1961 Formula One season

The 1961 Formula One season was the 15th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 12th World Championship of Drivers, the 4th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship was contested over eight races between 14 May and 8 October 1961.

Phil Hill driving for Ferrari won his first and only Drivers' Championship after his teammate and rival Wolfgang von Trips was killed during the Italian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season. Hill was the first American-born champion (and, so far, the only one, because champion Mario Andretti was born in Italy). Ferrari won its first Manufacturers' Championship.

New regulations only allowed naturally aspirated engines with a maximum capacity of , effectively adopting the Formula Two engine rules as used from 1957 to 1960. The English teams threatened to boycott, because the change was communicated only shortly before the season started, but the protests subsided. Although Enzo Ferrari was opposed as well, the manufacturer got it right by designing their first mid-engined car, the legendary 156 "Sharknose", and won five out of the eight championship races.

Besides Wolfgang von Trips, two other F1 drivers died this year: Italian Giulio Cabianca during a test at the Aerautodromo di Modena and Briton Shane Summers during the non-championship Silver City Trophy.

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1961 FIA World Championship. All teams competed with tyres supplied by Dunlop.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%"

! Entrant

! Constructor

! Chassis

! Engine

! Driver

! Rounds

|rowspan=3| Porsche System Engineering

!rowspan=3| Porsche

|rowspan=3| 787 718/2

|rowspan=3| Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4

| Jo Bonnier

| All

| Dan Gurney

| All

| Hans Herrmann

| 1, 6

|rowspan=2| Scuderia Colonia

!rowspan=2| Lotus-Climax

|rowspan=2| 18

|rowspan=2| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Michael May

| 1, 4, 6

| Wolfgang Seidel

| 3, 5–7

|rowspan=5| Equipe Nationale Belge

!rowspan=2| Emeryson-Maserati

|rowspan=2| 61

|rowspan=2| Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4

| Olivier Gendebien

| 1

|rowspan=2| Lucien Bianchi

| 1

!rowspan=2| Lotus-Climax

|rowspan=2| 18

|rowspan=3| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| 3

| Willy Mairesse

| 3

! Emeryson-Climax

| 61

| André Pilette

| 7

|rowspan=3| Camoradi International

!rowspan=2| Cooper-Climax

|rowspan=2| T53

|rowspan=3| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Masten Gregory

| 1–5

|rowspan=2| Ian Burgess

| 6

! Lotus-Climax

| 18

| 2–5

|rowspan=2| Owen Racing Organisation

!rowspan=2| BRM-Climax

|rowspan=2| P48/57

|rowspan=2| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Tony Brooks

| All

| Graham Hill

| All

|rowspan=3| R.R.C. Walker Racing Team

! Lotus-Climax

| 18 18/21 21

|rowspan=3| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

|rowspan=2| Stirling Moss

| All

!rowspan=2| Ferguson-Climax

|rowspan=2| P99

| 5

| Jack Fairman

| 5

|rowspan=2| Yeoman Credit Racing Team

!rowspan=2| Cooper-Climax

|rowspan=2| T53

|rowspan=2| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| John Surtees

| All

| Roy Salvadori

| 4–8

|rowspan=2| Cooper Car Company

!rowspan=2| Cooper-Climax

|rowspan=2| T55 T58

|rowspan=2| Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8

| Jack Brabham

| All

| Bruce McLaren

| All

|rowspan=4| Team Lotus

!rowspan=4| Lotus-Climax

|rowspan=4| 21 18 18/21

|rowspan=4| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Jim Clark

| All

| Innes Ireland

| 1, 3–8

| Trevor Taylor

| 2

| Willy Mairesse

| 4

|rowspan=6| UDT Laystall Racing Team

!rowspan=6| Lotus-Climax

|rowspan=6| 18 18/21

|rowspan=6| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Cliff Allison

| 1, 3

| Henry Taylor

| 1, 3–5, 7

| Lucien Bianchi

| 4–5

| Juan Manuel Bordeu

| 4

| Masten Gregory

| 7–8

| Olivier Gendebien

| 8

|rowspan=6| Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC

!rowspan=6| Ferrari

|rowspan=6| 156

|rowspan=6| Ferrari 178 1.5 V6 Ferrari 188 1.5 V6

| Richie Ginther

| 1–7

| Phil Hill

| 1–7

| Wolfgang von Trips

| 1–7

| Olivier Gendebien

| 3

| Willy Mairesse

| 6

