1963 French Grand Prix

Jim Clark took the lead at the start from Richie Ginther in the BRM. All Graham Hill's hard work in qualifying second despite mechanical problems in practice came to nothing when his engine died on the grid and his car had to be push started. The subsequent one-minute penalty dropped him well back. Clark led dominantly, his lead being extended when a stone pierced Ginther's radiator, forcing him into the pits. Jack Brabham took second place after a strong fight with Trevor Taylor, who also suffered mechanical problems.

Brabham then began to gain significantly on Clark as the Scot's Climax engine started to splutter, however this proved to be a sporadic fault and he had enough of a lead to maintain the position. Brabham himself was delayed when an ignition lead came loose,[2] handing second and third to Tony Maggs and a delighted Hill. Clark was over a minute ahead of them after yet another start-to-finish victory.

• Graham Hill was push started, incurring a one-minute penalty from the organisers, and was awarded no championship points for his third place
• By finishing 7th, at 19 years and 345 days old, Chris Amon became the youngest driver to finish a world championship race. This record would hold for another 38 years, until it was broken by Fernando Alonso at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Jim Clark 27 2 2 Dan Gurney 12 1 3 Richie Ginther 11 1 4 Bruce McLaren 10 5 Graham Hill 9 Source: [5]

Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 Lotus-Climax 28 1 2 Cooper-Climax 16 1 3 BRM 14 4 Brabham-Climax 13 5 Ferrari 7 Source: [5]

• Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.