1960 Portuguese Grand Prix
The seventh round of the 1960 Formula 1 World Championship was held in Portugal on 14 August, at the Porto street circuit — a track packed with all the hazards one would expect from a venue of this kind: kerbs, cobbles, houses, trees, telegraph poles and, as the cherry on the cake, tram tracks running right through it. In the two years since Formula 1 teams had last visited Porto, the circuit itself had undergone virtually no changes and remained 7.4 km long; this year, however, the start line was moved to an adjacent section running along the coast, while the race distance was also increased, with the drivers now facing a 55-lap contest.
With just three rounds remaining, the battle for the 1960 World Championship was entering its decisive stage: championship leader Jack Brabham held a five-point advantage over his teammate Bruce McLaren and already had a realistic chance of securing his second world title at this very Grand Prix.
At the same time, as in the previous two years, the Portuguese round featured a somewhat smaller field than most other races that season, with just 16 entrants. However, there was little for the spectators to worry about: all the major championship contenders were present.
John Cooper’s team fielded two of its low-line Cooper T53s, entrusted to the championship’s two leading contenders, Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren, and, for the first time this season, brought along an identical spare car in case either driver ran into trouble.
Scuderia Ferrari was also represented by just its two regular drivers this time — Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, both, as usual, taking the start at the wheel of front-engined Ferrari 246 Dinos. Meanwhile, the two other British works teams, BRM and Lotus, fielded three cars apiece: Jo Bonnier, Graham Hill and Dan Gurney took the wheel of the BRM P48s, while Innes Ireland, Jim Clark and John Surtees drove Lotus 18s.
At the same time, Chapman’s team brought just two different versions of their 18s this time: two standard cars for Ireland and Surtees, and one with an offset engine and concealed carburettors, which was assigned to Clark.
As for the private teams, three outfits were represented at Porto: Rob Walker Racing, Yeoman Credit Racing and Scuderia Centro Sud. The warmest welcome from both the paddock and the Portuguese crowd, however, was reserved for Rob Walker’s team and its ever-present leader, Stirling Moss, who climbed back into a racing car for the first time since his horrific crash at Spa-Francorchamps. As in the previous Grands Prix of the season, Moss took the wheel of a Lotus 18, which differed from the works cars by featuring a modified front suspension.
Meanwhile, the most numerous of the private teams was once again Yeoman Credit Racing, represented by Tony Brooks, Olivier Gendebien and Henry Taylor. All three Yeoman drivers were entrusted with championship-winning Cooper T51-Climaxes, although Brooks’s car was fitted with an advanced five-speed Colotti gearbox, unlike those of his teammates. At the same time, Scuderia Centro Sud added two further Cooper T51s to the field, both equipped with Maserati engines: one was entrusted to the team’s regular driver Masten Gregory, while the other went to local driver Mario Cabral, who replaced Maurice Trintignant.
After driving for Aston Martin at the previous Grand Prix, the Frenchman had expected to continue his collaboration with the British team; however, David Brown’s last-minute decision to withdraw from the event came as a complete surprise — and, as a result, Trintignant was left without a drive.
Qualification
Qualifying for the Portuguese Grand Prix took place over two days — Friday and Saturday — and was packed with fascinating and dramatic events from the outset, ultimately culminating in a thoroughly unexpected outcome. Throughout both days of practice, BRM’s Dan Gurney remained the benchmark for his rivals: the American, who had spent much of the season in the shadow of his teammates, outpaced even Brabham and Moss this time, despite having no previous experience of the circuit.
However, pole position ultimately went not to him, but to Lotus newcomer John Surtees — a genuine sensation, considering that this was only the Englishman’s third Grand Prix!
At the same time, Surtees owed much of his unexpected success to Gurney himself: having missed the entire first day of practice due to transmission problems, John decided on Saturday to make use of the American’s pace to learn the unfamiliar circuit and, picking the right moment, tucked himself directly behind Gurney’s BRM and followed him for a series of fast laps. As a result, Surtees’s time of 2:25.56 was 0.07 seconds faster than Gurney’s, while the drizzle that soon began left the American with no chance to fight back. It is also worth noting that, compared with Stirling Moss’s best time at the circuit two years earlier, set at the wheel of a Vanwall, the progress made by the 1960 cars was simply incredible — almost nine seconds!
