The 1962 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Rouen-Les-Essarts on 8 July 1962. It was race 4 of 9 in both the 1962 World Championship of Drivers and the 1962 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was won by Dan Gurney, his first Formula One victory, driving a Porsche, that company's only win as a constructor in a Formula One championship race coming after three years of racing. It was the third time that the French Grand Prix was held at Rouen, the previous time being 1957.
Race
Phil Hill, running second in the championship, was in the stands with a camera around his neck; a metalworkers' strike in Italy meant that Ferrari could not take part. This left Graham Hill the fastest on track, taking the lead at the start and also setting a new lap record. The leading pack also included John Surtees (Lola), Jim Clark (Lotus), and Bruce McLaren (Cooper). These four pulled steadily away from Jack Brabham (Lotus) and Dan Gurney (Porsche). After only nine laps Brabham was out of the race with a broken rear suspension, while McLaren lost fourth gear and spun off the track, rejoining the race far down the field. Surtees retired four laps later with ignition problems, but was later back on the track in eighth place. Ginther's car had refused to start, setting him a half lap back at the start, but as cars ahead of him all began to break he drove harder and harder. His troubles were not over, however, with five laps left his throttle wire snapped and he had to control it with his hand - rather troublesome since his BRM's gear shifter was also on the right hand side. McLaren was forced to make another pit stop, but managed to get by the troubled Surtees on the last lap. The last points-scoring position went to the ever-steady Carel Godin de Beaufort in his uncompetitive Porsche 718 from 1961.
At the end, Phil Hill took his countryman Gurney aside and thanked him for "driving so well for him", as both of his closest competitors ended the race without any points.
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Race
thumb|This race was the only victory the Porsche 804 would see
thumb|This race was the first win for Dan Gurney in Formula One
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos
! No
! Driver
! Constructor
! Laps
! Time/Retired
! Grid
! Points
|-
! 1
| 30
| Dan Gurney
| Porsche
| 54
| 2:07:05.5
| 6
| 9
|-
! 2
| 24
| Tony Maggs
| Cooper-Climax
| 53
| + 1 Lap
| 11
| 6
|-
! 3
| 10
| Richie Ginther
| BRM
| 52
| + 2 Laps
| 10
| 4
|-
! 4
| 22
| Bruce McLaren
| Cooper-Climax
| 51
| + 3 Laps
| 3
| 3
|-
! 5
| 18
| John Surtees
| Lola-Climax
| 51
| + 3 Laps
| 5
| 2
|-
! 6
| 38
| Carel Godin de Beaufort
| Porsche
| 51
| + 3 Laps
| 17
| 1
|-
! 7
| 28
| Maurice Trintignant
| Lotus-Climax
| 50
| + 4 Laps
| 13
|
|-
! 8
| 14
| Trevor Taylor
| Lotus-Climax
| 48
| + 6 laps
| 12
|
|-
! 9
| 8
| Graham Hill
| BRM
| 44
| + 10 Laps
| 2
|
|-
! 10
| 32
| Jo Bonnier
| Porsche
| 43
| Gearbox
| 9
|
|-
!
| 12
| Jim Clark
| Lotus-Climax
| 34
| Suspension
| 1
|
|-
!
| 42
| Jackie Lewis
| Cooper-Climax
| 28
| Accident
| 16
|
|-
!
| 20
| Roy Salvadori
| Lola-Climax
| 21
| Oil Pressure
| 14
|
|-
!
| 34
| Masten Gregory
| Lotus-BRM
| 15
| Overheating
| 7
|
|-
!
| 26
| Jack Brabham
| Lotus-Climax
| 11
| Suspension
| 4
|
|-
!
| 40
| Jo Siffert
| Lotus-BRM
| 6
| Clutch
| 15
|
|-
!
| 36
| Innes Ireland
| Lotus-Climax
| 1
| Puncture
| 8
|
|-
!
| 16
| Peter Arundell
| Lotus
|
| No Car
|
|
|-
!
| -
| Tony Marsh
| BRM
|
| No Car
|
|
|-
!
| -
| Colin Davis
| Porsche
|
|
|
|
|-
!
| -
| Carlo Abate
| Lotus-Climax
|
|
|
|
|-
!
| -
| Ian Burgess
| Cooper-Climax
|
|
|
|
|-
!colspan="8"|
|}
- Scuderia Ferrari withdrew from the event, and their allocated numbers of 2, 4 and 6 were not used. No drivers were named by the team as having been entered.
Notes
- This was the first Formula One World Championship podium for South African driver Tony Maggs, and the first for a South African driver.
- This was the first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix win for Porsche as a constructor and as an engine supplier.
Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
!
!Pos
!Driver
!Points
|-
|align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 1
| Graham Hill
|align=left| 16
|-
|align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 2
| Phil Hill
|align=left| 14
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 3
| Bruce McLaren
|align=left| 12
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 4
| Jim Clark
|align=left| 9
|-
|align="left"| 10px 18
|align="center"| 5
| Dan Gurney
|align=left| 9
|-
!colspan=4|Source:
|}
;Constructors' Championship standings
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
!
! Pos
! Constructor
! Points
|-
|align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 1
| BRM
|align=left| 20
|-
|align="left"| 10px 2
|align="center"| 2
| Cooper-Climax
|align=left| 17
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 3
| Lotus-Climax
|align=left| 15
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 4
| Ferrari
|align=left| 14
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 5
| Porsche
|align=left| 12
|-
!colspan=4|Source: