1960 French Grand Prix
The fifth round of the 1960 Formula 1 World Championship took place in France on 3 July, at the Reims circuit, which was rightly regarded as one of the fastest tracks in Europe. The circuit’s layout remained unchanged from the previous year, with the track still measuring 8.302 km, while the drivers faced a 50-lap race.
Following one of the most tragic rounds of the past decade — the Belgian Grand Prix, which claimed the lives of Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey and left Stirling Moss and Mike Taylor with serious injuries — the entry list for the French round underwent major changes, with only the three works teams, Cooper, Ferrari and BRM, retaining their line-ups. The Surbiton outfit was once again represented by reigning World Champion Jack Brabham and championship leader Bruce McLaren, who, with Stirling Moss effectively out of the title race, remained the only genuine contenders for the championship.
Scuderia Ferrari also retained its line-up, with Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips and Willy Mairesse taking the wheel of three front-engined Ferrari 246 Dinos, the latter having earned the team’s confidence with his assured drive in Belgium.
Alfred Owen’s team entrusted three rear-engined BRM P48s to Jo Bonnier, Graham Hill and Dan Gurney — the same unchanged trio that had represented the British outfit since the start of the season.
Meanwhile, Colin Chapman’s team, having lost Alan Stacey in Belgium, brought in the experienced Scot Ron Flockhart as his replacement, joining fellow Scotsmen Innes Ireland and Jim Clark — at which point Lotus might as well have been renamed MacLotus.
At the same time, the three Scotsmen were each given slightly different cars: Ireland’s Lotus, like Moss’s in Belgium, featured a long air duct running along the left side from the nose to the Weber carburettors; on Flockhart’s car, the exposed carburettors were tucked beneath the bodywork thanks to a slight rightward offset of the engine, while Clark was the only one to race a standard Lotus 18, as used by the team in the previous rounds.
Changes also came to Lance Reventlow’s American team: after giving up his place at Scuderia Ferrari to Willy Mairesse, Richie Ginther joined Chuck Daigh behind the wheel of a Scarab, while Reventlow himself was finally able to focus on running the team.
The final works team to take part in the French Grand Prix was Vanwall, with the British outfit making a surprise return to the Formula 1 paddock for the first time since last year’s British Grand Prix. Its sole car had undergone another round of development, retaining its front-engined layout and familiar four-cylinder inline engine but gaining a new, lower body, independent rear suspension and a new five-speed gearbox.
At the wheel of the car was none other than former Vanwall driver Tony Brooks, who had been given permission by the Yeoman Credit Racing management to temporarily join the team and test Tony Vandervell’s latest creation.
Meanwhile, the death of Chris Bristow and Tony Brooks’ temporary absence forced the Yeoman Credit team to call on Olivier Gendebien and Henry Taylor once again, with newcomer Bruce Halford joining them. All three drivers were entrusted with Cooper T51-Climaxes, but Gendebien’s car stood apart from those of his teammates, being fitted with a new five-speed Colotti gearbox. Alongside Yeoman Credit, another private team to field three cars was Scuderia Centro Sud, represented by Maurice Trintignant, Masten Gregory and Ian Burgess, all driving Cooper T51s powered by Maserati engines.
Another Cooper T51, this time powered by a Ferrari engine, was brought to Reims by Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti, with Gino Munaron taking the wheel as the team’s lead driver. The entry list was completed by two privateers — Lucien Bianchi in a Cooper T45-Climax and David Piper in a front-engined Lotus 16.
Qualification
Qualifying for the French Grand Prix took place beneath an unusually grey sky, but there was plenty of optimism within the Scuderia: Reims’ long, high-speed straights were perfectly suited to Ferrari’s powerful engines and raised hopes of finally securing the team’s first pole of the season. Those hopes, however, were not to be fulfilled: Phil Hill was fast enough to take second, but even he could not match the magnificent Jack Brabham, who remained out of reach of his rivals throughout all three days of practice and ultimately set a 2:16.8 lap to smash the track record by more than 2.5 seconds!
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s other drivers were nowhere near their team leader’s pace, with Willy Mairesse and Wolfgang von Trips managing only fifth and sixth respectively, while Brabham’s teammate Bruce McLaren was once again less impressive in practice, settling for ninth. Graham Hill, by contrast, produced a highly assured performance: just 0.2 seconds slower than his namesake Phil Hill, the Englishman claimed third and comfortably outpaced his BRM teammates Dan Gurney and Jo Bonnier, who lined up seventh and tenth respectively. A similar pattern emerged at Lotus, with team leader Innes Ireland producing an excellent fourth-fastest time, while his teammates Jim Clark and Ron Flockhart failed to break into the top ten.
Nevertheless, a mix-up over the car numbers brought a stroke of luck for Lotus newcomer Flockhart: one of Ireland’s lap times was mistakenly credited to him, and the Scot was unexpectedly awarded eighth place on the starting grid!
Meanwhile, the biggest disappointments of qualifying came from Vanwall and the American Scarabs. Vandervell’s car was plagued by a succession of problems throughout all three days of practice — first with the brakes, then the oil-scavenge system and finally the magneto — leaving Tony Brooks to settle for just 14th on the starting grid. Things looked even bleaker for Lance Reventlow’s team: not only were its cars desperately short of pace — something everyone had long since grown accustomed to — but the Scarab engines also seemed unable to withstand the extreme demands of Reims’ long straights. Having exhausted his entire supply of engines in practice, Reventlow withdrew both cars immediately after qualifying and left Reims, vowing not to return to the Formula 1 circuits until he had solved the problems plaguing his machines. The Scarabs were not the only cars to miss the start, however: David Piper also failed to qualify after his Lotus suffered critical damage to its valve gear.
Race
The start of the Grand Prix was scheduled for the afternoon, but before the main event, the spectators were treated to a little warm-up — the opening part of the Formula Junior race, convincingly won by Britain’s Trevor Taylor. Once the junior Formula engines fell silent, the Formula 1 cars lined up one after another on the starting grid, and the spectators held their breath in anticipation of an unforgettable spectacle…
Start. No sooner is the 30-second signal given than the race official drops the national flag, and the entire field surges away — except Graham Hill, who remains stranded on the front row with a stalled engine! The sudden obstruction immediately throws the field into confusion as drivers scatter left and right to avoid Hill’s stationary BRM, with half of them even running onto the verge! A collision is nevertheless unavoidable: Trintignant, starting from the back rows, spots the stranded car too late and slams heavily into the rear of Hill’s BRM, putting both cars out of the race on the spot!
At the same time, several more drivers suffer the consequences of the chaotic start: swerving sharply to the right, Bianchi clips Brooks’ Vanwall before cutting across Halford’s Cooper, sending both Lucien and Bruce spinning across the track and leaving them well behind the rest of the field! Meanwhile, to the delight of the Scuderia, Phil Hill leads the peloton into the first corner, with Brabham and von Trips on his heels!
Lap 1: Phil Hill does not stay in front for long: on the straight leading to Thillois, Brabham launches a decisive attack on the American and surges into the lead!
Order after Lap 1: Brabham, Phil Hill, von Trips, Gurney, Bonnier, Ireland, Mairesse, Gendebien, McLaren, Flockhart.
Lap 2: Approaching Thillois once again, Phil Hill attempts to counterattack Brabham, but brakes too late and only crumples the nose of his Ferrari against the Cooper’s rear wheel, immediately losing another place to his teammate, von Trips!
Meanwhile, fierce battles are raging throughout the field, with Ireland, Gendebien and Brooks particularly active — each making up two places.
Lap 3: Having dropped to third, Phil Hill refuses to give up, launching a counterattack on von Trips and reclaiming second place!
Meanwhile, after a strong start to the race, Gurney begins to lose places one by one and, having been passed by Mairesse and McLaren, drops to ninth!
Lap 4: Having dealt with von Trips, Phil Hill immediately sets his sights on Brabham, and after a successful attack, retakes the lead!
Meanwhile, on the same lap, McLaren moves ahead of Mairesse for seventh, while Brooks and Burgess both make their way into the pits — Tony to have his car checked after the opening-lap contact, and Ian for some necessary adjustments.
Lap 5: Brabham responds to Phil Hill with an immediate counterattack and surges back into the lead!
Meanwhile, after losing out to McLaren, Mairesse immediately comes under pressure from Gurney, who sweeps past the Belgian and drops him to ninth!
Lap 6: Phil Hill refuses to give up: he attacks again on the start-finish straight, with the Ferrari and Cooper crossing the line almost side by side!
Meanwhile, an equally intense battle is unfolding in the midfield between Flockhart, Gregory and Taylor, with the Lotus driver losing two places as both rivals in their Coopers sweep past.
Lap 7: The battle at the front shows no sign of letting up, and after another successful attack on Phil Hill, Brabham surges back into the lead!
Meanwhile, an equally thrilling duel for fourth is raging between Ireland and Bonnier, with the two rivals swapping places several times in a single lap!
Lap 8: Phil Hill’s response is not long in coming: the American attacks again and once more leaves Brabham in his wake!
Meanwhile, in the midfield, Flockhart regains a place from Taylor, while Brooks’ race is already over: Tony heads back to the pits with severe vibration at the rear of his car, bringing Vanwall’s inglorious return to Formula 1 to an end.
Lap 9: Brabham is every bit as relentless as his rival: another attack on the Ferrari sees the Australian back at the head of the race!
Meanwhile, the midfield battle grows ever more intriguing as Clark closes in on the three-car group and immediately passes Taylor for 12th!
Lap 10: Taylor answers Clark’s challenge immediately, repassing the Lotus and moving back ahead!
Order after 10 laps: Brabham, Phil Hill, von Trips, Ireland, Bonnier, Gendebien, McLaren, Gurney, Mairesse, Gregory.
After 10 laps, Brabham and Phil Hill are still running nose to tail, with von Trips right behind them, ready to pounce on any mistake!
Lap 11: Having eased off for just one lap, Phil Hill attacks once again — and once more sweeps past Brabham to retake the lead!
Meanwhile, in the midfield, Taylor attacks Flockhart in turn — and moves back ahead!
Lap 12: Brabham launches yet another counterattack — and once again leaves Hill’s Ferrari in his wake!
Meanwhile, the long-running duel between Ireland and Bonnier suddenly turns into a four-car battle as Gendebien and McLaren close in, with the Yeoman driver immediately attacking the Swede and snatching fifth place! Further back, the midfield battle also suddenly intensifies, as Clark sweeps past three rivals in a single lap to break into the top ten!
Lap 13: Another change at the front as Hill retakes the lead — by now, it is almost impossible to keep count of how many times the two have swapped places!
Meanwhile, the four-car battle for fourth suddenly loses one of its protagonists as Bonnier is forced into the pits with an oil leak, returning to the track after repairs down in 13th!
Lap 14: Brabham still refuses to give the Ferrari an inch: another attack on Phil Hill — and the Australian retakes the lead once again!
Meanwhile, on the same lap, Taylor attacks Gregory — and moves ahead in the battle for tenth.
Lap 15: A phenomenal battle for the lead, worthy of Reims at its very best, continues to thrill the spectators: Phil Hill attacks again and once more leaves the reigning world champion in his wake!
Yet the joy in the Scuderia is immediately tempered by concern: Ferrari’s third driver, Mairesse, comes to a halt at the final corner with a broken transmission and begins pushing his car down the start-finish straight, hoping to reach the pits and finish the race there.
Lap 17: After running on Ireland’s tail for several laps, Gendebien finally makes his move, sweeping past the Lotus driver to take fourth!
On the same lap, Gregory loses another place to Flockhart, while the race loses another competitor: like Mairesse, Munaron suffers a transmission failure at the final corner, climbs out of his car and, following the Belgian’s example, begins pushing it towards the pits!
Lap 18: Having waited behind Phil Hill for several laps, Brabham makes his move once again, passing the American to retake the lead!
Meanwhile, Taylor gets the better of Clark once again in the battle for seventh, while Gurney pulls into the pits with an overheating engine — another premature retirement for the American.
Lap 19: Another transmission failure puts Bianchi out of the race, and with no chance of reaching the pits, he abandons his Cooper by the side of the track.
Lap 20: Attempting yet another move on Brabham, Phil Hill outbrakes himself at the final corner and is forced onto the escape road!
The mistake costs him several precious seconds, and Hill rejoins the track in third, now behind his teammate von Trips!
Meanwhile, passions are running just as high behind the leading trio as Ireland attacks Gendebien once again and reclaims fourth!
At the same time, Gregory makes a lengthy pit stop at the end of the lap, finally putting paid to his hopes of scoring points in the race.
Order after 20 laps: Brabham, von Trips, Phil Hill, Ireland, Gendebien, McLaren, Taylor, Clark, Flockhart, Bonnier.
After 20 laps, the leading trio are still separated by just two seconds, with von Trips now taking over from his teammate as Brabham’s closest challenger!