Meanwhile, reigning World Champion Jack Brabham, who had dominated qualifying at the previous Grands Prix, was forced to settle for only third on the starting grid this time, while his teammate Bruce McLaren was, as usual, slower than the Australian and could manage only sixth.
As for Stirling Moss, taking the wheel of a racing car for the first time in two months, the Englishman showed that he had lost none of his former speed, setting the fourth-fastest time, while alongside him on the starting grid was Gurney's teammate Graham Hill. BRM’s third driver, Jo Bonnier, was not at his best this weekend, having been laid low by flu and managing only a couple of fast laps over the two days, leaving the Swede to qualify no higher than 13th.
Meanwhile, despite Surtees’s brilliant performance, the results of Lotus’s other two drivers, Innes Ireland and Jim Clark, were far less impressive, leaving them only seventh and eighth on the grid. At the same time, Clark had a fairly heavy crash on Saturday when he tried a different line from the others through the tram tracks and, carrying too much speed into the corner, lost control of his car.
However, qualifying proved an even greater disappointment for Scuderia Ferrari and Yeoman Racing. Despite the best efforts of Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, their front-engined Ferraris were simply not fast enough here, and, separated by just two hundredths of a second, the Scuderia drivers could manage only the final two places in the top ten.
For the Yeoman drivers, qualifying was an outright disaster: team leader Brooks could manage only 12th, almost three seconds slower than even Masten Gregory of Centro Sud; Gendebien failed to beat the time set by the ailing Bonnier, while Henry Taylor ended his qualifying on Friday with a spectacular crash that left him with injuries to his ribs and left arm, forcing him to miss the Grand Prix itself.
Race
On the morning of the Grand Prix, the entire paddock was asking two questions: would the grey clouds hanging over the circuit turn the race into a wet one, and could the Lotus mechanics win their race against time and somehow get young Jim Clark onto the starting grid after his practice crash? Thanks to their superhuman efforts and work that continued throughout the night, the answer to the second was yes: the nose section and chassis of the wrecked Lotus were straightened with the help of blowtorches, screw jacks, wooden blocks and a few choice words from Colin Chapman, before being literally put back together with the aid of masking tape.
Meanwhile, a strong wind from the ocean swept the clouds away, and bright sunshine broke through over the circuit, settling the other question too: the race would be run in hot, dry conditions. By then, the cars were lined up on the starting grid and the 30-second signal had been given, but Graham Hill, whose engine had stalled at the last two Grands Prix, was determined not to let it happen again and, letting out the clutch, pulled level with the cars on the front row even before the national flag fell!
Start. As the flag falls, the drivers open the throttles and, streaming tightly along the Rio de Janeiro straight, the field funnels into the narrow first corner with Brabham leading the way, the Australian making a decisive move to force Gurney back into second!
Lap 1: Gurney refuses to give up, attacking the World Champion on the following Boavista straight and snatching the lead from him!
Meanwhile, amid the mêlée of cars, von Trips fails to make the corner before Avenida de Antunes Guimarães and, hitting the straw bales, damages the nose of his Ferrari! However, this does not stop the German: pushing his car back onto the track, Taffy sets off in pursuit of his rivals, despite the battered nose and a deficit of more than a minute to the rest of the field!
Order after Lap 1: Gurney, Brabham, Moss, Surtees, Ireland, Graham Hill, Phil Hill, McLaren, Bonnier, Brooks.
Lap 2: At the final corner before the twisty section of the circuit, Brabham attacks Gurney once again, but the American puts up the fiercest resistance, forcing the Australian onto the escape road and costing him six places in one stroke!
Meanwhile, BRM’s other two drivers are also making their presence felt on this lap: Graham Hill loses fourth place to his namesake Phil, while Bonnier, by contrast, gains a position at McLaren’s expense. For Ireland, however, the race is already effectively ruined: the Scot pits with a fuel-feed problem and, after a lengthy repair, returns to the track dead last, with any hope of a result already gone!
Lap 3: The most intense battle on the circuit is now for second place — and young Surtees wins the duel with none other than Stirling Moss!
Lap 4: Moss hits back at Surtees and reclaims second place!
Meanwhile, a little further back, Bonnier attacks his teammate Graham Hill for fifth place — and moves ahead!
Lap 5: Gurney sets the fastest lap of the race - 2'28.55, extending his lead over the chasing pack to five seconds!
Meanwhile, behind the American, Surtees attacks Moss once again — and sweeps past him into second!
On the same lap, Brabham begins to make amends for his earlier mistake by passing McLaren for sixth place, while Bonnier, by contrast, suffers a loss of engine power and, within a matter of seconds, drops back behind not only his teammate but also two Cooper drivers!
Lap 6: Smoke begins pouring from Bonnier’s exhaust, forcing the Swede into the pits and bringing his ill-fated weekend to a premature end.
Lap 8: Brabham attacks Graham Hill on the main straight and gains another place!
Lap 9: McLaren follows Brabham in attacking Graham Hill — only for the Englishman’s gearbox to fail at that very moment! Another BRM is out of the race!
Also on the same lap, Gendebien passes Gregory for ninth place.
Lap 10: Gurney’s BRM engine begins losing oil, and, feeling his car sliding through the corners, the American is forced to slow his pace, losing as much as three seconds to his pursuers on the lap!
Order after 10 laps: Gurney, Surtees, Moss, Phil Hill, Brabham, McLaren, Brooks, Clark, Gendebien, Gregory.
Lap 11: With his engine still losing oil, Gurney becomes easy prey for the chasing pack, which sweeps past him one by one and drops him all the way down to fifth!
Meanwhile, following the American’s troubles, none other than John Surtees takes the lead — and this is only the young Lotus driver’s third Grand Prix!
Lap 13: Gurney loses another place to McLaren — and finds himself right on the edge of the points!
Lap 14: It is not until the 14th lap that von Trips finally catches his first rival, Cabral, and dispatches him with little difficulty!
Lap 16: Two laps later, von Trips is on Gregory’s tail and, after a confident pass, storms into the top ten!
Lap 17: Gurney continues to lose pace and, unable to withstand Brooks’s pressure, finally drops out of the points!
Lap 19: Von Trips continues his charge through the field — and now Gendebien succumbs to the German’s pressure!
Lap 20: Trouble for Moss! The engine of the Englishman’s car begins running on only three cylinders, forcing Stirling into the pits for repairs. Walker’s mechanics immediately get to work, changing the spark plugs, but the problem persists, while the lost time costs Moss dearly — he rejoins the race down in ninth, behind von Trips!
Order after 20 laps: Surtees, Phil Hill, Brabham, McLaren, Brooks, Gurney, Clark, von Trips, Moss, Gendebien.
With Moss, who had been looming in his mirrors, now out of the way, Surtees remains the sole leader of the race, already holding a 10-second advantage over his nearest pursuers!
Lap 22: Transmission problems force Gregory out of the race — leaving just a dozen cars still running!
Lap 23: Brabham, now up into the top three and intent on climbing even higher, sets a new fastest lap of 2'28.21 and closes right up behind Phil Hill!
Lap 24: Phil Hill hits back with an even faster lap of 2'28.19, but it changes nothing: Brabham is still right on the American’s tail!
Lap 25: Brabham makes his move! The World Champion attacks Phil Hill and sweeps past the Ferrari — the Australian is now up to second!
Meanwhile, things are even worse for Gurney: the engine of his BRM finally gives up, and with their last car now out of the race, Alfred Owen’s team can pack up and go home.
Lap 26: Phil Hill refuses to give up! He hits back at the World Champion and retakes second place!
Meanwhile, on the same lap, Moss makes yet another pit stop — and now drops behind Gendebien as well!
Lap 29: Disaster for Phil Hill! Having fended off every attack from Brabham, the American is suddenly hit by clutch trouble: the hydraulic system fails, the gear will not engage, and Hill runs wide at the corner, crashing into the straw bales and damaging the steering of his Ferrari! Somehow making it back to the pits, the American receives a grim verdict from the mechanics, but nevertheless heads back out for another lap so that he can take the chequered flag and be classified.
Lap 30: Both Yeoman drivers run into gearbox problems at the same time, forcing them both into the pits! For Brooks, however, the situation is far from hopeless: he drops from fourth to sixth after the stop, but remains firmly in the points-paying positions!