| Ricardo Rodríguez

| 7

|rowspan=3| Scuderia Serenissima

! Cooper-Maserati

| T51

| Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4

| Maurice Trintignant

| 1, 3–4, 6–7

! De Tomaso-OSCA

|rowspan=2| F1

| OSCA 372 1.5 L4

| Giorgio Scarlatti

| 4

! De Tomaso-Alfa Romeo

| Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4

| Nino Vaccarella

| 7

|rowspan=2| Ecurie Maarsbergen

!rowspan=2| Porsche

|rowspan=2| 718

|rowspan=2| Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4

| Carel Godin de Beaufort

| 2–7

| Hans Herrmann

| 2

| H&L Motors

! Cooper-Climax

| T53

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Jackie Lewis

| 3–7

| Tony Marsh

! Lotus-Climax

| 18

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Tony Marsh

| 3, 5–6

|rowspan=2| Scuderia Centro Sud

!rowspan=2| Cooper-Maserati

|rowspan=2| T53 T51

|rowspan=2| Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4

| Lorenzo Bandini

| 3, 5–7

| Massimo Natili

| 5, 7

| Bernard Collomb

! Cooper-Climax

| T53

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Bernard Collomb

| 4, 6

| Tim Parnell

! Lotus-Climax

| 18

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Tim Parnell

| 5, 7

| Gerry Ashmore

! Lotus-Climax

| 18

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Gerry Ashmore

| 5–7

| Louise Bryden-Brown

! Lotus-Climax

| 18

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Tony Maggs

| 5–6

| Gilby Engineering

! Gilby-Climax

| 61

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Keith Greene

| 5

| FISA

! Ferrari

| 156

| Ferrari 178 1.5 V6

| Giancarlo Baghetti

| 4

| Scuderia Sant'Ambroeus

! Ferrari

| 156

| Ferrari 178 1.5 V6

| Giancarlo Baghetti

| 5, 7

| J.B. Naylor

! JBW-Climax

| 59

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Brian Naylor

| 7

| Fred Tuck Cars

! Cooper-Climax

| T45

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Jack Fairman

| 7

| Scuderia Settecolli

! De Tomaso-OSCA

| F1

| OSCA 372 1.5 L4

| Roberto Lippi

| 7

| Isobele de Tomaso

! De Tomaso-Alfa Romeo

| F1

| Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4

| Roberto Bussinello

| 7

| Pescara Racing Team

! Cooper-Maserati

| T45

| Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4

| Renato Pirocchi

| 7

| Gaetano Starrabba

! Lotus-Maserati

| 18

| Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4

| Gaetano Starrabba

| 7

| Hap Sharp

! Cooper-Climax

| T53

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Hap Sharp

| 8

| John M. Wyatt III

! Cooper-Climax

| T53

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Roger Penske

| 8

| J. Wheeler Autosport

! Lotus-Climax

| 18/21

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Peter Ryan

| 8

| Jim Hall

! Lotus-Climax

| 18

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Jim Hall

| 8

| J. Frank Harrison

! Lotus-Climax

| 18

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Lloyd Ruby

| 8

| Momo Corporation

! Cooper-Climax

| T53

| Climax FPF 1.5 L4

| Walt Hansgen

| 8

Team and driver changes

thumb|right|[[John Surtees (no. 12) replaced Tony Brooks (no. 5) at Reg Parnell Racing.]]thumb|right|Phil Hill (no. 1) and Wolfgang von Trips (no. 3) were teammates and championship rivals. Von Trips was fatally injured in the penultimate round of the season.

Porsche made their full-season debut, entering two cars driven by Jo Bonnier and Dan Gurney.
Both of them had been driving for BRM, so the British signed Tony Brooks to partner future champion Graham Hill. BRM had been building their own engines in previous years but were not prepared for this year's rule changes, so they bought a Coventry Climax unit. It was the same engine as Team Lotus and Cooper were using, but results were merely reasonable.
John Surtees moved from Lotus's works team to Reg Parnell's private entry to fill the seat of Brooks. Lotus did not replace Surtees and reduced their operations to two cars.
Both Aston Martin and Vanwall had only competed in one race in and abandoned their F1 operations before this year.
Maserati had withdrawn their works team after 1958, but private teams had still been using their legendary 250F chassis from 1948. From this year on, however, Maserati would only be supplying engines.

Mid-season changes

Lotus driver Innes Ireland was badly injured in the Monaco Grand Prix, so Trevor Taylor filled in for him during the Dutch Grand Prix. Taylor would be hired instead of Ireland for the 1962 season.
After getting injured in a crash in last year's Monaco Grand Prix, BRP driver Cliff Allison was taken to hospital again after practice for the Belgian Grand Prix. He broke both his knees and fractured his pelvis when his car careened off the course and overturned in a field. His seat was filled by Lucien Bianchi and Masten Gregory. Their teammate Henry Taylor suffered a serious accident in the British Grand Prix, after which he turned away from single-seater racing and took up rallying. He was replaced by Olivier Gendebien.
Ferrari driver Wolfgang von Trips collided with Jim Clark during the Italian Grand Prix. His car went off the track, fatally throwing him out and killing fifteen spectators. Ferrari withdrew the team from the final race on the calendar, but still won both championships.

Calendar

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"

! Round

! Grand Prix

! Circuit

! Date

! 1

| Monaco Grand Prix

| Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo

| 14 May

! 2

| Dutch Grand Prix

| Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort

| 22 May

! 3

| Belgian Grand Prix

| Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot

| 18 June

! 4

| French Grand Prix

| Reims-Gueux, Gueux

| 2 July

! 5

| British Grand Prix

| Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Merseyside

| 15 July

! 6

| German Grand Prix

| Nürburgring, Nürburg

| 6 August

! 7

| Italian Grand Prix

| Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza

| 10 September

! 8

| United States Grand Prix

| Watkins Glen International, New York

| 8 October

Calendar changes

The Moroccan Grand Prix was originally scheduled to be held on 29 October as the season finale but was cancelled for the third year in a row due to monetary reasons.
The Argentine Grand Prix was dropped from the calendar after the Argentinian fan base declined with the retirements of Juan Manuel Fangio in 1958 and José Froilán González in 1960, and the unstable government situation (since the exile of then President of Argentina Juan Peron in 1955) caused safety concerns.
The Portuguese Grand Prix was dropped from the calendar.
The British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Aintree, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.
The German Grand Prix returned to the Nürburgring after the 1959 round was run at the AVUS circuit and the 1960 round was run as a Formula Two race.
Six weeks before the race, it was decided the United States Grand Prix would move from Riverside International Raceway to Watkins Glen because of the lack of spectators attending and prize money being paid by the latter's organisers.
From this season onwards the Indianapolis 500 which had been included on the calendar since the inaugural World Championship season in 1950 but run to AAA rules was dropped from the official World Championship with the race now solely becoming a domestic American open-wheel championship event.

Regulation changes

Technical regulations

Formula One effectively adopted the Formula Two engine regulations, as used from 1957 to 1960, by reducing the maximum engine capacity to and only allowing naturally aspirated engines. Furthermore:

The minimum capacity was set at .
The minimum weight was originally set at , but later lowered to .
It was banned to add lubricants (oil or water) to a car during a race;
Wheels could not be covered by bodywork.

Safety regulations

Numerous technical innovations were made mandatory from the aspect of safety:

Championship report

Pre-season non-championship races

Before the 1961 Formula One season was to start in Monaco in mid-May, many non-championship races were held throughout Europe. The first was the Lombank Trophy, a joint Formula One and Intercontinental Formula race, at the fast 2.7-mile Snetterton circuit in eastern England. Most of the top drivers of the day, such as Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips were in the United States competing in the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring sportscar race. Still, two top drivers—John Surtees and defending champion Jack Brabham—were in attendance. Brabham won the race in an Intercontinental Cooper while Surtees finished third, first of the Formula One entrants.

A week later, the Glover Trophy at the fast Goodwood circuit in southern England was held, with Surtees winning in a privately entered Cooper, ahead of Graham Hill in a works BRM, Surtees's teammate Roy Salvadori in a Cooper and Moss in a Rob Walker-entered Lotus. On the same day, the Pau Grand Prix in southwest France was won by Clark driving a works Lotus. Six days later, the Brussels Grand Prix at Heysel Park was won by Brabham in a works Cooper. Seven days after that, Moss won the Vienna Grand Prix in Austria, held at an aerodrome in Aspern, Vienna. Six days later, on a Friday, the Aintree 200 in Liverpool was won by Brabham in wet conditions, and three days later, the prestigious Syracuse Grand Prix in Sicily was won by Giancarlo Baghetti in a Ferrari – his first ever Formula One race.

Race 1: Monaco

The 1961 Formula One season did not officially start until May, eight days after the BRDC race in England. Practice saw Clark crash his Lotus heavily at turn one, and Lotus's woes continued when Innes Ireland crashed in the tunnel during the final session, destroying his car and breaking his leg. Moss took pole in his Rob Walker Lotus with Richie Ginther's Ferrari and Clark's Lotus sharing the front row. Graham and Phil Hill shared the second row. This particular Monaco Grand Prix turned out to be a classic, with one of the greatest driving performances in the history of Formula One by Stirling Moss in a privately entered Lotus against three Ferraris with a lot more power but worse handling than the Lotus.

