Formula 1 — 1960
1960 World Championship
10 Grands Prix
Drivers' Champion
Jack Brabham
Australian
1955 — 1970
3titles
14wins
WDC
Constructors' Champion
Cooper-Climax
British
1959 — 1968
2titles
12wins
WCC
Season Commentary · 1960
Race Calendar
| Rnd | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Argentine GP Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez | Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez | 7 Feb 1960 | McLarenCooper-Climax |
| 02 | Monaco GP Circuit de Monaco | Circuit de Monaco | 29 May 1960 | MossTeam Lotus |
| 03 | Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 30 May 1960 | RathmannWatson |
| 04 | Dutch GP Circuit Park Zandvoort | Circuit Park Zandvoort | 6 Jun 1960 | BrabhamCooper-Climax |
| 05 | Belgian GP Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 19 Jun 1960 | BrabhamCooper-Climax |
| 06 | French GP Reims-Gueux | Reims-Gueux | 3 Jul 1960 | BrabhamCooper-Climax |
| 07 | British GP Silverstone Circuit | Silverstone Circuit | 16 Jul 1960 | BrabhamCooper-Climax |
| 08 | Portuguese GP Circuito da Boavista | Circuito da Boavista | 14 Aug 1960 | BrabhamCooper-Climax |
| 09 | Italian GP Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | 4 Sept 1960 | HillFerrari |
| 10 | United States GP Riverside International Raceway | Riverside International Raceway | 20 Nov 1960 | MossTeam Lotus |
| P | Driver | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 5 | ||
| 2 | 34 | 1 | |
| 3 | 19 | 2 | |
| 4 | 18 | 0 | |
| 5 | 16 | 1 | |
| 6 | 10 | 0 | |
| 7 | 10 | 0 | |
| 8 | 8 | 1 | |
| 9 | 8 | 0 | |
| 10 | 8 | 0 | |
| 11 | 7 | 0 | |
| 12 | 6 | 0 | |
| 13 | 6 | 0 | |
| 14 | 6 | 0 | |
| 15 | 4 | 0 | |
| 16 | 4 | 0 | |
| 17 | 4 | 0 | |
| 18 | 4 | 0 | |
| 19 | 3 | 0 | |
| 20 | 3 | 0 |
Data via Jolpica/Ergast · Telemetry not available
1960: Brabham's Second, the End of an Era
The 1960 Formula One World Championship was the last season of the 2.5-litre formula and the high-water mark of the rear-engined revolution. Jack Brabham took his second consecutive title with Cooper-Climax, scoring 43 points against teammate Bruce McLaren's 34 — a Cooper one-two in drivers and constructors (48 pts vs Lotus's 34).
Five in a Row
Brabham's title was built on an unprecedented streak: five consecutive Grand Prix victories at Zandvoort, Spa, Reims, Silverstone and Porto. No driver had ever strung five wins together in the seven-year history of the championship. Cooper's nimble, rear-engined T53 "Lowline" simply outclassed the front-engined Ferraris and BRMs on twisty circuits, leaving the Italians scrambling to follow the Surbiton template.
Tragedy at Spa and the Ferrari Comeback
The Belgian Grand Prix was the season's darkest day. Chris Bristow (Cooper) was killed at Burnenville and Alan Stacey (Lotus) was struck by a bird at the Masta Kink; both lost their lives at the same race. Stirling Moss, in Rob Walker's private Lotus 18, escaped with broken legs in practice and came back later in the season to win the US Grand Prix at Riverside — his only victory of the year after earlier triumphing at Monaco.
Ferrari's lone win came at Monza, where the British teams boycotted the banked Combinata circuit on safety grounds. Phil Hill took the only front-engined victory of the season — and the last ever — for the Scuderia. Indianapolis 500 still counted in the points table (Jim Rathmann won), though no European team entered.
The Changing Grid
Argentina opened the year on 7 February with a flying Bruce McLaren victory — the Kiwi's first Grand Prix win at just 22. Juan Manuel Fangio, retired at home in Buenos Aires, attended as a spectator; it would be the last Argentine Grand Prix until 1972. The 1961 introduction of the 1.5-litre formula was already looming, and by season's end the paddock knew the Cooper-Climax era — and the front-engined grand prix car — were finished.