The 1962 Formula One season was the 16th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 13th World Championship of Drivers, the 5th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship was contested over nine races between 20 May and 29 December 1962.
Graham Hill driving for BRM won his first Drivers' Championship when rival Jim Clark retired from the last race due to an oil leak in the 62nd lap while he was leading the race. BRM also won the Manufacturers' Championship for the first time, and it would be the only time.
Double World Champion Jack Brabham formed his own team and debuted the Brabham BT3 in the United States Grand Prix, becoming the first ever F1 driver to score championship points in a car bearing his own name.
Ricardo Rodríguez suffered a fatal crash during practice for his home race, the non-championship Mexican Grand Prix. He had been the youngest ever driver for Scuderia Ferrari, but also became the youngest ever F1 driver to die.
Teams and drivers The following teams and drivers competed in the 1962 FIA World Championship. All teams competed with tyres supplied by Dunlop.
Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Driver Rounds Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 156 Ferrari 178 1.5 V6 Phil Hill 1–3, 5–7 Giancarlo Baghetti 1, 3, 6–7 Ricardo Rodríguez 1–3, 6–7 Lorenzo Bandini 2, 6–7 Willy Mairesse 2–3, 7 Team Lotus Lotus-Climax 2524 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 Jim Clark All Trevor Taylor All Cooper Car Company Cooper-Climax T60T55T53 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Bruce McLaren All Tony Maggs All Timmy Mayer 8 Brabham Racing Organisation Lotus-Climax 24 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 Jack Brabham 1–5 Brabham-Climax BT3 6, 8–9 UDT Laystall Racing Team Lotus-Climax 2418/21 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Innes Ireland 1–5, 7–9 Masten Gregory 1, 5 Lotus-BRM 24 BRM P56 1.5 V8 2–4, 7–8 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 804718 Porsche 753 1.5 F8Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 Jo Bonnier 1–2, 4–8 Dan Gurney 1–2, 4–8 Phil Hill 8 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718787 Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 Carel Godin de Beaufort All Ben Pon 1 Emeryson-Climax 61 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Wolfgang Seidel 1 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P57P48/57 BRM P56 1.5 V8 Graham Hill All Richie Ginther All Bruce Johnstone 9 Bowmaker-Yeoman Racing Team Lola-Climax Mk4 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 John Surtees All Roy Salvadori 1–2, 4–9 Ecurie Galloise Cooper-Climax T53 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Jackie Lewis 1, 4–6 BRM P48/57 BRM P56 1.5 V8 2 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Lotus-Climax 24 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 Maurice Trintignant 2–4, 6–8 Ecurie Nationale Suisse Ecurie FilipinettiLotus-Climax21Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Jo Siffert2–3, 6Lotus-BRM24BRM P56 1.5 V84, 7 Heinz Schiller6Porsche718Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 Heini Walter6 Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia Lotus-Climax 18/2124 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Nino Vaccarella 2, 7 Porsche 718 Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 6 Emeryson Cars Lotus-Climax 18 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 John Campbell-Jones 3 Emeryson-Climax 61 Tony Settember 5, 7 Equipe Nationale Belge Lotus-Climax 18/21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Lucien Bianchi 3 ENB-Maserati F1 Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 6 Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel Lotus-BRM 24 BRM P56 1.5 V8 Dan Gurney 3 Wolfgang Seidel 5–6 Gunther Seiffert 6 Tony Shelly 7 Anglo-American Equipe Cooper-Climax T59 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Ian Burgess 5–7 Ecurie Excelsior Lotus-Climax 18 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Jay Chamberlain 5–7 John Dalton Lotus-Climax 18/21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Tony Shelly 5–6 Gilby Engineering Gilby-BRM 62 BRM P56 1.5 V8 Keith Greene 6–7 Bernard Collomb Cooper-Climax T53 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Bernard Collomb 6 Scuderia de Tomaso De Tomaso 801 De Tomaso 1.5 F8 Nasif Estéfano 7 Scuderia Settecolli De Tomaso-OSCA F1 OSCA 372 1.5 L4 Roberto Lippi 7 Gerry Ashmore Lotus-Climax 18/21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Gerry Ashmore 7 Scuderia Jolly Club Lotus-Climax 18 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Ernesto Prinoth 7 Dupont Team Zerex Lotus-Climax 24 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 Roger Penske 8 Hap Sharp Cooper-Climax T53 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Hap Sharp 8 Jim Hall Lotus-Climax 21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Jim Hall 8 John Mecom Lotus-Climax 24 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Rob Schroeder 8 Ernie Pieterse Lotus-Climax 21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Ernie Pieterse 9 John Love Cooper-Climax T55 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 John Love 9 Neville Lederle Lotus-Climax 21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Neville Lederle 9 Otelle Nucci LDS-Alfa Romeo Mk 1 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4 Doug Serrurier 9 Mike Harris Cooper-Alfa Romeo T53 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4 Mike Harris 9
Team and driver changes
Like in , Ferrari entered most races with three cars. Stirling Moss was due to drive for them, but suffered an accident during the non-championship Glover Trophy. He went into a coma for a month and the left side of his body was paralysed for six months. Giancarlo Baghetti was granted the seat, having proven himself worthy by winning the 1961 French Grand Prix and multiple non-championship races in a privately run Ferrari. Richie Ginther moved from Ferrari to BRM, where Tony Brooks had retired. The team introduced their own V8 engine for this season, after they had had to rely on Climax engines the year before. Lotus hired Taylor after Innes Ireland was fired and went to the BRP team (renamed UDT Laystall Racing). Double World Champion Jack Brabham started his own team, Brabham, at first running a Lotus chassis but later debuting the BT3, with which he became the first F1 driver ever to score points in a car bearing his own name. Tony Maggs replaced him at Cooper. Bowmaker Racing (what would later become Reg Parnell Racing) entered the season with a Lola Mk4, the first ever F1 chassis by Lola Cars.