At the start, Ginther took the lead from Clark and Moss, but Clark soon had to pit with fuel pump problems, and so Jo Bonnier and Dan Gurney took third and fourth in their Porsches. On Lap 14, both Moss and Bonnier were able to pass Ginther, and 10 laps later Phil Hill passed both Ginther and Bonnier to move into second but there was no way he was going to catch Moss, who was driving one of the greatest races of his illustrious career.

World Drivers' Championship standings

|- valign="top"

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%; text-align:center;"

|- valign="top"

!valign="middle"| Pos.

!valign="middle"| Driver

! MON

! NED

! BEL

! FRA

! GBR

! GER

! ITA

! USA

!valign="middle"| Pts.

! 1

|align="left"| Phil Hill

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"|

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"|

|style="background:#ffffbf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"|

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"| ()

|style="background:#ffffbf;"|

|align="right"| 34 (38)

! 2

|align="left"| Wolfgang von Trips

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#ffffbf;"|

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#ffffbf;"|

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 33

! 3

|align="left"| Stirling Moss

|style="background:#ffffbf;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#000; color:white;"|

|style="background:#ffffbf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 21

! 4

|align="left"| Dan Gurney

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"|

|align="right"| 21

! 5

|align="left"| Richie Ginther

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 16

! 6

|align="left"| Innes Ireland

|style="background:#ffffff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#ffffbf;"|

|align="right"| 12

! 7

|align="left"| Jim Clark

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 11

! 8

|align="left"| Bruce McLaren

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|align="right"| 11

! 9

|align="left"| Giancarlo Baghetti

|style="background:#ffffbf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 9

! 10

|align="left"| Tony Brooks

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"|

|align="right"| 6

! 11

|align="left"| Jack Brabham

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 4

! 12

|align="left"| John Surtees

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 4

! 13

|align="left"| Olivier Gendebien

|style="background:#ffcfcf;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 3

! 14

|align="left"| Jackie Lewis

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|align="right"| 3

! 15

|align="left"| Jo Bonnier

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|align="right"| 3

! 16

|align="left"| Graham Hill

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|align="right"| 3

! 17

|align="left"| Roy Salvadori

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#dfffdf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 2

! —

|align="left"| Maurice Trintignant

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Carel Godin de Beaufort

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Lorenzo Bandini

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Cliff Allison

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 8

|style="background:#ffffff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Roger Penske

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Hans Herrmann

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Peter Ryan

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Masten Gregory

|style="background:#ffcfcf;"|

|style="background:#ffffff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Henry Taylor

|style="background:#ffcfcf;"|

|style="background:#ffffff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Tim Parnell

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Hap Sharp

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Tony Maggs

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Michael May

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#ffffff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Ian Burgess

|style="background:#fff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Renato Pirocchi

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Trevor Taylor

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Tony Marsh

|style="background:#ffffff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Keith Greene

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Gerry Ashmore

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Wolfgang Seidel

|style="background:#ffffff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Bernard Collomb

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|style="background:#cfcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Lucien Bianchi

|style="background:#ffcfcf;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Willy Mairesse

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Jack Fairman

|style="background:#000; color:white;"|

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Giorgio Scarlatti

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Massimo Natili

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Ricardo Rodríguez

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Gaetano Starrabba

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Nino Vaccarella

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Roberto Bussinello

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Brian Naylor

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Roberto Lippi

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Jim Hall

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Lloyd Ruby

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Walt Hansgen

|style="background:#efcfff;"|

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| André Pilette

|style="background:#ffcfcf;"|

|align="right"| 0

|- valign="top"

!valign="middle"| Pos.

!valign="middle"| Driver

! MON

! NED

! BEL

! FRA

! GBR

! GER

! ITA

! USA

!valign="middle"| Pts

|valign="top"|

Only the best five results counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
F indicates fastest lap
P indicates pole position
† Position shared between multiple drivers of the same car.

International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%; text-align:center;"

|- valign="top"

! style="vertical-align:middle;"| Pos.

! style="vertical-align:middle;"| Manufacturer

! MON

! NED

! BEL

! FRA

! GBR

! GER

! ITA

! USA

! style="vertical-align:middle;"| Pts.

