1959 Formula One season

The 1959 Formula One season was the 13th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1959 World Championship of Drivers and the 1959 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a nine race series [1] which commenced on 10 May and ended on 12 December. The season also included a number of non-championship Formula One races.

1959 Formula One season
Drivers' Champion: Jack Brabham
International Cup Champion: Cooper-Climax
Previous: 1958 Next: 1960

Jack Brabham won the World Championship of Drivers [1] in a sport still reeling from the death of several drivers, including reigning champion Mike Hawthorn. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers was awarded to CooperClimax.[1]

Season summary

Vanwall's withdrawal, believed to have been a result of the high mortality rate of the 1958 season, left Ferrari as the only race-winning team in the Championship. Similarly, Juan Manuel Fangio and Mike Hawthorn's retirement meant that for the very first time no world champion was on the grid. Cooper's revolutionary rear-engined cars, powered by the compact Coventry-Climax 2.5 litre engine, won five races with Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss and Bruce McLaren. BRM also landed its maiden victory in the hands of Jo Bonnier. Aston Martin appeared with a car which, in the face of Cooper's rear-engined revolution, was outdated and overweight.

The German Grand Prix was held for the second time on the very high speed AVUS circuit, where Ferrari's Jean Behra was killed during an unrelated sports car race at the wheel of a Porsche.

Ferrari's Tony Brooks took the fight to the Coopers and going into the final race he, Moss or Brabham could win the title. Moss retired from the race, the inaugural United States Grand Prix, giving Brabham the lead. Brabham ran out of fuel on the last lap but pushed his car across the line to finish fourth. With Brooks unable to do better than third, Brabham became the first Australian World Champion while Cooper won the Constructors' crown.

Season review

Rnd Race Circuit Date Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Constructor Tyre Report
1 Monaco Grand Prix Monaco 10 May Stirling Moss Jack Brabham Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax D Report
2 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 30 May Johnny Thomson Johnny Thomson Rodger Ward Watson-Offenhauser F Report
3 Dutch Grand Prix Zandvoort 31 May Jo Bonnier Stirling Moss Jo Bonnier BRM D Report
4 French Grand Prix Reims 5 July Tony Brooks Stirling Moss Tony Brooks Ferrari D Report
5 British Grand Prix Aintree 18 July Jack Brabham Stirling Moss
Bruce McLaren
Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax D Report
6 German Grand Prix AVUS 2 August Tony Brooks Tony Brooks Tony Brooks Ferrari D Report
7 Portuguese Grand Prix Monsanto 23 August Stirling Moss Stirling Moss Stirling Moss Cooper-Climax D Report
8 Italian Grand Prix Monza 13 September Stirling Moss Phil Hill Stirling Moss Cooper-Climax D Report
9 United States Grand Prix Sebring 12 December Stirling Moss Maurice Trintignant Bruce McLaren Cooper-Climax D Report

There were 3 scheduled Grands Prix in 1959 that were canceled. The Argentine Grand Prix, scheduled to be held in January, was cancelled because with heroes such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Jose Froilan Gonzalez having retired, there was no local interest and the race was promptly cancelled. The Belgian Grand Prix was scheduled to be held in June but it was canceled due to a dispute over start money. And finally, the Moroccan Grand Prix was scheduled to be held in October at Ain-Diab but it was cancelled for monetary reasons.[2] The Indianapolis 500 also counted towards the 1959 USAC Championship, and was run for USAC Championship cars, but did not count towards the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers.

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1959 FIA World Championship.

