1960 Dutch Grand Prix
The third round of the 1960 Formula 1 World Championship took place on June 6 in the Netherlands at the Zandvoort circuit, nestled among the sand dunes along the North Sea coast. Compared to the previous year, the track remained unchanged, still measuring 4,193 km in length, while the drivers faced the challenge of completing 75 laps.
After the incredibly dramatic Monaco Grand Prix, a race marked by numerous crashes, mechanical failures and retirements, the teams had virtually no time to catch their breath. With only a week remaining before the next championship round, the mechanics worked around the clock to rebuild damaged cars, carry out the necessary inspections, and ensure everything reached Zandvoort in time. Nevertheless, despite the extremely tight schedule, all of the leading teams managed to prepare their cars for the start, allowing the Dutch crowd to witness the latest technical developments of the season firsthand.
Championship leaders Cooper were once again represented by reigning World Champion Jack Brabham and current championship leader Bruce McLaren, both driving the same Cooper T53s they had raced in Monte Carlo, with Brabham's chassis, damaged in his crash in the Principality, having been fully rebuilt.
Scuderia Ferrari fielded three drivers this time — Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips and Richie Ginther — while Cliff Allison, who had been injured during practice in Monaco, was still recovering in hospital.
At Zandvoort, all three Ferrari drivers raced front-engined Ferrari 246 Dinos fitted with revised rear suspensions incorporating anti-roll bars, while the lone rear-engined Ferrari 246P was kept in reserve.
The other two British teams, BRM and Lotus, also fielded three cars apiece. Alfred Owen's squad was once again represented by Jo Bonnier, Graham Hill and Dan Gurney, each driving an updated BRM P48 featuring a strengthened rear suspension designed to prevent a repeat of the failures that had plagued the team in Monaco.
Meanwhile, Colin Chapman's team underwent a slight reshuffle. With John Surtees temporarily leaving Lotus to pursue another World Motorcycle Championship title, his place was taken by young Scotsman Jim Clark, who was set to make his Formula One debut alongside Innes Ireland and Alan Stacey.
The Dutch Grand Prix also featured the two Scarabs of Lance Reventlow's American team. Undeterred by the disappointment in Monaco, Reventlow made every effort to ensure that both cars reached Zandvoort in time — one for himself and the other for his teammate Chuck Daigh.
The last factory team to join the Dutch Grand Prix grid was David Brown's Aston Martin squad, making its first appearance of the season. This time, unlike the previous year, the British team fielded only a single driver — Roy Salvadori, whose updated Aston Martin DBR4 featured revised front and rear suspension, along with an upgraded six-cylinder engine fitted with Lucas low-pressure fuel injection.
Among the private entrants, only three teams appeared at Zandvoort, and unsurprisingly the strongest remained Rob Walker's outfit, spearheaded by Stirling Moss, who once again campaigned the same Lotus 18 that had brought him victory in Monaco.
Meanwhile, Yeoman Credit Racing, running the championship-winning Cooper T51-Climax, expanded to a three-car entry: two for the already familiar pairing of Tony Brooks and Chris Bristow, and a third for newcomer Henry Taylor, who took the place of the late Harry Schell.
The last of the private teams to take part in the Dutch Grand Prix was Scuderia Centro Sud, whose colours were carried by Maurice Trintignant and Masten Gregory, both at the wheel of Maserati-powered Cooper T51s.
The only private entrant on the grid was local aristocrat Carel Godin de Beaufort, who had switched from his Porsche sports car to a Cooper T51-Climax for the season.
Qualification
Qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix began on Saturday, but before the cars even took to the track, the teams were unpleasantly surprised by the announcement that starting money would be paid only to the 15 fastest drivers. Unhappy with the new arrangement, the competitors nevertheless had to accept the revised regulations, turning the two days of practice into an intense fight for positions on the grid — much like the battle that had unfolded in Monaco just a week earlier. The new rule, however, did nothing to alter the competitive picture, as Stirling Moss claimed pole position for the third consecutive Grand Prix with a blistering 1'33.2 lap, improving the previous track record by more than two and a half seconds.
Once again, reigning World Champion Jack Brabham emerged as Moss's closest challenger in qualifying, finishing just two tenths of a second behind the Englishman to take second place on the grid.
Meanwhile, Lotus's strong qualifying performance was further confirmed by Innes Ireland, who comfortably secured third place on the grid, while the less experienced Alan Stacey and Jim Clark also impressed, taking eighth and eleventh respectively. Last year's Dutch Grand Prix winners, BRM, may not have challenged for pole position this time, but the team still delivered a highly respectable performance: all three of its drivers were within two seconds of the pole time, securing fourth, fifth and sixth places on the grid.