Lap 21: The battle for fourth continues: Gendebien hits back successfully to reclaim the place, while Ireland is immediately passed by McLaren as well, dropping all the way to sixth!
Lap 22: Ireland wastes no time in responding, sweeping back past McLaren and moving ahead once again!
Lap 23: It takes Phil Hill just three laps to catch von Trips, and after a successful attack, the American once again relegates his teammate to third!
Meanwhile, behind the two Ferraris, McLaren and Ireland swap places once again — this time, the New Zealander comes out on top!
Meanwhile, on the same lap, the race loses another competitor as Bonnier finally retires to the pits with engine trouble, leaving BRM’s hopes of scoring points in tatters.
Lap 24: Another attack from Ireland — and the Lotus driver moves back ahead in the battle for fifth!
Lap 25: Having pulled slightly clear of the two Ferraris after Phil Hill’s mistake, Brabham posts a new fastest lap of the race, 2:17.5, now extending his lead to 3.5 seconds!
Lap 26: McLaren makes another attempt to get past Ireland — and he succeeds again!
Lap 27: Ireland responds immediately, counterattacking McLaren at the final corner and moving back ahead!
Lap 28: The two Ferraris are falling further behind the leading Brabham, while von Trips suddenly takes the initiative, attacking his teammate and snatching second place!
Lap 30: Disaster for Ferrari! In the space of a single lap, transmission failures put both scarlet cars out of action, forcing Phil Hill and von Trips to retire and snatching away their golden chance of a double podium finish!
Meanwhile, following Ferrari’s double retirement, none other than Ireland inherits second place, once again getting the better of Gendebien!
Order after 30 laps: Brabham, Ireland, Gendebien, McLaren, Taylor, Clark, Flockhart, Halford, Gregory, Burgess.
With his main challengers now out of contention, Brabham immediately eases off the pace — and no wonder: his lead over Ireland is already approaching a minute and a half!
Lap 32: Knowing that second place is at stake, Gendebien hits back decisively at Ireland — and moves back ahead!
Lap 34: Having barely lost out to Gendebien, Ireland immediately comes under attack from McLaren, who also sweeps past the Lotus driver and knocks him out of the top three!
Lap 35: A broken ball joint in the front-left suspension robs Ireland of his last chance to fight for the podium, and after lengthy repairs, the Scot returns to the track in eighth — with any hopes of a strong result now gone!
Lap 37: With Ireland out of contention, the spectators are by no means left short of excitement: Gendebien and McLaren continue their desperate duel for second, each exploiting their own advantage — the New Zealander attacks on the straights, while the Belgian fights back under braking!
Lap 41: With just 10 laps remaining, the field continues to thin out: low oil pressure sends Halford into the pits, and after an unsuccessful attempt to continue, he retires as well!
Lap 44: With six laps remaining, a surprise battle erupts for the final two points-paying positions: Lotus newcomer Flockhart catches Clark and snatches fifth place from his teammate!
Lap 48: Clark refuses to give up, and after several attacks on his teammate, he retakes fifth place!
Lap 49: Still unable to gain a decisive advantage over Gendebien, McLaren once again passes the Belgian on the Route Nationale, only to outbrake himself before the final corner and, like Phil Hill earlier, run onto the escape road!
The mistake instantly opens the gap between the rivals to three seconds, and as Gendebien passes the pit lane, his team gives him an encouraging signal — second place now looks almost certain!
Final lap: After a truly brilliant drive today, displaying genuine championship class, Brabham finally crosses the finish line to claim his third consecutive victory — a result that puts him at the top of the championship!
Meanwhile, Gendebien brings his Cooper home comfortably in second, and following his recent Le Mans victory, the Belgian backs up that triumph with his best-ever Formula 1 result!
McLaren, meanwhile, finishes third, losing second place only in the closing stages, but the New Zealander is every bit as happy as Gendebien: their magnificent duel earns a tremendous ovation, while the four points he scores keep him atop the championship standings! Henry Taylor follows him home in fourth, adding further glory to Yeoman’s success while also opening his career points account. The final two points-paying places go to Clark and Flockhart: the Lotus drivers cross the finish line almost side by side, but Jim just edges his teammate, beating him by mere millimetres!
Interesting facts:
- Henry Taylor’s first points;
- Vanwall’s last Grand Prix.
Driver standings
Constructor standings
Alternative GP results
