1960 Argentine Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Bruce McLaren began the season with a second consecutive championship victory, following his breakthrough at Sebring. Cliff Allison finished second, while Stirling Moss recovered to third in a car shared with Maurice Trintignant.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Stirling Moss	Cooper
Pole time	1:36.9
Fastest lap	Stirling Moss	Cooper
Fastest-lap time	1:38.900 on lap 37
First	Bruce McLaren	Cooper
Second	Cliff Allison	Ferrari
Third	Maurice Trintignant / Stirling Moss	Cooper

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
Practice date unconfirmed	Opening practice	Start time unconfirmed
Practice date unconfirmed	Second practice	Start time unconfirmed
Practice date unconfirmed	Final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
7 February 1960	Race	Start time unconfirmed

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

The 1960 F1 World Championship began with a fresh points table and the first opportunity to measure the teams in race conditions. Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez hosted the opening contest, where qualifying pace, tyre management and reliability would all shape the result.

Race entries

Graham Hill made his first start for BRM, while Lotus introduced its rear-engined 18 for Innes Ireland. José Froilán González returned for Ferrari, and several South American drivers joined the regular field. Dock strikes complicated preparations, leaving the works Coopers short of practice.

Opening practice

Local drivers shared machinery as the field prepared for the season opener. Pedro Llano and Alberto Rodriguez Larreta both tried the Maserati entered for Nasif Estefano. The programme gave the additional drivers experience, but their participation did not make them separate starters in the Grand Prix.

Second practice

Julio Pola shared Ettore Chimeri’s Maserati during the second practice period. The regular teams were also adapting to a meeting made difficult by transport delays. Cooper’s late arrival left Brabham and McLaren with little running, a significant disadvantage against rivals already familiar with their cars.

Final qualifying

Moss secured pole, but Ireland’s second place demonstrated the immediate promise of the rear-engined Lotus. Its speed contrasted sharply with the older Lotus cars. Oscar Cabalen also tried Estefano’s Maserati as a reserve. The works Coopers could manage only midfield starting positions after their restricted preparation.

Qualifying Classification

Practice established the grid from each driver’s best lap. The surviving accounts identify separate practice and qualifying running, but do not securely establish the date and clock time of each period; those details remain unconfirmed rather than being invented.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	36	Stirling Moss	Cooper	1:36.9
2	20	Innes Ireland	Lotus	1:38.5
3	42	Graham Hill	BRM	1:38.9
4	40	Jo Bonnier	BRM	1:38.9
5	30	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	1:39.2
6	26	Phil Hill	Ferrari	1:39.3
7	24	Cliff Allison	Ferrari	1:39.7
8	38	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper	1:39.9
9	34	Harry Schell	Cooper	1:40.3
10	18	Jack Brabham	Cooper	1:40.6
11	32	José Froilán González	Ferrari	1:41.0
12	6	Carlos Menditeguy	Cooper	1:41.8
13	16	Bruce McLaren	Cooper	1:41.8
14	22	Alan Stacey	Lotus	1:43.6
15	46	Alberto Rodríguez Larreta	Lotus	1:45.0
16	2	Masten Gregory	Behra-Porsche	1:45.5
17	4	Roberto Bonomi	Cooper	1:46.1
18	8	Giorgio Scarlatti	Maserati	1:46.1
19	14	Gino Munaron	Maserati	1:49.0
20	10	Nasif Estéfano	Maserati	1:50.1
21	44	Ettore Chimeri	Maserati	1:50.5
22	12	Antonio Creus	Maserati	1:52.8

What happened in the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix?

Ireland led early before a spin, and the BRMs then fought with Moss at the front. Heat and mechanical trouble steadily reduced the contenders. Moss eventually retired his own Cooper with suspension failure, while Brabham also dropped out.

Bonnier led for much of the race before overheating cost him the advantage. McLaren came through to take control. Moss meanwhile took over Trintignant’s Cooper and charged back into contention.

McLaren won from Allison, with the shared Cooper third. Carlos Menditeguy, von Trips and Ireland completed the first six. Trintignant and Moss received no points for their shared drive, and the fastest lap no longer carried a championship bonus.

After the race, Bruce McLaren headed the drivers’ standings with 8 points, followed by Cliff Allison on 6. Cooper – Climax led the constructors’ table on 8, with Ferrari on 6.

1960 Argentine Grand Prix race results

The 1960 Argentine Grand Prix was held on 7 February 1960.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	16	Bruce McLaren	Cooper	80	2:17:49.5	8
2	24	Cliff Allison	Ferrari	80	+ 26.3	6
3	38	Maurice Trintignant / Stirling Moss	Cooper	80	+ 36.9	0
4	6	Carlos Menditeguy	Cooper	80	+ 53.3	3
5	30	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	79	+ 1 Lap	2
6	20	Innes Ireland	Lotus	79	+ 1 Lap	1
7	40	Jo Bonnier	BRM	79	+ 1 Lap	0
8	26	Phil Hill	Ferrari	77	+ 3 Laps	0
9	46	Alberto Rodríguez Larreta	Lotus	77	+ 3 Laps	0
10	32	José Froilán González	Ferrari	77	+ 3 Laps	0
11	4	Roberto Bonomi	Cooper	76	+ 4 Laps	0
12	2	Masten Gregory	Behra-Porsche	76	+ 4 Laps	0
13	14	Gino Munaron	Maserati	72	+ 8 Laps	0
14	10	Nasif Estéfano	Maserati	70	+ 10 Laps	0
Ret	34	Harry Schell	Cooper	63	Fuel pump	0
Ret	18	Jack Brabham	Cooper	42	Gearbox	0
Ret	36	Stirling Moss	Cooper	40	Suspension	0
Ret	42	Graham Hill	BRM	37	Overheating	0
Ret	22	Alan Stacey	Lotus	24	Physical	0
Ret	44	Ettore Chimeri	Maserati	23	Physical	0
Ret	12	Antonio Creus	Maserati	16	Physical	0
Ret	8	Giorgio Scarlatti	Maserati	10	Overheating	0
DNS	10	Oscar Cabalén	Maserati			0
DNS	10	Pedro Llano	Maserati			0
DNS	44	Julio Pola	Maserati			0

Trintignant and Moss received no points for the shared drive

1960 Argentine Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	36	Stirling Moss	Cooper	37	1:38.900

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1960 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix.

1960 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Bruce McLaren	New Zealander	Cooper	8
2	Cliff Allison	British	Ferrari	6
3	Carlos Menditeguy	Argentine	Cooper	3
4	Wolfgang von Trips	German	Ferrari	2
5	Innes Ireland	British	Lotus	1
–	Stirling Moss	British	Cooper	0
–	Maurice Trintignant	French	Cooper	0
–	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	BRM	0
–	Phil Hill	American	Ferrari	0
–	Alberto Rodriguez Larreta	Argentine	Lotus	0
–	José Froilán González	Argentine	Ferrari	0
–	Roberto Bonomi	Argentine	Cooper	0
–	Masten Gregory	American	Behra-Porsche	0
–	Gino Munaron	Italian	Maserati	0
–	Nasif Estéfano	Argentine	Maserati	0
–	Harry Schell	American	Cooper	0
–	Jack Brabham	Australian	Cooper	0
–	Graham Hill	British	BRM	0
–	Alan Stacey	British	Lotus	0
–	Ettore Chimeri	Venezuelan	Maserati	0
–	Antonio Creus	Spanish	Maserati	0
–	Giorgio Scarlatti	Italian	Maserati	0

1960 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Cooper – Climax	8
2	Ferrari	6
3	Cooper – Maserati	3
4	Lotus – Climax	1
—	BRM	0
—	Behra-Porsche – Porsche	0
—	Maserati	0

Drivers and constructors counted their best 6 results. Only the highest-placed eligible car for each constructor could score constructor points. Indianapolis counted towards the drivers’ championship only. Race winners scored eight points, and there was no fastest-lap bonus.

1960 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1960 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	7 February
2	1960 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
3	1960 Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana	30 May
4	1960 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	6 June
5	1960 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	19 June
6	1960 French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux, Reims	3 July
7	1960 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	16 July
8	1960 Portuguese Grand Prix	Circuito da Boavista, Porto	14 August
9	1960 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	4 September
10	1960 United States Grand Prix	Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California	20 November