1961 French Grand Prix

 1961 French Grand Prix

Racing data
4th of 8 races of the 1961 World Automobile Championship
Surname:	XLVIIe Grand Prix de l'ACF
Date:	July 2nd, 1961
Place:	Reims , France
Course:	Circuit de Reims-Gueux
Length:	431.704 km in 52 laps of 8.302 km
Weather:	dry, sunny, hot
Pole position
Driver:	Phil Hill	Ferrari
Time:	2: 24.9 min
Fastest lap
Driver:	Phil Hill (Round 20)	Ferrari
Time:	2: 27.1 min
Podium
First:	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari
Second:	Dan Gurney	Porsche
Third:	Jim Clark	Lotus Climax

The 1961 French Grand Prix took place on July 2, 1961 at the Circuit de Reims-Gueux near Reims and was the fourth race of the 1961 World Automobile Championship .

Reports

background

26 vehicles were entered for the French Grand Prix. Ferrari reduced the number of its cars back to three, driving Phil Hill , Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips and Richie Ginther . Olivier Gendebien did not drive any more races for Scuderia Ferrari. Lotus also used three cars, in addition to the regular drivers Jim Clark and Innes Ireland , Willy Mairesse received a cockpit. For Mairesse this was the only race for Lotus, he then switched to Ferrari, during which Lotus drove the rest of the season with Clark and Ireland.

Many teams had registered private cars for the Grand Prix. The Scuderia Serenissima reported a Cooper T51 and a De Tomaso F1 for both Maurice Trintignant and Giorgio Scarlatti . Both drivers qualified for the race with the Cooper. Trintignant then drove the Cooper, Scarlatti in his last automobile world championship race the De Tomaso F1. This car made its debut and was used several times in the following years, but without major success. The FISA (Federazione Italiana Scuderie Automobilistiche) - an association of Italian racing teams (the name being identical to the international automobile association was purely coincidental) - had made an agreement with Ferrari to enable a young Italian driver to advance. This driver was Giancarlo Baghetti , who had previously won two grands prix that were not part of the automobile world championship. Ferrari provided FISA with a Ferrari 156 in their only race .

Stirling Moss was registered for both the Rob Walker Racing Team and the UDT Laystall Racing Team . However, Moss drove training and races exclusively for the Rob Walker Racing Team. The UDT Laystall Racing Team, however, drove with Henry Taylor , who was already registered for the team at the first race of the season. His teammate became Lucien Bianchi , who switched to the UDT Laystall Racing Team. For Camoradi International were Masten Gregory and Ian Burgess reported. Gregory drove a Cooper for the last time in his career and then switched to the UDT Laystall Racing Team, where he drove a private Lotus 18/21 . The Yeoman Credit Racing Team increased the number of its vehicles to two. In addition to regular driver John Surtees , Roy Salvadori drove for the team for the first time. Salvadori returned to the automobile world championship after a break for several races. His last Grand Prix before that was the Great Britain Grand Prix in 1960 . Michael May also drove again for Scuderia Colonia after a two-race break and Bernard Collomb made his debut with his own car.

In the drivers' championship, Phil Hill was one point ahead of his team-mate Graf Berghe von Trips. The third Ferrari driver, Ginther, tied on points with Moss, which demonstrated the Ferrari's superiority. In the constructors' championship, too, Ferrari was clearly ahead of Lotus after the team had won the last two races. With Tony Brooks and Jack Brabham two former winners took part in the race. Cooper was victorious last year, Ferrari five times before that.

After the Reims-Gueux circuit hosted the French Grand Prix for four years in a row, they switched to the Rouen-les-Essarts circuit the following season , but returned to Reims in 1962.

training

For the third time in a row Ferrari was the superior team in practice, the car was several seconds faster than the competition and the three drivers occupied the first three starting positions. Phil Hill also secured pole position for the third time in a row, ahead of his teammates Graf Berghe von Trips and Ginther. The distance to both was more than a second. The fastest driver who did not drive a Ferrari was Moss. He finished fourth on the grid and was also more than a second faster than the drivers who qualified behind him.

In the midfield, the gaps between the drivers were smaller. Clark qualified fifth ahead of Graham Hill on BRM. The group completed Surtees in seventh. Bruce McLaren , who drove for the Cooper works team, came eighth ahead of Dan Gurney in a Porsche and Ireland.

run

The starting duel was won by Phil Hill, he led the first laps in front of his team mates Ginther and Graf Berghe von Trips, who dueled for second place. After Ginther turned off the track, Moss took third place. However, his car was inferior to the two leading Ferraris. In midfield, a battle between seven cars developed in which Gurney, Bonnier, Clark, Ireland, Graham Hill, McLaren and Baghetti were involved. Then Ginther overtook Moss, who a few laps later fell several places back due to braking problems.

Due to the high temperatures on the track, the failure rate for the race was high. As early as the fourth lap of the race, a series of technically-related failures started, which significantly determined the course of the race. Lewis 'car overheated, as did Brooks' BRM. Surtees dropped out due to an accident, two laps later Collomb had an engine failure. On lap 14, the reigning world champion Jack Brabham gave up due to a technical defect, followed by engine damage to Scarlatti and Graf Berghe von Trips. Before the retirement, Graf Berghe von Trips had taken over the lead from Phil Hill with a stable order and held it for four laps. In the midfield there were further failures that overheated the cars of Bianchi and Carel Godin de Beaufort , Mairesse suffered an engine failure and Moss finally parked his car on lap 31 because the braking problems persisted.

In the lead, Phil Hill was in first place ahead of Ginther until lap 38, when he spun off the track and continued the race one lap behind. However, Ginther then only led a few laps because his engine too suffered. However, he was classified in 15th place because he had covered the necessary racing distance. This gave the competition of the Ferrari works team the chance to win. Baghetti prevailed in the duel for the top and led the automobile world championship in his first Grand Prix. Three laps later, however, he was overtaken by Bonnier, who led a Grand Prix for the last time in his career. For the Porsche works team, it was the first leadership kilometers in their team history at the automobile world championship. While Bonnier fell back to first place after only one lap, a duel for victory between Baghetti and Gurney developed in the last laps, in which both drivers often overtook each other. The duel was only decided before the finish line, when Baghetti got better out of the last corner and overtook Gurney about 100 meters from the finish.

Baghetti became the third driver after Giuseppe Farina and Johnnie Parsons to win his debut race, but this was his only victory and his only podium finish in the automobile world championship. Until then, no Italian had won for many years, the last success was Luigi Musso's victory at the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix . His FISA team stopped racing and was the only team in history to retain a 100% win rate. For the designer Ferrari it was the third victory in a row.

Gurney finished second and thus achieved the first podium for Porsche. Clark finished third ahead of his teammate Ireland. McLaren crossed the finish line in fifth. Graham Hill scored BRM Bonnier's first points of the season with sixth place, missing the points in seventh place. One lap behind, Salvadori was eighth. Phil Hill, Taylor, May, Gregory, Trintignant, Burgess and Ginther were also rated. Some of these drivers were more than nine laps behind.

There were no changes in the first four positions in the drivers' standings, as Phil Hill, Graf Berghe von Trips, Moss and Ginther did not achieve any points. Baghetti entered the drivers' standings in fifth place. All drivers still had the theoretical chance to become world champions. In the constructors' championship, Ferrari extended its lead over Lotus to 14 points. Porsche improved to third and was three points ahead of Cooper after the Grand Prix. All teams still had the chance to become constructors' world champions, Ferrari had the opportunity to win this title early in the next race, with a win and if Lotus had been a maximum of third.