The speed of rookie Chris Bristow was once again a highlight: he qualified a remarkable seventh, ahead of his highly rated teammate Tony Brooks, who could manage only tenth on the grid. Championship leader Bruce McLaren, meanwhile, once again struggled to match the pace in practice and ended up only ninth. However, the biggest disappointment of qualifying was undoubtedly the performance of the Ferrari drivers. For several years, the Italian team had struggled for pace at Zandvoort, and this season was no different: Richie Ginther, Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips could only qualify 12th, 13th and 16th respectively, all three ending up more than three seconds behind the pole time!
Meanwhile, Henry Taylor and Chuck Daigh were the last drivers to make the top fifteen and earn the right to receive starting money. Daigh's celebration, however, was short-lived: Lance Reventlow had decided that his team would only take part with both Scarabs on the grid, and after failing to qualify among the top fifteen himself, he withdrew both cars from the race, unexpectedly promoting Wolfgang von Trips into the group of drivers eligible for starting money. Following Reventlow's decision, David Brown's team also withdrew from the Grand Prix after failing to make the cut, as did one of Scuderia Centro Sud's drivers, Masten Gregory.
Race
The Monday morning of race day greeted the drivers with torrential rain, but fortunately the clouds soon cleared, and the Grand Prix got underway in dry and sunny conditions. Meanwhile, on the eve of the start, Centro Sud team principal Guglielmo Dei and his sole remaining driver Maurice Trintignant finally reached an agreement with the organisers over starting money, but only on one condition — the Frenchman had to prove his worth in the race. This pushed the team towards a highly risky strategy: starting with the minimum fuel load, gaining as many positions as possible in the opening laps, and then making an early pit stop.
While Centro Sud prepared to take a gamble in pursuit of the starting money, Bristow experienced a moment of genuine panic during the formation lap: the accelerator on his Cooper suddenly failed, leaving the young driver helplessly watching the rest of the field disappear into the distance. Fortunately for Chris, the failure occurred in the complex of corners behind the pits, allowing Yeoman's mechanics to reach the car quickly and replace the linkage, so the Englishman was able to retain his rightful seventh place on the starting grid.
Start. As the national flag falls, the field roars away from the grid, with Brabham making the strongest getaway from the front row and immediately seizing the race lead! Phil Hill once again makes a superb getaway, charging from 13th on the grid all the way up to fifth place, while his namesake Graham suffers the opposite fate, making a disastrous start and finding himself down in 11th by the end of the opening lap! Trintignant, meanwhile, takes advantage of his low fuel load, gaining three positions off the line and completing the opening lap in 13th place.
Order after Lap 1: Brabham, Moss, Ireland, Stacey, Phil Hill, Bonnier, McLaren, Gurney, Bristow, Ginther.
Lap 2: Stacey is clearly inspired today: after a superb start that saw him move into fourth place at the end of the opening lap, Alan launches an attack on his teammate Innes Ireland and sweeps past to claim third place!
McLaren also enjoys a strong start to the race, picking off Phil Hill and Bonnier one after another in the battle for fifth place, with the latter soon being passed by Gurney as well!
Lap 3: Brabham and Moss begin to break clear of the two fighting Lotus drivers, with Stirling, just as in Monaco, once again choosing to bide his time rather than launch an immediate attack on the reigning world champion.
Meanwhile, last year's winner Bonnier is clearly lacking pace and drops two more places, first to Bristow and then to Ginther!
Lap 4: Ireland is clearly not prepared to give up third place to his teammate: he launches a counterattack on Stacey and forces him back down the order!
Meanwhile, Bonnier continues to struggle for pace, losing another position to Graham Hill and slipping outside the top ten.
Lap 5: Phil Hill’s brilliant start comes to nothing: pressured by faster rivals, the American is unable to defend sixth place and eventually yields the position to his compatriot Gurney!
Meanwhile, Bonnier continues to drop down the order, losing another place to Clark, while on lap 5 the race sees its first retirement: Tony Brooks comes to a halt in the complex of corners behind the pits after suffering gearbox failure.
Lap 6: After being passed by Gurney, Phil Hill is immediately under attack from Bristow and loses another place to the young Englishman!
Meanwhile, behind the pair ahead, a terrific battle for 10th place develops between Jim Clark and Graham Hill, with the young Lotus debutant fighting his way past the more experienced BRM rival!
Bonnier, meanwhile, continues to slide backwards, losing another place to Trintignant on this lap.
Lap 7: Graham Hill refuses to give up and, after a successful counterattack, leaves Clark behind once again!
For Bonnier, however, the situation continues to worsen: after losing another position to von Trips, the Swede finds himself down in 14th place!
Lap 9: Shortly after clearing the start-finish straight, McLaren suffers a failure of the universal joint on his left-hand drive shaft, forcing him to pull off and ending his hopes of scoring points in the race! Meanwhile, after getting the better of Clark, Graham Hill immediately sets his sights on his next target — Ginther’s Ferrari — and moves past the American to take eighth place!
Meanwhile, Bonnier’s struggles continue: the Swede loses another position to rookie Taylor and now finds himself second from last!
Lap 10: Bristow’s Cooper suffers a sudden engine seizure, forcing the Englishman into retirement and ending his hopes of scoring the first points of his career! Meanwhile, Bristow’s retirement promotes Graham Hill to sixth place: after getting past Ginther, he now disposes of Phil Hill’s Ferrari as well, continuing his spectacular climb through the field!
Order after 10 laps: Brabham, Moss, Ireland, Stacey, Gurney, Graham Hill, Phil Hill, Ginther, Clark, Trintignant.
After ten laps, Brabham has pulled 17 seconds clear of the battling Lotus pair, but his main rival — Moss — is still right on his heels!
Lap 12: After spending seven laps tucked in behind Ireland, Stacey makes another move and once again sweeps past his teammate to take third place!
Meanwhile, a real drama is unfolding behind the two Lotus drivers: braking for the Tarzan corner at around 200 km/h, Dan Gurney suddenly suffers a failure of his rear brakes!
With no way to slow down, Gurney’s BRM leaves the track at enormous speed, shoots up the hillside and disappears from sight over the crest, before finally coming to rest upside down on the far side!
Remarkably, Gurney escapes serious injury: as the BRM overturns, he is thrown clear of the cockpit and suffers only a sprained wrist and a cut to his right hand.
Tragically, the accident still claims a victim: spectators positioned behind the hill are suddenly caught in the path of the American’s BRM, and one of them — a 19-year-old spectator — suffers fatal injuries.
Meanwhile, the race goes on despite the tragedy: on the same lap, Ginther overtakes his teammate Phil Hill for sixth place, while Trintignant finally makes his pit stop for fuel, dropping to second from last.
Lap 13: Phil Hill is passed by Clark and drops another position, leaving the Ferrari driver down in eighth place!
Lap 15: Clark overtakes yet another Ferrari — this time Ginther’s — and, in his very first Grand Prix, breaks into the points!
Lap 17: The battle for third place shows no sign of letting up: Ireland attacks Stacey once again and reclaims the position from his teammate!
Meanwhile, an equally fierce battle is unfolding between the Ferrari drivers: on this lap, von Trips launches a successful attack on Phil Hill and moves ahead into eighth place!
Lap 18: Moss’s waiting game finally comes back to haunt him: Brabham clips a kerb in one of the corners, and a chunk of broken tarmac is hurled directly into the pursuing Lotus, puncturing the Englishman’s right-front tyre! Nursing the damaged car back to the pits, Stirling hands it over to his mechanics, but the pit stop proves agonisingly slow: first they cannot get the jack under the front suspension, and then they have to dismantle the entire hub assembly before the wheel can be changed.
As a result, by the time Moss finally rejoins the race, he finds himself second from last, with Brabham now more than a lap ahead!
Meanwhile, Taylor also heads into the pits on the same lap: his Cooper has been stuck in a single gear for quite some time, but despite their efforts the Yeoman mechanics are unable to cure the problem and send Henry back out in the hope that he can somehow nurse the car to the finish.
Order after 20 laps: Brabham, Ireland, Stacey, Graham Hill, Clark, Ginther, von Trips, Phil Hill, Bonnier, Trintignant.
With his main rival out of contention, Brabham now enjoys a comfortable lead of 27 seconds over the Lotus pair, who remain locked together in a close battle for second and third places!
Lap 21: Undeterred by his forced stop, Moss launches a desperate fightback to recover the lost ground, with Taylor’s ailing Cooper becoming his first target.
Lap 23: Trintignant becomes Moss’s next target, and the Englishman sweeps past the Frenchman with ease, continuing his spectacular charge through the field!
