richie Ginther BRM 2:01.8 2:14.4 +3.0
6 3 Bruce McLaren Cooper–Climax 2:02.3 2:08.7 +3.5
7 24 Lorenzo Bandini Ferrari 2:02.4 2:11.3 +3.6
8 11 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 2:02.6 2:10.5 +3.8
9 14 Jo Siffert Lotus–BRM 2:03.3 2:29.4 +4.5
10 5 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 2:04.3 2:03.6 +4.8
11 13 Moisés Solana BRM 2:04.1 2:20.6 +5.3
12 9 Trevor Taylor Lotus–Climax 2:04.9 2:17.0 +6.1
13 4 Tony Maggs Cooper–Climax 2:05.2 2:09.3 +6.4
14 17 Masten Gregory Lola–Climax 2:05.5 2:11.7 +6.7
15 16 Jim Hall Lotus–BRM 2:06.1 2:18.4 +7.3
16 22 Hap Sharp Lotus–BRM 2:07.7 2:23.2 +8.9
17 25 Phil Hill ATS No time 2:13.6 +14.8
18 12 Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 2:14.1 2:23.6 +15.3
19 18 Chris Amon Lotus–BRM 2:14.7 2:24.0 +15.9
20 10 Pedro Rodríguez Lotus–Climax 2:15.3 No time +16.5
21 26 Giancarlo Baghetti ATS 2:22.3 3:00.5 +23.5
22 20 Frank Dochnal Cooper–Climax No time No time

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 8 Jim Clark Lotus–Climax 65 2:09:52.1 1 9
2 5 Jack Brabham Brabham–Climax 65 + 1:41.1 10 6
3 2 Richie Ginther BRM 65 + 1:54.7 5 4
4 1 Graham Hill BRM 64 + 1 lap 3 3
5 11 Jo Bonnier Cooper–Climax 62 + 3 laps 8 2
6 6 Dan Gurney Brabham–Climax 62 + 3 laps 4 1

 

Drivers’ Championship Standings

 

Pos Driver Points
1 Jim Clark 54 (64)
2 Richie Ginther 29 (34)
3 Graham Hill 25
4 John Surtees 22
5 Bruce McLaren 14

BRM at the 1863 Mexican GP

 

Mexico 1963

Jim Clark The 1963 F1 Champion