The 1968 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Monza Autodrome on 8 September 1968. It was race 9 of 12 in both the 1968 World Championship of Drivers and the 1968 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 68-lap race was won by McLaren driver Denny Hulme after he started from seventh position. Johnny Servoz-Gavin finished second for the Matra team and Ferrari driver Jacky Ickx came in third.
There was a five-week break after the previous Grand Prix in Germany. During the break, the Oulton Park Gold Cup attracted some of the top names, with Jackie Stewart taking the victory, after his dominant victory at the Nürburgring.
Report
Entry
24 F1 cars were entered for the event, the biggest field of the season. American Mario Andretti entered in a third Lotus, while his United States Auto Club (USAC) rival, Bobby Unser, replaced Richard Attwood at Owen Racing Organisation (BRM). Scuderia Ferrari ran a third car for rising English star, Derek Bell, while David Hobbs was fielded by Honda Racing.
McLaren's M7A had to stop for more oil on lap 35 and retired. Stewart retired on lap 43 when his Cosworth engine failed. Hulme was by this stage already leading the race, and when Siffert went out with a rear suspension failure, nine laps from the end, Hulme was left to win. He won in a time of 1hr 40:14.8mins., averaging a speed of 146.284 mph. There had been a battle behind him, between Johnny Servoz-Gavin, Jacky Ickx and Jochen Rindt. The Ferrari of Ickx had emerged ahead, only to stop in the closing lap for more fuel. In the process, he dropped to third behind Servoz-Gavin, while Rindt had to retire with an engine failure. Piers Courage, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, and Jo Bonnier rounded out the top six, with no other finishers.
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Notes
- This was the Formula One World Championship debut for British driver and future Le Mans winner Derek Bell.
- This was the first pole position for Honda and for a Japanese/Asian constructor and for a Honda-powered car and for a Japanese/Asian engine supplier.
Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
!
! Pos
! Driver
! Points
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| Graham Hill
| style="text-align:left;"| 30
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| Jacky Ickx
| style="text-align:left;"| 27
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| Jackie Stewart
| style="text-align:left;"| 26
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
| Denny Hulme
| style="text-align:left;"| 24
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| Pedro Rodríguez
| style="text-align:left;"| 11
|-
!colspan=4|Source:
|}
;Constructors' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
!
! Pos
! Constructor
! Points
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| Lotus-Ford
| style="text-align:left;"| 44
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| Matra-Ford
| style="text-align:left;"| 35
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| Ferrari
| style="text-align:left;"| 32
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
| McLaren-Ford
| style="text-align:left;"| 31
|-
|align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| BRM
| style="text-align:left;"| 21
|-
!colspan=4|Source: