1960 Italian Grand Prix
The eighth round of the 1960 Formula 1 World Championship took place on 4 September at Italy’s legendary Monza circuit, which had been awarded the honorary title of the European Grand Prix. Unlike in the previous three years, the organisers once again opted to use Monza’s full 10 km circuit configuration, including the banked oval section, while reducing the race distance to 50 laps.
As the penultimate round of the championship, the Italian Grand Prix was expected to settle the title fight between Cooper teammates Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren — and it did, though in a manner few Formula 1 fans could have anticipated. Caught off guard by the organisers’ decision to reinstate Monza’s banked oval section, all the British Formula 1 teams announced a boycott, deeming this circuit configuration too dangerous; this deprived McLaren of his last chance to overhaul his teammate and effectively made Brabham a two-time World Champion.
Although the boycott robbed the Italian fans of the championship’s main attraction and deprived them of the chance to see most of the leading contenders in action, they were far from dismayed: their beloved Scuderia Ferrari was still there, and with its main rivals absent, the Italian team had a golden opportunity to win on home soil for the first time since 1952. As the only works Formula One team present, Scuderia Ferrari brought no fewer than four cars to Monza: three front-engined Ferrari 246 Dinos, one of them featuring a longer wheelbase, and a new rear-engined Formula Two car powered by a 1.5-litre V6, built to the technical regulations due to come into force in Formula One the following year.
At the wheel of the four cars were Ferrari’s two regular drivers, Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, along with two reserve drivers, Richie Ginther and Willy Mairesse, both of whom had already raced for the Scuderia at several Grands Prix this season.
With the British works teams absent, two Italian privateer outfits unexpectedly found themselves thrust into the spotlight at Monza: Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti and Scuderia Centro Sud, both of which had played little more than a supporting role in the championship up to that point. The former fielded Giulio Cabianca and Gino Munaron, who took the start in Cooper T51s powered by Ferrari engines and fitted with five-speed Colotti gearboxes. Centro Sud, meanwhile, also relied on two Italian drivers, Giorgio Scarlatti and Alfonso Thiele, whose Cooper T51s were equipped with Maserati engines.
The remaining Formula One entries were in the hands of privateers: Horace Gould took the wheel of the once-famous Maserati 250F, Arthur Owen campaigned a Climax-engined Cooper T45, while Brian Naylor, as in every other race that season, brought his own creation, the JBW-Maserati, to the track.
With barely a dozen Formula One entries on the list, the organisers of the Italian Grand Prix also admitted Formula Two cars, which made up almost half of the entire starting grid. The only works team in this category was the German Porsche outfit, which brought two of its Porsche 718 single-seaters for Hans Herrmann and Edgar Barth.
Another privately entered Porsche, formerly owned by Jean Behra, was driven by American Fred Gamble, one of four privateers competing in the Formula Two category.
The American was joined by Wolfgang Seidel in a Cooper T45 and Vic Wilson and Piero Drogo in Cooper T43s, the latter driving a car owned by Ferrari works driver Wolfgang von Trips.
Qualification
As expected, qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix was dominated by Ferrari drivers, with Phil Hill, Richie Ginther and Willy Mairesse comfortably securing the top three places on the starting grid. Hill proved the fastest of the Scuderia’s drivers, however, clocking a time of 2:41.4 to beat his less experienced teammates by almost two seconds and claim the first pole position of his career.
As for von Trips, having to make do with the less powerful Formula Two car, the German was ultimately outpaced by Giulio Cabianca and Giorgio Scarlatti in Formula One cars and had to settle for sixth on the starting grid.
For von Trips, however, the main benchmark remained the Porsche drivers, who were also competing in Formula Two cars, and thanks to a tow from his teammates, the German comfortably outpaced his compatriots by more than 6.5 seconds! This result was naturally more than enough to satisfy Enzo Ferrari, who, as was his custom, attended his home Grand Prix in person, with the only blemish during the practice sessions coming on Saturday, when an overzealous policeman ordered the Commendatore out of the paddock, apparently failing to recognise him and insisting that he show his pass!
Meanwhile, qualifying proved a complete disappointment for Horace Gould: his mechanics had joined the British teams’ boycott and never arrived at Monza, leaving the Englishman unable to start his Maserati and forcing him to leave the circuit without having completed a single lap.
