1961 United States Grand Prix
102nd World Championship race, 3rd World Championship United States Grand Prix, 1st World Championship race at Watkins Glen
Fact File
| Date: | Sunday, 8 October 1961 |
|---|---|
| Winner: |  Innes Ireland Lotus-Climax |
| Pole position: |  Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax |
| Fastest lap: | Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax |
| Circuit: | Watkins Glen, 100 laps |
| Round: | 8 of 8 |
Race Result
- (P): privateer entry
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +7 | Innes Ireland | Lotus-Climax | 100 | 2hr 13m 45.800s | 9 |
| 2 | +5 |  Dan Gurney | Porsche | 100 | +4.300s | 6 |
| 3 | +3 | Tony Brooks | BRM-Climax | 100 | +49.000s | 4 |
| 4 |  Bruce McLaren | Cooper-Climax | 100 | +58.000s | 3 | |
| 5 | -3 | Graham Hill | BRM-Climax | 99 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | +4 |  Jo Bonnier | Porsche | 98 | +2 laps | 1 |
| R | Roy Salvadori | Cooper-Climax (P) | 96 | DNF | ||
| 7 | -2 | Jim Clark | Lotus-Climax | 96 | +4 laps | |
| 8 | +8 | Roger Penske | Cooper-Climax (P) | 96 | +4 laps | |
| 9 | +4 |  Peter Ryan | Lotus-Climax (P) | 96 | +4 laps | |
| 10 | +7 | Hap Sharp | Cooper-Climax (P) | 93 | +7 laps | |
| 11 | +4 |  Olivier Gendebien & Masten Gregory | Lotus-Climax (P) | 92 | +8 laps | |
| R | Lloyd Ruby | Lotus-Climax (P) | 76 | DNF | ||
| R | Jim Hall | Lotus-Climax (P) | 76 | DNF | ||
| R | Stirling Moss | Lotus-Climax (P) | 58 | DNF | ||
| R | Jack Brabham | Cooper-Climax | 57 | DNF | ||
| R | Masten Gregory | Lotus-Climax (P) | 23 | DNF | ||
| R | Walt Hansgen | Cooper-Climax | 14 | DNF | ||
| R | John Surtees | Cooper-Climax (P) | 0 | DNF |
Starting Grid
- Highlight: race winner
- Highlight: second place
- Highlight: third place
- (P): privateer entry
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Brabham | Cooper-Climax | 1:17.000 |
| 2 | Graham Hill | BRM-Climax | |
| 3 | Stirling Moss | Lotus-Climax (P) | |
| 4 | Bruce McLaren | Cooper-Climax | |
| 5 | Jim Clark | Lotus-Climax | |
| 6 | Tony Brooks | BRM-Climax | |
| 7 | Dan Gurney | Porsche | |
| 8 | Innes Ireland | Lotus-Climax | |
| 9 | John Surtees | Cooper-Climax (P) | |
| 10 | Jo Bonnier | Porsche | |
| 11 | Masten Gregory | Lotus-Climax | |
| 12 | Roy Salvadori | Cooper-Climax (P) | |
| 13 | Peter Ryan | Lotus-Climax (P) | |
| 14 | Walt Hansgen | Cooper-Climax (P) | |
| 15 | Olivier Gendebien | Lotus-Climax (P) | |
| 16 | Roger Penske | Cooper-Climax (P) | |
| 17 | Hap Sharp | Cooper-Climax (P) | |
| 18 | Jim Hall | Lotus-Climax (P) | |
| 19 | Lloyd Ruby | Lotus-Climax (P) |
Championship Standings
How the championship standings stood post-race.
- Highlight: driver/constructor confirmed as world champion for 1961
Driver
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Hill | 34 |
| 2 |  Wolfgang von Trips | 33 |
| 3 | Stirling Moss | 21 |
| 4 | Dan Gurney | 21 |
| 5 | Richie Ginther | 16 |
| 6 | Innes Ireland | 12 |
| 7 | Jim Clark | 11 |
| 8 | Bruce McLaren | 11 |
| 9 |  Giancarlo Baghetti | 9 |
| 10 | Tony Brooks | 6 |
| 11 | Jack Brabham | 4 |
| 12 | John Surtees | 4 |
| 13 | Olivier Gendebien | 3 |
| = | Jackie Lewis | 3 |
| 15 | Jo Bonnier | 3 |
| = | Graham Hill | 3 |
| 17 | Roy Salvadori | 2 |
Statistics & Milestones
- Race debut
- Driver: Walt Hansgen, Roger Penske, Peter Ryan (only start), Hap Sharp
- Last start
- Driver: Tony Brooks, Olivier Gendebien, Stirling Moss, Lloyd Ruby
- Wins
- Driver: 1st and only for Innes Ireland (29th different winner, 5th British driver)
- Constructor: 5th for Lotus
- Podiums
- Driver: 10th and last for Tony Brooks, 5th for Dan Gurney, 4th and last for Innes Ireland
- Constructor: 12th for Lotus, 6th for BRM, 3rd for Porsche
- Poles
- Driver: 5th for Jack Brabham
- Constructor: 10th for Cooper
- Fastest laps
- Driver: 5th for Jack Brabham
- Constructor: 11th for Cooper
- Front row starts
- Driver: 18th for Jack Brabham, 4th for Graham Hill
- Points finishes
- Driver: 15th and last for Tony Brooks