Lap 29: After picking off the Ferraris one after another, Clark catches Graham Hill once again and makes a decisive move to sweep past him!
Meanwhile, another battle is unfolding between the Ferrari drivers on the same lap: von Trips attacks Ginther and sweeps past his teammate, pushing him out of the points!
Lap 31: Graham Hill refuses to surrender: he launches a counterattack at Tarzan and once again pushes the Scot back down to fifth place!
Lap 32: Moss catches Bonnier, who is still struggling with engine trouble, and sweeps past the Swede to move up to ninth place!
Lap 33: Clark starts to struggle with gear selection problems, and Graham Hill is quick to seize the opportunity, opening up the gap to the Scot once again!
Lap 39: Moss continues his relentless charge, setting a new fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:34.4!
Lap 40: The transmission on Trintignant’s Cooper fails, leaving the Frenchman with no option but to retire from the race.
Order after 40 laps: Brabham, Ireland, Stacey, Graham Hill, Clark, von Trips, Ginther, Phil Hill, Moss, Bonnier.
Lap 41: Hampered by engine problems, Phil Hill pulls into the pits for a carburettor check, allowing Moss to inherit another place without a battle!
Lap 43: The gearbox on Clark’s Lotus finally gives up, forcing Jim to pull off at the side of the track and ending his superb chance of scoring points in his debut race!
Lap 51: Moss catches and blasts past Ginther’s Ferrari — and Stirling is finally back in the points!
Lap 55: Disaster strikes Bonnier as the oil filter bowl breaks loose on his BRM; sliding on his own oil, the Swede spins off the track and badly damages the car! On the same lap, Phil Hill’s race is over as well: frustrated by an engine that keeps cutting out, the American heads back to the pits and never returns to the circuit.
Lap 56: Moss catches yet another Ferrari — this time von Trips' — and, to the thunderous roar of the grandstands, sweeps past the German to claim fifth place!
Lap 58: Trouble for Stacey! After spending almost the entire race locked in battle with Ireland, Alan suddenly loses pace and slowly makes his way back to the pits. With the Lotus surrounded by mechanics, a desperate effort is made to bring the car back to life, but it soon becomes clear that the transmission has failed completely. Realising that his race is over, Stacey quietly climbs out of the cockpit — and this time he cannot hide his disappointment: today he has let slip a genuine chance to claim his first podium finish. Meanwhile, Stacey’s misfortune works in Graham Hill’s favour — he now inherits the third place that the Lotus driver has been forced to surrender!
Order after 60 laps: Brabham, Ireland, Graham Hill, Moss, von Trips, Ginther, Taylor, de Beaufort.
With 15 laps to go, Brabham remains firmly in command, enjoying a 25-second advantage over Ireland.
However, the star of the race remains Moss: despite a 40-second deficit, the Englishman continues his relentless pursuit of Graham Hill, determined to claw back one more place!
Lap 61: Moss continues to pick up the pace, and his astonishing speed allows the Englishman to catch the race-leading Brabham and get back on the same lap as the Australian!
Lap 66: Ten laps from the finish, Moss reduces Hill’s advantage to 27 seconds, and tension rises at BRM: Stirling’s furious charge now threatens Graham’s third place, prompting the team to show him a pit board reading “Push harder”!
Final lap: Having produced a flawless drive and led from start to finish, Brabham finally takes the chequered flag to secure his first victory of the season!
After bringing the Cooper to a halt, the Australian is immediately mobbed by his jubilant team, and together they celebrate not only a long-awaited victory, but Jack’s return to the title fight as well!
Meanwhile, Ireland comes home second, 24 seconds behind the winner, and for the Englishman the result is every bit as significant — today he claims the first Formula One podium of his career! Yet the spectators’ attention remains firmly fixed on the battle for third place, and in the end it is Graham Hill who comes out on top, securing not only his maiden podium but also the first championship points of his career. As for Moss, he has nothing to blame himself for: on the final lap, Stirling sets a new fastest lap of the race — 1:33.8 — and, after an extraordinary charge through the field, finishes just one second behind Hill! The final two points-paying positions go to the Ferrari pair of von Trips and Ginther — and, in truth, that is probably the most the Scuderia could have hoped for in this race.
Interesting facts:
- Innes Ireland’s first podium;
- Graham Hill’s first podium and first championship points;
- Jim Clark’s Grand Prix debut;
- Lotus’s first fastest lap.
Driver standings
Constructor standings
Alternative GP results