Mid-season changes Lorenzo Bandini and Willy Mairesse joined Scuderia Ferrari on a part-time basis, expanding the squad to five cars for the Italian Grand Prix. After a brief appearance in , Emeryson was back on the grid as a works team. They ran a Lotus chassis once before debuting a self-designed car in the British Grand Prix. The ENB team debuted a self-made chassis in the German Grand Prix, powered by a Maserati engine.
Calendar Round Grand Prix Circuit Date 1 Dutch Grand Prix Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort 20 May 2 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 3 June 3 Belgian Grand Prix Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 17 June 4 French Grand Prix Rouen-Les-Essarts, Orival 8 July 5 British Grand Prix Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Merseyside 21 July 6 German Grand Prix Nürburgring, Nürburg 5 August 7 Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 16 September 8 United States Grand Prix Watkins Glen International, New York 7 October 9 South African Grand Prix Prince George Circuit, East London 29 December
Calendar changes The Monaco Grand Prix was moved back three weeks, making the Dutch Grand Prix the season opener. The French Grand Prix was moved from Reims-Gueux to Rouen-Les-Essarts for a year, as it was the tradition to do every five years (after and ). The South African Grand Prix made its debut on the championship calendar. The race was held at the Prince George Circuit as the season finale on 29 December.
Championship report Rounds 1 to 3
The Dutch Grand Prix hosted the season opener for the first time and was granted the honorary designation of European Grand Prix for this year. Lotus turned up with a revolutionary new chassis, the Lotus 25 being the first car built around an aluminium monocoque instead of a space frame. However, it was John Surtees who took pole position in the privately run Lola, ahead of Graham Hill for BRM. Lotus's Jim Clark qualified third, but this meant he had the inside line to the first corner and he managed to take the lead. Dan Gurney in the Porsche had a wonderful start from eighth to take third behind Hill and ahead of Surtees. The top three were steady in the opening phase, but then, both Clark and Gurney ran into technical troubles. Around the same time, the front wishbone broke on Surtees's Lola and he had a heavy crash but escaped unhurt. Graham Hill led away and scored the victory. Bruce McLaren (Cooper) was running second before he retired with a broken gearbox. Reigning champion Phil Hill (Ferrari) was running third at the time, inheriting second but later being overtaken by Trevor Taylor (Lotus).
Jim Clark scored his first career pole in the Monaco Grand Prix, ahead of Graham Hill and Bruce McLaren. But due to a confusing start procedure, it was Willy Mairesse in the Ferrari who went by, touching wheels with Clark and Hill in the process and locking up his wheels into the first corner. A chain reaction led to an accident with six drivers, three of whom retired on the spot. Mairesse took the lead but spun his car in the second hairpin, making the order at the end of the first lap: McLaren, Graham Hill, Phil Hill. McLaren was relegated back to second by lap 7, and then third by Clark, who was recovering from a bad start, was setting multiple fastest laps and started challenging Hill for the lead. On lap 55, however, his clutch gave out and he had to retire. But Hill was not yet out of the woods, with his BRM engine starting to smoke and McLaren, back in second, getting ever closer. On lap 93, Hill's engine gave up with a bang, although he still scored a point, as he was classified in sixth. McLaren was challenged by Phil Hill but held on to score his first win in two years. Lorenzo Bandini finished third in his first race for Ferrari.
The Belgian Grand Prix saw Graham Hill qualify on pole, ahead of McLaren, Taylor and home hero Mairesse. In the first phase of the race, those four were fighting over the lead in close combat and their relative positions changed all the while. Clark had started in twelfth, but joined the leading group. On lap 11, Clark set the fastest lap and took the lead, with teammate Taylor holding back their rivals. Clark held on to take the win, but getting up to the final corner of lap 26, Taylor crashed with Mairesse, the Lotus cutting down a telegraph pole and the Ferrari landing upside down on fire. Both drivers were flung out and suffered minor injuries. Graham Hill finished second, Phil Hill third. Ricardo Rodríguez came home in fourth, becoming the youngest F1 driver ever to score points. This record stood until Jenson Button broke it in the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix.
In the Drivers' Championship, Graham Hill (BRM) was leading with 16 points, ahead of champion Phil Hill (Ferrari) with 14 and Jim Clark (Lotus) with 9. In the Manufacturers' Championship, BRM went ahead with 16 points, ahead of Lotus (15) and Ferrari (14).
Rounds 4 to 6 The French Grand Prix saw Jim Clark qualify on pole position in his Lotus, ahead of championship leader Graham Hill for BRM and Bruce McLaren for Cooper. Although Ferrari had withdrawn from the event due to strike actions, the first three rows were occupied by seven different teams and five different constructors. Fifth-starting John Surtees was in second after the first lap and challenged Hill for the lead, but had to pit when his engine had trouble picking up fuel. Jackie Lewis was lapped by Hill but then suddenly lost his brakes and rear-ended the leader. Clark took the lead, but was caught by Hill within three laps, confirming to the Lotus team that their car was not running well, and they decided to retire from the race. Further drama ensued when Hill's BRM engine had jammed with ten laps to go, paving the way for Dan Gurney taking his first and Porsche's only win. South African Tony Maggs was second for Cooper, scoring his first podium, and Richie Ginther third for BRM.
During the British Grand Prix, Clark scored his third pole position of the year, this time ahead of Surtees and Ireland. The latter, however, could not get his Lotus to fire up and was passed at by everyone at the start. McLaren took over third place. The top three remained unchanged throughout the race, with Clark taking an unchallenged win and even getting close to lapping championship leader Hill, who came home in fourth.