Registration list

team	No.	driver	chassis	engine	tires
Cooper Car Company	02	Jack Brabham	Cooper T55	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
	04th	Bruce McLaren
Team Lotus	06th	Innes Ireland	Lotus 21	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
	08th	Jim Clark
	48	Willy Mairesse
Porsche System Engineering	10	Jo Bonnier	Porsche 718	Porsche 1.5 B4	D.
	12	Dan Gurney
Ecurie Maarsbergen	14th	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Porsche 718	Porsche 1.5 B4	D.
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC	16	Phil Hill	Ferrari 156	Ferrari 1.5 V6	D.
	18th	Richie Ginther
	20th	Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips
Owen Racing Organization	22nd	Graham Hill	BRM P48 / 57	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
	24	Tony Brooks
Rob Walker Racing Team	26th	Stirling Moss	Lotus 18/21	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
UDT Laystall Racing Team	26th	Stirling Moss	Lotus 18	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
	28	Lucien Bianchi	Lotus 18/21
	30th	Henry Taylor
Scuderia Serenissima	32	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper T51	Maserati 1.5 L4	D.
		Giorgio Scarlatti	Cooper T51	Maserati 1.5 L4
	34	Maurice Trintignant	De Tomaso F1-001	OSCA 1.5 L4
		Giorgio Scarlatti	De Tomaso F1-001	OSCA 1.5 L4
Camoradi International	36	Masts Gregory	Cooper T53	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
	38	Ian Burgess	Lotus 18
Yeoman Credit Racing Team	40	John Surtees	Cooper T53	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
	42	Roy Salvadori
H&L Motors	44	Jackie Lewis	Cooper T53	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
Scuderia Colonia	46	Michael May	Lotus 18	Climax 1.5 L4	D.
FISA	50	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari 156	Ferrari 1.5 V6	D.
Bernard Collomb	52	Bernard Collomb	Cooper T53	Climax 1.5 L4	D.

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b} Moss was registered for two teams. He drove the Rob Walker Racing Team's Lotus 18/21 with the number 26 in practice sessions and in the race.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Maurice Trintignant and Giorgio Scarlatti were registered on both of the team's cars. Both drivers drove the Cooper T51 with the number 32 in the practice sessions, Trintignant this car in the race, Scarlatti the De Tomaso F1-001 with the starting number 34 in the race.

Classifications

Starting grid

Item	driver	constructor	time	Ø speed	begin
01	Phil Hill	Ferrari	2: 24.9	206.26 km / h	01
02	Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips	Ferrari	2: 26.4	204.15 km / h	02
03	Richie Ginther	Ferrari	2: 26.8	203.59 km / h	03
04th	Stirling Moss	Lotus Climax	2: 27.6	202.49 km / h	04th
05	Jim Clark	Lotus Climax	2: 29.0	200.59 km / h	05
06th	Graham Hill	BRM-Climax	2: 29.1	200.45 km / h	06th
07th	John Surtees	Cooper-Climax	2: 29.1	200.45 km / h	07th
08th	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax	2: 29.4	200.05 km / h	08th
09	Dan Gurney	Porsche	2: 29.6	199.78 km / h	09
10	Innes Ireland	Lotus Climax	2: 29.8	199.51 km / h	10
11	Tony Brooks	BRM-Climax	2: 29.9	199.38 km / h	11
12	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	2: 30.5	198.59 km / h	12
13	Jo Bonnier	Porsche	2: 30.5	198.59 km / h	13
14th	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	2: 31.0	197.93 km / h	14th
15th	Roy Salvadori	Cooper-Climax	2: 31.2	197.67 km / h	15th
16	Masts Gregory	Cooper-Climax	2: 31.3	197.54 km / h	16
17th	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Porsche	2: 31.8	196.89 km / h	17th
18th	Jackie Lewis	Cooper-Climax	2: 32.0	196.63 km / h	18th
19th	Lucien Bianchi	Lotus Climax	2: 35.8	191.83 km / h	19th
20th	Willy Mairesse	Lotus Climax	2: 35.8	191.83 km / h	20th
21st	Bernard Collomb	Cooper-Climax	2: 36.8	190.61 km / h	21st
22nd	Michael May	Lotus Climax	2: 37.9	189.28 km / h	22nd
23	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper Maserati	2: 39.7	187.15 km / h	23
24	Ian Burgess	Lotus Climax	2: 39.7	187.15 km / h	24
25th	Henry Taylor	Lotus Climax	2: 40.3	186.45 km / h	25th
26th	Giorgio Scarlatti	Cooper Maserati	2: 47.1	178.86 km / h	26th

