1961 United States Grand Prix
| Date | Sunday, 8 October 1961 |
|---|---|
| Winner |
|
| Pole position |
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| Fastest lap |
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| Circuit | Watkins Glen, 100 laps |
| Round | 8 of 8 |
| Race numbers | The 1961 United States Grand Prix was the
|
| More 1961 season | |
| More United States Grands Prix | |
| Next race | 1962 Dutch Grand Prix |
Race result
| 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 (privateer) | 96 | DNF | ||
| 7 | -2 | Jim Clark | Lotus-Climax | 96 | +4 laps | |
| 8 | +8 | Roger Penske | Cooper-Climax (privateer) | 96 | +4 laps | |
| 9 | +4 |  Peter Ryan | Lotus-Climax (privateer) | 96 | +4 laps | |
| 10 | +7 | Hap Sharp | Cooper-Climax (privateer) | 93 | +7 laps | |
| 11 | +4 | Lotus-Climax (privateer) | 92 | +8 laps | ||
| R | Lloyd Ruby | Lotus-Climax (privateer) | 76 | DNF | ||
| R | Jim Hall | Lotus-Climax (privateer) | 76 | DNF | ||
| R | Stirling Moss | Lotus-Climax (privateer) | 58 | DNF | ||
| R |  Jack Brabham | Cooper-Climax | 57 | DNF | ||
| R | Masten Gregory | Lotus-Climax (privateer) | 23 | DNF | ||
| R | Walt Hansgen | Cooper-Climax (privateer) | 14 | DNF | ||
| R | John Surtees | Cooper-Climax (privateer) | 0 | DNF | ||
Notes
- Stirling Moss ended lap 58 as the race leader before retiring on the following lap.
Starting grid
Pole time: 1:17.000
| Pos | Driver | Constructor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Brabham | Cooper-Climax |
| 2 | Graham Hill | BRM-Climax |
| 3 | Stirling Moss | Lotus-Climax (privateer) |
| 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 (privateer) |
| 10 | Jo Bonnier | Porsche |
| 11 | Masten Gregory | Lotus-Climax |
| 12 | Roy Salvadori | Cooper-Climax (privateer) |
| 13 | Peter Ryan | Lotus-Climax (privateer) |
| 14 | Walt Hansgen | Cooper-Climax (privateer) |
| 15 |  Olivier Gendebien | Lotus-Climax (privateer) |
| 16 | Roger Penske | Cooper-Climax (privateer) |
| 17 | Hap Sharp | Cooper-Climax (privateer) |
| 18 | Jim Hall | Lotus-Climax (privateer) |
| 19 | Lloyd Ruby | Lotus-Climax (privateer) |
Championship standings
How the championship standings stood post-1961 United States Grand Prix.
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 |
Constructor
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 40 |
| 2 | Lotus-Climax | 32 |
| 3 | Porsche | 22 |
| 4 | Cooper-Climax | 14 |
| 5 | BRM-Climax | 7 |
Statistics & milestones
- Race debut
- Walt Hansgen, Roger Penske, Peter Ryan (only start; first Canadian driver to start a race), Hap Sharp
- Last start
- Tony Brooks, Olivier Gendebien, Stirling Moss, Lloyd Ruby
- Wins
- 1st and only for Innes Ireland (29th different winner, 5th British driver)
- 5th for Lotus
- Podiums
- 10th and last for Tony Brooks (10th driver to score ten podiums, 3rd British driver; first podium since 1959; only podium for BRM), 5th for Dan Gurney (first podium since 1959), 4th and last for Innes Ireland
- 12th for Lotus, 6th for BRM, 3rd for Porsche
- Poles
- 5th for Jack Brabham (last until 1966; last Australian polesitter until 1966; last for Cooper)
- 10th for Cooper (3rd constructor to take ten pole positions; last until 1966)
- Fastest laps
- 5th for Jack Brabham (last until 1964; last for Cooper)
- 11th for Cooper
- Front row starts
- 18th for Jack Brabham (last until 1963; last for Cooper), 4th for Graham Hill
- Points finishes
- 15th and last for Tony Brooks