Australian Jack Brabham (pictured in 1966) won his 1st of 3 driver's championships, driving for Cooper
Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre Driver Rounds
Dr Ing F. Porsche KG Behra-Porsche-Porsche RSK Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 D Maria Teresa de Filippis 1
Porsche 718 RSK
718/2
Wolfgang von Trips 1, 6
Equipe Nationale Belge Cooper-Climax T51 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Lucien Bianchi 1
Alain de Changy 1
Jean Lucienbonnet Cooper-Climax T45 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Jean Lucienbonnet 1
Owen Racing Organisation BRM P25 BRM P25 2.5 L4 D Harry Schell 1, 3–8
Jo Bonnier 1, 3–8
Ron Flockhart 1, 4–5, 7–8
Cooper Car Company Cooper-Climax T51 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 D Bruce McLaren 1, 4–9
Jack Brabham 1, 3–9
Masten Gregory 1, 3–7
Giorgio Scarlatti 8
R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Cooper-Climax T51 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 D Stirling Moss 1, 3, 6–9
Maurice Trintignant 1, 3–9
British Racing Partnership BRM P25 BRM P25 2.5 L4 D Stirling Moss 4–5
Hans Herrmann 6
Cooper-Climax T51 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Ivor Bueb 1
Cooper-Borgward Borgward 1500 RS 1.5 L4 5
Chris Bristow 5
High Efficiency Motors Cooper-Maserati T45 Maserati 250S 2.5 L4 D Roy Salvadori 1, 4, 9
Jack Fairman 8
Cooper-Climax T45 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 5
Team Lotus Lotus-Climax 16 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 D Graham Hill 1, 3–8
Pete Lovely 1
Innes Ireland 3–4, 6–9
Alan Stacey 5, 9
John Fisher Lotus-Climax 16 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Bruce Halford 1
Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 246
156
Ferrari 155 2.4 V6
Ferrari D156 1.5 V6
D Jean Behra 1, 3–4
Phil Hill 1, 3–4, 6–9
Tony Brooks
Cliff Allison 1, 3, 6, 8–9
Olivier Gendebien 4, 8
Dan Gurney 4, 6–8
Wolfgang von Trips 9
Scuderia Ugolini Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 D Giorgio Scarlatti 1, 4
Carel Godin de Beaufort 4
Monte Carlo Auto Sport Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 D André Testut 1
David Brown Corporation Aston Martin DBR4 Aston Martin RB6 2.5 L6 A Roy Salvadori 3, 5, 7–8
Carroll Shelby 3, 5, 7–8
Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 RSK Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 D Carel Godin de Beaufort 3
Scuderia Centro Sud Cooper-Maserati T51 Maserati 250S 2.5 L4 D Ian Burgess 4–6, 8
Colin Davis 4, 8
Hans Herrmann 5
Mario Araujo de Cabral 7
Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Asdrúbal Fontes Bayardo 4
Fritz d'Orey 4–5
Vandervell Products Vanwall VW 59 Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 D Tony Brooks 5
J.B. Naylor JBW-Maserati 59 Maserati 250S 2.5 L4 D Brian Naylor 5
Ace Garage – Rotherham Cooper-Climax T51 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Trevor Taylor 5
Alan Brown Equipe Cooper-Climax T45 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Mike Taylor 5
Peter Ashdown 5
Gilby Engineering Cooper-Climax T43 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Keith Greene 5
United Racing Stable Cooper-Climax T51 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Bill Moss 5
R.H.H. Parnell Cooper-Climax T51
T45
Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Henry Taylor 5
Tim Parnell 5
David Fry Fry-Climax F2 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Mike Parkes 5
Dennis Taylor Lotus-Climax 12 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D Dennis Taylor 5
Dorchester Service Station Lotus-Climax 16 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D David Piper 5
Jean Behra Behra-Porsche-Porsche RSK Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 D Jean Behra 6
Ottorino Volonterio Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 D Giulio Cabianca 8
Leader Cards Inc. Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser Midget Offenhauser 1.7 L4 F Rodger Ward 9
OSCA Automobili Cooper-OSCA T43 OSCA 2.0 L4 D Alejandro de Tomaso 9
Camoradi USA Tec-Mec-Maserati F415 Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 D Fritz d'Orey 9
Taylor-Crawley Racing Team Cooper-Climax T45 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 D George Constantine 9
Blanchard Automobile Co. Porsche 718 RSK Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 G Harry Blanchard 9
Connaught Cars-Paul Emery Connaught-Alta C Alta GP 2.5 L4 D Bob Said 9
Ecurie Bleue Cooper-Climax T51 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 D Harry Schell 9
Phil Cade Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 D Phil Cade 9

1959 World Championship of Drivers – final standings

Points were awarded on an 8-6-4-3-2 basis to the first five finishers at each Grand Prix with an additional point going to the driver who set the fastest lap. Only the best five results contributed to the World Championship.