run

Item	driver	constructor	Round	Stops	time	begin	Fastest lap	Failure reason
01	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	52		2: 14: 17.5	12	2: 31.0
02	Dan Gurney	Porsche	52		+ 0.1	09	2: 30.8
03	Jim Clark	Lotus Climax	52		+1: 01.1	05	2: 30.1
04th	Innes Ireland	Lotus Climax	52		+1: 10.3	10	2: 34.0
05	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax	52		+1: 41.8	08th	2: 34.5
06th	Graham Hill	BRM	52		+1: 41.9	06th	2: 32.3
07th	Jo Bonnier	Porsche	52		+ 3: 15.4	13	2: 31.8
08th	Roy Salvadori	Cooper-Climax	51		+ 1 lap	15th	2: 33.7
09	Phil Hill	Ferrari	50		+ 2 rounds	01	2: 27.1
10	Henry Taylor	Lotus Climax	49		+ 3 rounds	25th	2: 37.2
11	Michael May	Lotus Climax	48		+ 4 rounds	22nd	2: 40.7
12	Masts Gregory	Cooper-Climax	43		+ 9 rounds	16	2: 33.1
13	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper Maserati	42		+ 10 rounds	23	2: 45.0
14th	Ian Burgess	Lotus Climax	42		+ 10 rounds	24	2: 44.9
15th	Richie Ginther	Ferrari	40		+ 12 rounds	03	2: 31.2
-	Stirling Moss	Lotus Climax	31		DNF	04th	2: 30.4	Brakes
-	Willy Mairesse	Lotus Climax	27		DNF	20th	2: 38.2	Engine failure
-	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Porsche	23		DNF	17th	2: 39.1	Overheating
-	Lucien Bianchi	Lotus Climax	21st		DNF	19th	2: 42.8	Overheating
-	Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips	Ferrari	18th		DNF	02	2: 31.0	Engine failure
-	Giorgio Scarlatti	De Tomaso-OSCA	15th		DNF	26th	2: 48.0	Engine failure
-	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	14th		DNF	14th	2: 38.8	oil pressure
-	Bernard Collomb	Cooper-Climax	06th		DNF	21st	2: 54.6	Engine failure
-	Tony Brooks	BRM-Climax	04th		DNF	11	2: 35.6	Overheating
-	John Surtees	Cooper-Climax	04th		DNF	07th	2: 32.1	accident
-	Jackie Lewis	Cooper-Climax	04th		DNF	18th	2: 44.3	Overheating

World Cup stands after the race

The first six of the race got 9, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 points. Only the five best results from eight races counted. In the constructors' championship, the first six of the race got 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 points, only the points of the best placed driver on a team counted.

Driver ranking

Item driver constructor Points 01  Phil Hill Ferrari 19th 02  Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips Ferrari 18th 03  Stirling Moss Lotus Climax 12 04th  Richie Ginther Ferrari 12 05  Giancarlo Baghetti Ferrari 9 06th  Dan Gurney Porsche 9 07th  Jim Clark Lotus Climax 8th 08th  Olivier Gendebien Ferrari 3 09  Innes Ireland Lotus Climax 3 10  Bruce McLaren Cooper-Climax 3 11  John Surtees Cooper-Climax 2 12  Graham Hill BRM-Climax 1 13  Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax 1

Constructors' championship

Item	constructor	Points
01	Ferrari	30th
02	lotus	16
03	Porsche	9
04th	cooper	6th
05	BRM	1

Web links

• Results at motorsportarchiv.de
• Photos at f1-facts.com
• Grand Prix Results: French GP, 1961 at grandprix.com
• Baghetti makes history with debut win at espnf1.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Background to Baghetti's Formula 1 debut in 1961 on 8w.forix.com (accessed on December 5, 2017)
2. ↑ The car was reported to FISA; Scuderia Ferrari took over the job