Race
Following Ferrari’s brilliant performance in qualifying, Enzo Ferrari set his team an even more ambitious target — to secure the first four places at the finish of the Italian Grand Prix — prompting the Scuderia’s engineers to spend Saturday evening devising a way for von Trips to get ahead of his rivals in the more powerful Formula One cars. In the end, they devised an audacious race plan that demanded absolute discipline and close coordination from all four Ferrari drivers. In the early stages, Mairesse was to sacrifice his own pace to tow von Trips along in his slipstream; after the inevitable pit stops, Ginther would take over the task. As for Phil Hill, in recognition of his outstanding performances over the previous two years, he was entrusted with the task of crossing the finish line first and securing victory in front of thousands of devoted tifosi…
Start. As the national flag drops, the cars leap away, and to the delight of the tifosi, the three Ferraris on the front row surge into the lead, leaving all their rivals behind with apparent ease! Meanwhile, the start turns into an absolute nightmare for the Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti drivers: both cars stall simultaneously and get going only after their mechanics push them, by which time the entire field has disappeared into the distance!
Lap 1: Once the dust settles after the chaotic start, two American Ferrari drivers lead the field, Ginther ahead of Hill, with Phil content to sit behind his teammate, knowing that his moment will come a little later. Meanwhile, following the team’s strategy, Mairesse sacrifices the advantage of his good start and eases off to allow von Trips, who has dropped back, to catch up — only for Scarlatti and Naylor to sweep past the Belgian, moving up to third and fourth respectively! The Scuderia’s plan, however, is complicated by von Trips’ poor start, which leaves him behind both Porsche drivers and gives the German no choice but to launch an immediate attack! Meanwhile, the opening lap already claims its first victim: Arthur Owen locks his brakes at the Parabolica and runs off the track, badly damaging his Cooper’s suspension! By contrast, the Scuderia Castellotti drivers make impressive progress after their disastrous start: overtaking five Formula Two rivals one after another, the two Italians end the opening lap already in the top ten!
Order after Lap 1: Ginther, Phil Hill, Scarlatti, Naylor, Mairesse, Herrmann, Barth, von Trips, Munaron, Cabianca.
Lap 2: Von Trips’ blistering charge begins to pay off: he sweeps past both Porsche drivers in quick succession, then tucks in behind Mairesse’s Ferrari and immediately starts pulling away from the German cars!
Lap 3: Still reeling from von Trips’ lightning pass, the Porsche drivers lose another place almost immediately — this time to Munaron, who has charged all the way from the back of the field to seventh!
Lap 4: Scarlatti’s hopes of securing the first podium finish of his career evaporate almost as soon as they take shape: the Italian pulls into the pits with a sticking throttle and, after repairs, rejoins the race in second-last place! Meanwhile, Scarlatti’s pit stop promotes Mairesse and von Trips to third and fourth, with the two Ferrari drivers working together seamlessly to leave Naylor behind — the Scuderia’s plan is beginning to pay off in spectacular fashion!
As for the Englishman, having already lost two places to the Ferraris, he now lets Munaron through as well — putting the Italian into the points!
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Lap 5: After spending a couple of laps tucked in behind the Porsche drivers, Cabianca makes a decisive move to pass them both and climbs to seventh place!
Lap 6: The Scuderia’s carefully devised strategy suddenly begins to unravel in the face of Munaron’s brilliant drive: the Italian launches an attack and sweeps past both Mairesse and von Trips in one fell swoop, dropping the two Ferraris to fourth and fifth!
Meanwhile, Cabianca is keeping pace with his teammate: launching a determined attack on Naylor, the Italian sweeps past the Englishman and breaks into the points!
Lap 7: An incredible lap from Cabianca! The Italian throws himself into the fierce battle between Munaron, Mairesse and von Trips, sweeping past all three and snatching third place!
Lap 8: Having already lost out to the second Scuderia Castellotti driver, Mairesse unleashes the full power of his Ferrari to retake the place from Munaron, only for Gino, caught off guard by the Belgian’s move, to immediately lose another position to von Trips!
Lap 10: The Porsche drivers continue to slip down the order: this time, both are overtaken by Thiele of Centro Sud, relegating the Germans to the very bottom of the top ten!
Order after 10 laps: Ginther, Phil Hill, Cabianca, Mairesse, von Trips, Munaron, Naylor, Thiele, Herrmann, Barth.
Ten laps into the race, Ginther and Phil Hill remain comfortably in the lead, separated by just one second. However, the Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti drivers are preventing Ferrari from carrying out its plan to the fullest: setting an excellent pace, they have already climbed to third and sixth places!
Lap 14: Having finally caught up with the tail end of the field after his unscheduled pit stop, Scarlatti immediately gains a place by sweeping past Gamble!
Lap 15: One lap later, Scarlatti disposes of his next rival, Seidel, and climbs to 12th place!
Lap 16: After several laps of relentless pursuit, Munaron finally finds a way past von Trips and reclaims the place, dropping the German to sixth!
Lap 17: Race leader Ginther makes his first scheduled pit stop, changes his rear wheels and rejoins in second place, still well clear of Cabianca in third!
Meanwhile, seeing Munaron rather than his teammate in his mirrors, Mairesse reluctantly follows the team’s strategy and lets the Italian back through without the slightest resistance, resuming his role as von Trips’ pacemaker!
Lap 18: Having led for just one lap, Phil Hill also heads for the pits, but his stop takes longer than his teammate’s: the mechanics change not only his rear wheels but also the front right, while the American stalls the engine on his first attempt to rejoin the race, losing precious seconds in the process!
As a result, Phil rejoins the race 25 seconds behind Ginther, but still holds on to second place!
Lap 20: Having spent the entire first phase of the race on his teammate’s tail, Barth finally decides to take the initiative and leaves Herrmann behind!
Meanwhile, Scarlatti claims another scalp, this time overtaking his fellow Italian Drogo to snatch 11th place!
Order after 20 laps: Ginther, Phil Hill, Cabianca, Munaron, Mairesse, von Trips, Naylor, Thiele, Barth, Herrmann.
Lap 21: Having been instructed to pit, Mairesse pushes flat out to build as big a gap as possible, leaving von Trips well behind before diving into the pits. As with Phil Hill, the mechanics change not only the rear wheels but also one of the fronts, costing the Belgian valuable time and dropping him to tenth place — behind both Porsche drivers!
Lap 22: Cabianca also pits for fuel and a wheel change, but the bolt-on wheel fittings on his Cooper take considerably longer to service than Ferrari’s, and Giulio rejoins in only ninth place — behind Mairesse! Meanwhile, Thiele also makes his pit stop on the same lap, but loses even more time, rejoining the race down in 12th place!
Lap 23: One lap after Cabianca, it is Munaron’s turn to pit: the second Scuderia Castellotti driver comes in for fuel and a rear tyre change, rejoining in only tenth place — with von Trips now up to third! Meanwhile, the German himself is lapped by race leader Ginther on the same lap, and, following the team’s plan, the American eases off to let Taffy once again take advantage of the slipstream behind his car!
Meanwhile, Phil Hill, sensing that his moment has come, does the opposite: he turns up the pace and sets a new lap record of 2'43.6!
Lap 24: No longer constrained by team tactics, Mairesse attacks at full throttle and, having caught up with Herrmann, sweeps past the German to snatch sixth place!
Meanwhile, Wilson’s race comes to an end on the same lap when the oil pump fails on his Cooper.
Lap 25: Having dealt with Herrmann, Mairesse passes the second Porsche driver, Barth, a lap later to climb to fifth! Also on this lap, Scarlatti heads for the pits to refuel without changing tyres, but even this quicker stop costs him two places, and the Italian rejoins in only 11th!
Lap 26: The race reaches its turning point! Phil Hill rapidly closes in on race leader Ginther, who is still towing von Trips along in his slipstream, and the American sweeps past both teammates in one lightning move to seize the lead!
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s fourth driver, Mairesse, is making his own move: he sweeps past Naylor to climb another place, putting the Scuderia’s four cars back in the top four!
Lap 27: Having slipped down the order after his pit stop, Cabianca launches another charge, passing the Porsche drivers one by one to reclaim a place in the points! Meanwhile, the race is over for another Italian, Scarlatti: his Cooper’s engine succumbs to the extreme demands of Monza, forcing the Centro Sud driver to retire.
Lap 28: Misfortune strikes Munaron as well: damage to the oil pump forces the Italian to retire, dashing any hopes of a strong result after such a promising drive!
Lap 29: Continuing his charge, Mairesse catches the Ginther–von Trips pair and sweeps past both his teammates, not only getting back onto the lead lap but also climbing to third! Meanwhile, confusion sets in among the Ferrari drivers: seeing Mairesse surge ahead, with no sign that the Belgian intends to take over as von Trips’ pacemaker, Ginther responds by picking up the pace, leaving the German to fend for himself!
Order after 30 laps: Phil Hill, Ginther, Mairesse, von Trips, Naylor, Cabianca, Barth, Herrmann, Drogo, Thiele.
With 30 laps completed, all four Ferraris occupy the top four places, led by Phil Hill — it looks as though the Scuderia’s plan has worked to perfection!
Lap 32: Ferrari begins its second round of pit stops, with Ginther the first to come in for a wheel change before rejoining in second place.
Lap 33: Herrmann also pits for his only stop of the race, but limits it to refuelling and rejoins without losing a place!
Meanwhile, Thiele joins the list of retirees, gearbox trouble forcing the Italian to bring his race to an early end.
Lap 34: Naylor also pits for fuel, losing fifth place in the process to Cabianca!
Lap 35: Phil Hill is the second Ferrari driver to make his second pit stop, and this time the change of both left-side wheels goes smoothly, allowing the American to rejoin still in the lead! Meanwhile, Barth also pits for fuel on the same lap, and after a brief stop, the German retains his position ahead of his teammate.
Lap 36: Mairesse is the last of the Ferrari drivers to make his scheduled pit stop, and after a wheel change, the Belgian rejoins in third place.
Lap 38: Another pit stop sees Drogo pull in for a splash of fuel before rejoining the race in ninth place, having lost no ground.
Lap 39: Concerned about the condition of his tyres, von Trips also decides to pit, where Dunlop specialists give the tyres a quick inspection before waving the German back onto the track.
Even so, the brief stop proves costly for Taffy: Cabianca slips past, relegating the German to fifth place!
Lap 40: Gamble’s car suddenly runs out of fuel, forcing Fred to come to a halt at the Parabolica before completing the lap! However, the setback does nothing to deter the American: he immediately sprints to the pits, grabs a fuel can and the filler cap, then races back to his Porsche and, after refuelling, rejoins the action!
Order after 40 laps: Phil Hill, Ginther, Mairesse, Cabianca, von Trips, Naylor, Barth, Herrmann, Drogo, Seidel.
Lap 42: Mairesse unexpectedly pulls into the pits, concerned by a terrible noise coming from the transmission, but with only eight laps remaining, the team decides to take a chance and sends the Belgian back into the fray! Meanwhile, Naylor’s race is already over: at the worst possible moment, gearbox trouble strikes the Englishman, robbing him of the chance to score the first points of his career!
Final Lap: Having delivered a flawless performance, Phil Hill finally crosses the finish line to thunderous applause from the grandstands, claiming the first victory of his career — and in doing so, securing Ferrari’s first win of the season and a long-awaited triumph on home soil!
Behind the American, two more Ferrari drivers cross the finish line: Richie Ginther and Willy Mairesse, both having delivered superb team performances to secure the first podium finishes of their careers! Sadly for the Maranello team, it falls just short of claiming all four top places, as Giulio Cabianca of Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti takes fourth; the tifosi, however, are delighted by their compatriot’s achievement, greeting him with an equally deafening roar of applause! Von Trips, meanwhile, has to settle for fifth, though the result still earns him another valuable two points. As for the final point for sixth place, it goes to Herrmann: the two Porsches, which have run nose to tail for much of the race, cross the finish line almost together, but Hans just edges ahead — by a fraction of a second!
Interesting facts:
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Phil Hill’s first victory and first pole position;
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Richie Ginther’s first podium and first time leading a Grand Prix;
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Willy Mairesse’s first podium and first points;
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Giulio Cabianca’s first points;
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Ferrari’s 30th victory and 30th fastest lap.
Driver standings
Constructor standings
Alternative GP results