Meanwhile, after completing a lap in his crippled Ferrari, Phil Hill stops at the finish line, intending to wait there for the race to end. His plan, however, meets unexpected resistance from the marshals, who push the American’s Ferrari back across the line, insisting that he continue!
Realising that he has little choice, Hill tries to restart the engine — succeeding only on his third attempt — and sets off for another lap, only to come to a final halt just a few hundred metres later.
Order after 30 laps: Surtees, Brabham, McLaren, Clark, von Trips, Brooks, Moss, Cabral, Gendebien, Ireland.
After 30 laps, Surtees remains firmly in control, now holding a 20-second lead over Brabham, and it looks like the motorcycle World Champion will add a first Grand Prix victory to his collection of trophies today!
Lap 31: Brooks’s hopes of scoring points are fading before his very eyes: Moss rapidly closes in on his former teammate and sweeps past to snatch sixth place!
Lap 32: Gendebien pits again, reporting that all but third and fourth gears have failed, before rejoining the race — now behind Ireland!
Lap 33: Surtees is getting faster and faster — and sets a new fastest lap of the race - 2'27.53!
Lap 34: Having stretched his lead over Brabham to 22 seconds, Surtees eases his pace slightly — and with good reason: fuel has been seeping into his cockpit from a leaking tank almost since the start, and by now the pedals of his Lotus have become decidedly slippery!
Lap 36: Incredible! Entering the Lidador corner on the twisty section of the circuit, Surtees’s foot slips off the brake pedal and, unable to keep his Lotus on the track, the Englishman crashes into the straw bales! Brabham immediately seizes the unexpected opportunity, sweeping past his rival to take the lead for the first time since the start of the race, while Surtees restarts his engine and sets off in hot pursuit!
Lap 37: Surtees’s hopes of success go up in smoke along with the steam pouring from his damaged radiator, and the disappointed Englishman pulls his Lotus to the side of the track — a brilliant race ends in heartbreak!
Lap 38: Cabral is also denied the chance to see the chequered flag: after pitting with a faulty clutch, the Portuguese driver is unable to get his car moving again, joining the ranks of the retirements in this Grand Prix!
Order after 40 laps: Brabham, McLaren, Clark, von Trips, Moss, Brooks, Ireland, Gendebien.
After 40 laps, the two Cooper drivers are firmly in command of the race: Brabham leads McLaren by 45 seconds, while third place now belongs, rather unexpectedly, to Jim Clark — an impressive achievement considering the state of his Lotus, held together with tape!
Lap 51: With just four laps remaining, it seems that nothing unusual can possibly happen in this race — but then, incredibly, Moss locks up his brakes at the very same Lidador corner that has already claimed Phil Hill and Surtees, spins and stalls! Unwilling to surrender the hard-earned fifth place, the Englishman climbs out of the cockpit and tries to restart the engine by pushing the car from behind, but to no avail: this is precisely where the track climbs steeply uphill!
Final Lap: After a hugely eventful and dramatic race, Brabham completes his final lap — and takes his fifth consecutive Grand Prix victory of the season!
An extraordinary achievement, but one that still does not guarantee the Australian the championship title: his main rival, Bruce McLaren, finishes second, and the young New Zealander’s strong result keeps the title fight alive until the next round! Meanwhile, Jim Clark of Chapman’s team finishes third, and by securing his first podium in a hastily repaired car, the Scot allows his boss to forget, at least partially, the victory that got away with the bitter retirement of John Surtees. Further back, von Trips takes fourth, and for the German this is also a clear success after his troubles on the opening lap.
Meanwhile, rather unexpectedly, Stirling Moss crosses the finish line in fifth — a sight that looks nothing short of miraculous to the spectators, who had long since given up hope of seeing the Englishman make it to the end! Sadly, however, Stirling’s efforts go unrewarded: having been forced to push his car against the direction of the race, the Englishman receives the inevitable punishment — disqualification — and fifth place ultimately goes to his compatriot Tony Brooks. The final point for sixth place goes to Innes Ireland — a very respectable result for the Scot, considering the problems he encountered at the very beginning of the race.
Interesting facts:
- John Surtees’s first pole position, first fastest lap and first time leading a Grand Prix;
- Jim Clark’s first podium.
Driver standings
Constructor standings
Alternative GP results
