1961 F1 World Championship Season

Season:	12th World Championship season
Drivers’ Champion:	Phil Hill (only title, 6th different world champion, 1st American champion)
Constructors’ Champion:	Ferrari (1st title, 3rd different world champion constructor)
Reigning drivers’ champion:	Jack Brabham
Reigning constructors’ champion:	Cooper
Races:	8
Winning drivers:	Wolfgang von Trips (2) Stirling Moss (2) Phil Hill (2) Giancarlo Baghetti (1) Innes Ireland (1)
Winning constructors:	Ferrari (5) Lotus (3)
First-time winners (driver):	Wolfgang von Trips Giancarlo Baghetti Innes Ireland
First-time winners (constructor):	none
Other seasons:

Calendar

DT: Drivers’ title decider
CT: Constructors’ title decider

No.	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date	Race Result
1	Monaco	Monte Carlo	14 May	1961 Monaco Grand Prix
2	Netherlands	Zandvoort	22 May	1961 Dutch Grand Prix
3	Belgium	Spa-Francorchamps	18 June	1961 Belgian Grand Prix
4	France	Reims	02 July	1961 French Grand Prix
5	Britain CT	Aintree	15 July	1961 British Grand Prix
6	Germany	Nurburgring	06 August	1961 German Grand Prix
7	Italy DT	Monza	10 September	1961 Italian Grand Prix
8	USA	Watkins Glen	08 October	1961 United States Grand Prix

Driver and constructor entries

Constructor	Driver	Round(s) entered
BRM (works team)	Tony Brooks	All
BRM (works team)	Graham Hill	All
Cooper (works team)	Jack Brabham	All
Cooper (works team)	Bruce McLaren	All
Cooper (privateers)	Lorenzo Bandini	3, 5-7
	Ian Burgess	6
	Bernard Collomb	4, 6
	Jack Fairman	7
	Masten Gregory	1-5
	Walt Hansgen	8
	Jackie Lewis	3-7
	Massimo Natili	5, 7
	Roger Penske	8
	Renato Pirocchi	7
	Roy Salvadori	4-8
	Hap Sharp	8
	John Surtees	All
	Maurice Trintignant	1, 3-4, 6-7
De Tomaso (privateers)	Roberto Bussinello	7
	Roberto Lippi	7
	Giorgio Scarlatti	4
	Nino Vaccarella	7
Emeryson (privateers)	Lucien Bianchi	1
	Olivier Gendebien	1
	Andre Pilette	7
Ferguson (privateer)	Jack Fairman	5
Ferrari (works team)	Olivier Gendebien	3
	Richie Ginther	1-7
	Phil Hill	1-7
	Willy Mairesse	6
	Ricardo Rodriguez	7
	Wolfgang von Trips	1-7
Ferrari (privateer)	Giancarlo Baghetti	4-5, 7
Gilby (works team)	Keith Greene	5
JBW (works team)	Brian Naylor	7
Lotus (works team)	Jim Clark	All
	Innes Ireland	1, 3-8
	Willy Mairesse	4
	Trevor Taylor	2
Lotus (privateer)	Cliff Allison	1, 3
	Gerry Ashmore	5-7
	Lucien Bianchi	3-5
	Ian Burgess	2-5
	Olivier Gendebien	8
	Masten Gregory	7-8
	Jim Hall	8
	Tony Maggs	5-6
	Willy Mairesse	3
	Tony Marsh	3, 5-6
	Michael May	1, 4, 6
	Stirling Moss	All
	Tim Parnell	5, 7
	Lloyd Ruby	8
	Peter Ryan	8
	Wolfgang Seidel	3, 5-7
	Gaetano Starrabba	7
	Henry Taylor	1, 4-5, 7
Porsche (works team)	Jo Bonnier	All
	Dan Gurney	All
	Hans Herrmann	1, 6
Porsche (privateers)	Carel Godin de Beaufort	2-7
Porsche (privateers)	Hans Herrmann	2

Race winners

Highlight: Home driver/constructor

No.	Grand Prix	Circuit	Driver	Constructor	Start	Win Margin
1	Monaco	Monte Carlo	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	1	3.600s
2	Netherlands	Zandvoort	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	2	0.900s
3	Belgium	Spa-Francorchamps	Phil Hill	Ferrari	1	0.700s
4	France	Reims	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	12	0.100s
5	Britain	Aintree	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	4	46.000s
6	Germany	Nurburgring	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	3	21.300s
7	Italy	Monza	Phil Hill	Ferrari	4	31.200s
8	USA	Watkins Glen	Innes Ireland	Lotus-Climax	8	4.300s

Polesitters

Highlight: Home driver/constructor

No.	Grand Prix	Circuit	Driver	Constructor	Race	Pole Margin
1	Monaco	Monte Carlo	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	1	0.200s
2	Netherlands	Zandvoort	Phil Hill	Ferrari	2	0.000s
3	Belgium	Spa-Francorchamps	Phil Hill	Ferrari	1	0.800s
4	France	Reims	Phil Hill	Ferrari	9	1.500s
5	Britain	Aintree	Phil Hill	Ferrari	2	0.000s
6	Germany	Nurburgring	Phil Hill	Ferrari	3	6.200s
7	Italy	Monza	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	DNF	0.100s
8	USA	Watkins Glen	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	DNF	1.100s

