When J.Brabham
with his Cooper
won their second consecutive title, the first of
this decade, it was so easily that nobody could
imagine that would be the last fortune for the
british constructor. Bruce
McLarenīs openning victory
in Argentina showed that the team had the ideal
set-up, and along the year J.Brabham saw the
chequered flag before any other five times
consecutively. But this year also would be marked by
another great fact: Moss,
in Monaco, took the team Lotus
to first ever higher podium finish. He also recorded
another victory in Germany.
In 61, with the new engine rules, 1500cc limit, Ferrari
retake the competitiveness with its memorable 156
car. Formed two strong drivers as Phil
Hill and Wolfgang
von Trips, the italian team won 5 races,
including the one of the newcomer G. Baghetti,
who became the first driver to win a race on his
debut, at Rheims.
Hill and Trips fight race by race and the german
driver had a little advantage when he they came to Monza.
But Hill would won the championship there. Trips and
14 spectators were killed as a result of a big
accident between himself and the new promising
driver J.Clark at the end of Parabolica. Ferrari
team were very censured by their decision to not
retire Hillīs car after Trips death. Hill won the
race, but the team decided to not attend the last
race of the year and Ireland won it.
Phil Hill took the first title to North America.
First appearance for: G.Baghetti
and L.Bandini.
1962 there was another close battle, this time
betwen two british drivers: G.Hill
with his BRM
P157 and J.Clark with his Lotus
25. Besides them, only McLaren
(Cooper) at Monaco
and Gurney
(Porscheīs
1st victory) at Rouen
reached first place. But F1 were introducting many
new things: lighter monocoque, frontal cars
airdynamic reductions, fuel injection instead of
carburators and new steering wheels maden in leather
with short diameter. With so many new things, one
man appeared to be in the center of this decade
creations: Colin
Chapman (Lotus). His car, with chassis built
with aeronautical technology inspiration, in Clarkīs
hands would lose the championship only in the final
round at East
London (South Africa). After leading 62 of 82
laps, "the flying scottish" had to
abandon, what gave Hill his fourth victory of the
year and the championship. If Clark had won the
race, he and Hill would be in igual valid points
standings (only the five best results counted), but
Clark would have one victory more and would have
been the champion...Otherwise, if all the points
were valid, Hill would be the champ with a 22 points
margin!
First appearance: J.Siffert
where group by Brabham
and Lola
chassis.
Jim Clark will take his time in the next season,
1963. Demonstrating a strong superiority, Clark won
seven times giving no chance to others drivers.
Lotus 25 were, in his hands, reliable and quicker
than any other opponent, including his team-mate T.Taylor.
Hill and Ginther, with BRM, split second position at
the end with 29 points each.
First appearance: C.Amon,
M.Hailwood,
P.Rodriguez,
M.Spence
and ATS
chassis.
By other hands, the following year would be very
hard to Clark. He won three races, but Lotus were
not so reliable as previous year. So, when the
circus arrived at Mexico
City the situation was: Hill (BRM) leading the
championship with 37 points and two victories,
followed by Surtees (Ferrari - 34 points - 2
victories) and Clark (30 points). Clark dominated
all the week-end, starting from the pole and pooling
away from the group. Then less than three laps to
go, Bandini touched wheels with Hill, and the
british abandon. That was everything Clark needed to
win the championship, but...his engine blew up just
before chequered flag! Dan Gurney took the victory
with his Brabham, but the biggest week-end winner
were John Surtees. He won the title with his second
place and became the only man in the history to be
champion driving two and four wheels.
First appearance: P.Revson,
J.Rindt,
R.Bucknum
and Honda.
1965 presented interesting facts like BRM
four-wheel drive car, that has never raced and Hondaīs
12-cylinder engine transversely mounted. Also the
tires became wider and lower, with nylon instead of
cotton fibers and was the last year for 1,5 liter
engine rule.
But in the races, J.Clark were unstoppable. He won
six of seven races. Only Monaco
GP scapes just because he was at Indianapolis
(winning, of course). Amazing year for him and Lotus
again. That year also will be remebered because of
the new scotsman driver J.Stewart, driving for BRM
alongside Hill. He won Italy
GP at Monza and wrote his name in a very special
class driver. Honda-Ginther took first victory at Mexico.
First appearance: R.Attwood,
D.Hulme,
J.Stewart.
The great fact of 66 is yet to be beaten: title
clinched for one driver with his own car and team.
His name: Jack Brabham. The australian driver built
a very simple car using Repco V-8 engine, even less
powered than opponents, was very reliable and
Brabham could won four races and the title three
rounds before the end, reaching his third
championship. The others teams have a lot of
problems: Lotus engines changes during the year,
Ferrari and Surtees disagreement, BRM 16 cylinder
engine bad start...
First appearance: J.P.Beltoise,
P.Courage,
J.Ickx
and chassis Eagle,
Matra
and McLaren.
Team Brabham again, now with Dennis Hulme. Thatīs
the result of 67 championship. No changes in the
team, no inovations, just serious and hard work.
They took advantage of their experience in 66. Hulme
scored points in 8 of 10 rounds. Won two, same of
his team-mate Brabham, but half than Clark. But once
more Lotus failures impedited him to take another
championship, as it was in 62 and 64! Just as
exemple at Monza he was leading when in the very
last lap he ran out of fuel. The tragic fact was
Bandiniīs death at Monaco.
First appearance: J.Oliver, B.Redman, Ford-Cosworth.
1968: Tragedy and changes.
The year will be forever marked for wings and
spoilers introduction, full-faced helmet, as
sponsors influence and safety primaries changes for
tracks and cars. Unfortunatelly many deaths happened
in cars races: M.Spence testing Lotus-Turbina at
Indianapolis, L.Scarfiotti in a hillclimb race,
J.Schlesser first appearence with Honda RA302
air-cooled at Rouen GP and J.Clark in a F.2 race at
Hockenhein. In F1, the Cosworth engine dominium was
absolut: 11 victories in 12 rounds!
Hill with Lotus 49 took his second title, but
Stewart, now working with his ex-F.3 chief Ken
Tyrrell, shown his class as winning Germany GP in a
very bad climate conditions.
First appearance: M.Andretti, A.de Adamich, V.Elford,
B.Redman.
Jackie Stewart will take his championship in 69
winning 6 rounds, and 31 points of advantage. The
main controversy were the wings failures: Hill and
Rindt suffered huge and indentical accidents caused
by wings ruptures. Many discussions resulted in a
limitation to the wing size, structure and distance
from the ground. Time for big reserch for the teams,
as Lotus, Matra and McLaren tested many times their
four-wheels drivers cars. But none of them could
develop the sistem to justify the cost involved.
Besides that the system was heavy and complex, so
they give-up.
First appearance: F.Cevert, Williams.
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