! 1

|align="left"| Ferrari

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| (2)

|style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| (2)

|style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1

| WD

|align="right"| 40 (52)

! 2

|align="left"| Lotus-Climax

|style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 8

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 10

|style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 10

|style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1

|align="right"| 32

! 3

|align="left"| Porsche

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| 5

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 10

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| (6)

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| 5

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 7

|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2

|align="right"| 22 (23)

! 4

|align="left"| Cooper-Climax

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| (6)

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| 5

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| 4

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| (5)

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| 4

|align="right"| 14 (18)

! 5

|align="left"| BRM-Climax

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 13

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 8

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 13

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| 6

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 9

|style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|style="background:#dfffdf;"| 5

|style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3

|align="right"| 7

! —

|align="left"| Cooper-Maserati

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 7

|style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 13

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 12

|style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 8

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Gilby-Climax

|style="background:#cfcfff;"| 15

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Ferguson-Climax

|style="background:#000; color:white;"| DSQ

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| De Tomaso-OSCA

|style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Lotus-Maserati

|style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| De Tomaso-Alfa Romeo

| WD

|style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| JBW-Climax

| WD

|style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Emeryson-Maserati

|style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| WD

|align="right"| 0

! —

|align="left"| Emeryson-Climax

|style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

|align="right"| 0

|- valign="top"

! style="vertical-align:middle;"| Pos.

! style="vertical-align:middle;"| Manufacturer

! MON

! NED

! BEL

! FRA

! GBR

! GER

! ITA

! USA

! style="vertical-align:middle;"| Pts

Only the best five results counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
Bold results counted to championship totals.

Non-championship races

Other Formula One races also held in 1961, which did not count towards the World Championship.

A pink background indicates an Intercontinental Formula race. A blue background indicates a combined Formula One and Intercontinental Formula race.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"

! Race Name

! Circuit

! Date

! Winning driver

! Constructor

! Report

|-style="background:#ccf;"

| II Lombank Trophy

| Snetterton

| 26 March

| Jack Brabham

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| IX Glover Trophy

| Goodwood

| 3 April

| John Surtees

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| XXI Pau Grand Prix

| Pau

| 3 April

| Jim Clark

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

|- style="background:#fcc;"

| XIII Lavant Cup

| Goodwood

| 3 April

| Stirling Moss

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| III Brussels Grand Prix

| Heysel

| 9 April

| Jack Brabham

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| II Vienna Grand Prix

| Aspern Aerodrome

| 16 April

| Stirling Moss

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

| VI Aintree 200

| Aintree

| 22 April

| Jack Brabham

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| XI Syracuse Grand Prix

| Syracuse

| 25 April

| Giancarlo Baghetti

| Ferrari

| Report

|- style="background:#fcc;"

| XIII BRDC International Trophy

| Silverstone

| 6 May

| Stirling Moss

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| XIX Naples Grand Prix

| Posillipo

| 14 May

| Giancarlo Baghetti

| Ferrari

| Report

| IX London Trophy

| Crystal Palace

| 22 May

| Roy Salvadori

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| VI Silver City Trophy

| Brands Hatch

| 3 June

| Stirling Moss

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

|- style="background:#fcc;"

| XXIII British Empire Trophy

| Silverstone

| 8 July

| Stirling Moss

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| Irish Shell-BP Trophy

| Phoenix Park

| 22 July

| Gerry Ashmore

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

| Solitude Grand Prix

| Solitudering

| 23 July

| Innes Ireland

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

|- style="background:#fcc;"

| Guards Trophy

| Brands Hatch

| 7 August

| Jack Brabham

| Cooper-Climax

| Report

| VII Kanonloppet

| Karlskoga

| 20 August

| Stirling Moss

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

| II Danish Grand Prix

| Roskilde Ring

| 26–27 August

| Stirling Moss

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

| XV Modena Grand Prix

| Modena

| 3 September

| Stirling Moss

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

| III Flugplatzrennen

| Zeltweg Airfield

| 17 September

| Innes Ireland

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

| VIII Gold Cup

| Oulton Park

| 23 September

| Stirling Moss

| Ferguson-Climax

| Report

| V Lewis-Evans Trophy

| Brands Hatch

| 1 October

| Tony Marsh

| BRM-Climax

| Report

| I Coppa Italia

| Vallelunga

| 12 October

| Giancarlo Baghetti

| Porsche

| Report

| V Rand Grand Prix

| Kyalami

| 9 December

| Jim Clark

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

| I Natal Grand Prix

| Westmead

| 17 December

| Jim Clark

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

| VIII South African Grand Prix

| East London

| 26 December

| Jim Clark

| Lotus-Climax

| Report

References

External links

1961 images at the Cahier Archive