Fastest laps

Highlight: Home driver/constructor

No.	Grand Prix	Circuit	Driver	Constructor
1	Monaco	Monte Carlo	Richie Ginther Stirling Moss	Ferrari Lotus-Climax
2	Netherlands	Zandvoort	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax
3	Belgium	Spa-Francorchamps	Richie Ginther	Ferrari
4	France	Reims	Phil Hill	Ferrari
5	Britain	Aintree	Tony Brooks	BRM-Climax
6	Germany	Nurburgring	Phil Hill	Ferrari
7	Italy	Monza	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari
8	USA	Watkins Glen	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax

Qualifying results

See: 1961 F1 World Championship Qualifying Statistics

World Drivers’ Championship standings

The top six classified finishers of each race were awarded points on the following basis: 1st (9), 2nd (6), 3rd (4), 4th (3), 5th (2), 6th (1)

Only the best five results counted towards the championship. Numbers shown without parentheses are the points scored that counted towards the championship; numbers in parentheses are the total number of points scored.

Highlight: Rookie
Bold: pole position
Underline: fastest lap
Bold & underline: pole & fastest lap

Pos	Driver	MCO	NLD	BEL	FRA	GBR	DEU	ITA	USA	Points
1	Phil Hill	3	2	1	9	2	3	1		34 (38)
2	Wolfgang von Trips	4^R	1	2	R	1	2	R		33
3	Stirling Moss	1	4	8	R	DSQ/R	1	R	R	21
=	Dan Gurney	5	10	6	2	7	7	2	2	21
5	Richie Ginther	2	5	3	15^R	3	8	R		16
6	Innes Ireland	DNS		R	4	10	R	R	1	12
7	Jim Clark	10	3	12	3	R	4	R	7	11
=	Bruce McLaren	6	12	R	5	8	6	3	4	11
9	Giancarlo Baghetti				1	R		R		9
10	Tony Brooks	13^R	9	13	R	9	R	5	3	6
11	Jack Brabham	R	6	R	R	4	R	R	R	4
=	John Surtees	11^R	7	5	R	R	5	R	R	4
13	Olivier Gendebien	DNQ		4					11	3
=	Jackie Lewis			9	R	R	9	4		3
=	Jo Bonnier	12^R	11	7	7	5	R	R	6	3
=	Graham Hill	R	8	R	6	R	R	R	5	3
17	Roy Salvadori				8	6	10	6	R	2
	Maurice Trintignant	7		R	13		R	9
	Carel Godin de Beaufort		14	11	R	16	14	7
	Lorenzo Bandini			R		12	R	8
	Cliff Allison	8
	Roger Penske								8
	Hans Herrmann	9	15				13
	Peter Ryan								9
	Masten Gregory	DNQ	DNS	10	12	11		R	11/R
	Henry Taylor	DNQ			10	R		11
	Tim Parnell					R		10
	Hap Sharp								10
	Tony Maggs					13	11
	Michael May	R			11		DNS
	Ian Burgess		DNS	DNS	14	14	12
	Renato Pirocchi							12
	Trevor Taylor		13
	Tony Marsh			DNS		R	15
	Keith Greene					15
	Gerry Ashmore					R	16	R
	Wolfgang Seidel			DNS		17	R	R
	Bernard Collomb				R		NC
	Lucien Bianchi	DNQ		R	R	R
	Willy Mairesse			R	R		R
	Jack Fairman					DSQ		R
	Giorgio Scarlatti				R
	Massimo Natili					R
	Ricardo Rodriguez							R
	Gaetano Starrabba							R
	Nino Vaccarella							R
	Roberto Bussinello							R
	Brian Naylor							R
	Roberto Lippi							R
	Jim Hall								R
	Lloyd Ruby								R
	Walt Hansgen								R
	Andre Pilette							DNQ
No.	Driver	MCO	NLD	BEL	FRA	GBR	DEU	ITA	USA	Points

Race to the title

The Race to the title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season between the top five drivers of 1961. Reigning world champion Jack Brabham, who finished 11th, is also shown.

World Constructors’ Championship standings

The top six classified finishers of each race were awarded points on the following basis: 1st (8), 2nd (6), 3rd (4), 4th (3), 5th (2), 6th (1)

Constructors only received points for its highest placed car. Only the best five results counted towards the championship. Numbers shown without parentheses are the points scored that counted towards the championship; numbers in parentheses are the total number of points scored.

Bold: pole position
Underline: fastest lap
Bold & underline: pole & fastest lap

Pos	Constructor	MCO	NLD	BEL	FRA	GBR	DEU	ITA	USA	Points
1	Ferrari	2	1	1	1	1	2	1		40 (52)
2	Lotus-Climax	1	3	8	3	10	1	10	1	32
3	Porsche	5	10	6	2	5	7	2	2	22 (23)
4	Cooper-Climax	6	6	5	5	4	5	3	4	14 (18)
5	BRM-Climax	13^R	8	13	6	9	R	5	3	7
6	Cooper-Maserati	7		R	13	12	R	8
7	Gilby-Climax					15
8	Ferguson-Climax					DSQ
9	De Tomaso-OSCA				R			R
10	Lotus-Maserati							R
11	De Tomaso-Alfa Romeo							R
12	JBW Climax							R
13	Emeryson-Maserati	DNQ
14	Emeryson-Climax							DNQ
No.	Constructor	MCO	NLD	BEL	FRA	GBR	DEU	ITA	USA	Points

Race to the title

The Race to the title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season between the top five constructors of 1961.

Season statistics

See: 1961 F1 World Championship Season Statistics