Pos. Driver MON
500
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
POR
ITA
USA
Pts.[lower-alpha 1]
1 Jack Brabham 1 2 3 1 Ret Ret 3 (4) 31 (34)
2 Tony Brooks 2 Ret 1 Ret 1 9 Ret 3 27
3 Stirling Moss Ret Ret DSQ 2 Ret 1 1 Ret 25.5
4 Phil Hill 4 6 2 3 Ret 2 Ret 20
5 Maurice Trintignant 3 8 11 5 4 4 9 2 19
6 Bruce McLaren 5 5 3 Ret Ret Ret 1 16.5
7 Dan Gurney Ret 2 3 4 13
8 Jo Bonnier Ret 1 Ret Ret 5 Ret 8 10
9 Masten Gregory Ret 3 Ret 7 Ret 2 10
10 Rodger Ward 1 Ret 8
11 Jim Rathmann 2 6
12 Johnny Thomson 3 5
13 Harry Schell Ret Ret 7 4 7 5 7 Ret 5
14 Innes Ireland 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 5
15 Olivier Gendebien 4 6 3
16 Tony Bettenhausen 4 3
17 Cliff Allison Ret 9 Ret 5 Ret 2
18 Jean Behra Ret 5 Ret DNS 2
19 Paul Goldsmith 5 2
Roy Salvadori 6 Ret Ret 6 6 Ret Ret 0
Ron Flockhart Ret 6 Ret 7 13 0
Ian Burgess Ret Ret 6 14 0
Wolfgang von Trips Ret DNS 6 0
Johnny Boyd 6 0
Graham Hill Ret 7 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 0
Duane Carter 7 0
Harry Blanchard 7 0
Carroll Shelby Ret Ret 8 10 0
Giorgio Scarlatti DNQ 8 12 0
Alan Stacey 8 Ret 0
Eddie Johnson 8 0
Carel Godin de Beaufort 10 9 0
Paul Russo 9 0
Fritz d'Orey 10 Ret Ret 0
A. J. Foyt 10 0
Chris Bristow 10 0
Mario de Araujo Cabral 10 0
Colin Davis Ret 11 0
Gene Hartley 11 0
Henry Taylor 11 0
Bob Veith 12 0
Peter Ashdown 12 0
Al Herman 13 0
Ivor Bueb DNQ 13 0
Jimmy Daywalt 14 0
Chuck Arnold 15 0
Giulio Cabianca 15 0
Jim McWithey 16 0
Hans Herrmann Ret Ret 0
Jack Fairman Ret Ret 0
Bruce Halford Ret 0
Eddie Sachs Ret 0
Al Keller Ret 0
Dick Rathmann Ret 0
Bill Cheesbourg Ret 0
Don Freeland Ret 0
Ray Crawford Ret 0
Don Branson Ret 0
Bob Christie Ret 0
Bobby Grim Ret 0
Jack Turner Ret 0
Jud Larson Ret 0
Jimmy Bryan Ret 0
Red Amick Ret 0
Len Sutton Ret 0
Pat Flaherty Ret 0
Mike Magill Ret 0
Chuck Weyant Ret 0
Brian Naylor Ret 0
David Piper Ret 0
Mike Taylor Ret 0
Alejandro de Tomaso Ret 0
George Constantine Ret 0
Bob Said Ret 0
Alain de Changy DNQ 0
Lucien Bianchi DNQ 0
Maria Teresa de Filippis DNQ 0
Pete Lovely DNQ 0
Jean Lucienbonnet DNQ 0
André Testut DNQ 0
Bill Moss DNQ 0
Keith Greene DNQ 0
Mike Parkes DNQ 0
Trevor Taylor DNQ 0
Dennis Taylor DNQ 0
Tim Parnell DNQ 0
Asdrúbal Fontes Bayardo DNS 0
Phil Cade DNS 0
Pos. Driver MON
500
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
POR
ITA
USA
Pts.
Key
ColourResult
GoldWinner
Silver2nd place
Bronze3rd place
GreenOther points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
PurpleNot classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (cell empty)
Text formatting Meaning
Bold Pole position
Italics Fastest lap
  • Italics indicate fastest lap (1 point awarded – point shared equally between drivers sharing fastest lap)
  • Bold indicates pole position

1959 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers – final standings

Points were awarded on an 8–6–4–3–2 basis to the first five finishers at each round (excluding the Indianapolis 500). However, a manufacturer only received points for its highest placed car in each round, and only the best five results from the eight races were retained.

Pos. Manufacturer MON
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
POR
ITA
USA
Pts.[lower-alpha 1]
1 Cooper-Climax 1 (2) (3) 1 (4) 1 1 1 40 (53)
2 Ferrari 2 (5) 1 1 3 2 (3) 32 (38)
3 BRM Ret 1 6 2 5 5 7 18
4 Lotus-Climax Ret 4 Ret 8 Ret Ret Ret 5 5
Cooper-Maserati 6 Ret Ret 6 10 11 Ret 0
Aston Martin Ret 6 6 10 0
Porsche Ret 10 DNS 7 0
Maserati DNQ 8 Ret WD WD 15 DNS 0
Cooper-Borgward 10 0
JBW-Maserati Ret 0
Vanwall Ret 0
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser Ret 0
Cooper-OSCA Ret 0
Tec-Mec-Maserati Ret 0
Connaught-Alta WD Ret 0
Behra-Porsche-Porsche DNQ DNS 0
Fry-Climax DNQ 0
Pos. Manufacturer MON
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
POR
ITA
USA
Pts.
  • Bold results counted to championship totals.

Non-championship races

Other Formula One races also held in 1959, which did not count towards the World Championship.

Race Name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Report
VII Glover Trophy Goodwood 30 March Stirling Moss Cooper-Climax Report
XIV BARC Aintree 200 Aintree 18 April Jean Behra Ferrari Report
XI BRDC International Trophy Silverstone 2 May Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax Report
VI International Gold Cup Oulton Park 26 September Stirling Moss Cooper-Climax Report
IV Silver City Trophy Snetterton 10 October Ron Flockhart BRM Report

Notes

  1. Only the best 5 results counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.

References

  1. World Championship of Drivers and International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, 1974 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, pages 118 to 121
  2. "Grand Prix Cancelled". Autosport. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
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