1960 United States Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

The 1960 United States Grand Prix took place on 20 November 1960 at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside. It marked the final round of the 1960 Formula One World Championship, bringing both the Drivers’ title fight and the manufacturers’ contest to a close.

Season	1960 F1 World Championship
Date	20 November 1960
Location	Riverside International Raceway Riverside, California
Course	Permanent road course
Course length	5.271 km (3.275 miles)
Distance	75 laps, 395.325 km (245.643 miles)
Weather	Temperatures up to 24.4 °C (75.9 °F); Wind speeds up to 18.33 km/h (11.39 mph)[1]

While the race itself was won in commanding fashion by Stirling Moss, the championship spotlight fell on Jack Brabham. By finishing fourth, the Australian secured his second consecutive World Drivers’ Championship, becoming only the third driver in history—after Alberto Ascari and Juan Manuel Fangio—to successfully defend the title.

Background

Despite Formula One’s growing prestige in Europe, its foothold in the United States remained uncertain. Promoter Alec Ulmann once again struggled to attract a large audience, echoing the disappointing turnout of the previous year’s race at Sebring.

The Riverside circuit, set against the desert landscape near the Box Springs Mountains, offered a dramatic and technically demanding layout. Its most distinctive feature was a sweeping uphill esses section just after the start-finish line—an intimidating test for drivers and machinery alike.

Local interest centred on Californian driver Dan Gurney, who lined up as the crowd favourite. Yet, only around 25,000 spectators were present—far fewer than organisers had hoped for.

Adding to the event’s difficulties, Ulmann had inadvertently alienated the local press. After publicly downplaying the significance of a successful sports car race held earlier that year, he drew the ire of Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler. The result was near-total media silence in the region—hardly ideal for a sport trying to establish itself in America.

1960 United States Qualifying

With the championship effectively settled—Brabham had already secured the title in Portugal—the Riverside race became more about prestige and performance.

Brabham and teammate Bruce McLaren led the charge for Cooper, while Team Lotus fielded a strong lineup including Jim Clark, Innes Ireland, and John Surtees. Moss appeared in Rob Walker’s distinctive blue Lotus, while BRM entered cars for Gurney, Graham Hill, and Jo Bonnier.

Notably absent was Ferrari as a works team. Enzo Ferrari opted to focus resources on the upcoming 1.5-litre regulations for 1961, though drivers Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips were permitted to compete in other machinery.

Moss underlined his intent by taking pole position, comfortably ahead of Brabham and Gurney. Phil Hill, adjusting to an unfamiliar rear-engined Cooper after a season in Ferrari machinery, could manage only 13th on the grid.

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	5	Stirling Moss	Lotus – Climax	1:54.4	—
2	2	Jack Brabham	Cooper – Climax	1:55.0	0.6
3	16	Dan Gurney	BRM	1:55.2	0.8
4	15	Jo Bonnier	BRM	1:55.6	1.2
5	12	Jim Clark	Lotus – Climax	1:55.6	1.2
6	11	John Surtees	Lotus – Climax	1:56.6	2.2
7	10	Innes Ireland	Lotus – Climax	1:57.0	2.6
8	7	Olivier Gendebien	Cooper – Climax	1:57.2	2.8
9	6	Tony Brooks	Cooper – Climax	1:57.2	2.8
10	3	Bruce McLaren	Cooper – Climax	1:57.4	3
11	17	Graham Hill	BRM	1:57.6	3.2
12	24	Jim Hall	Lotus – Climax	1:58.2	3.8
13	9	Phil Hill	Cooper – Climax	1:58.8	4.4
14	8	Henry Taylor	Cooper – Climax	1:59.0	4.6
15	14	Roy Salvadori	Cooper – Climax	1:59.6	5.2
16	26	Wolfgang von Trips	Cooper – Maserati	2:01.4	7
17	21	Brian Naylor	JBW – Maserati	2:02.2	7.8
18	23	Chuck Daigh	Scarab	2:02.6	8.2
19	18	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper – Maserati	2:03.2	8.8
20	25	Pete Lovely	Cooper – Ferrari	2:03.4	9
21	4	Ron Flockhart	Cooper – Climax	2:04.4	10
22	20	Robert Drake	Maserati	2:05.4	11
23	19	Ian Burgess	Cooper – Maserati	2:06.6	12.2

1960 United States Race Results

Race day dawned under near-perfect conditions, but the modest crowd was about to witness a spectacular display of Formula One machinery.

Brabham made a strong start, leading into Turn 1 ahead of Gurney and Moss. Early drama struck when both Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien stalled on the grid, though both eventually got underway. On lap 4, Surtees spun in front of Clark, retiring on the spot and forcing Clark to continue with a hastily repaired car using parts from his teammate’s damaged Lotus.

Brabham’s race soon took an unexpected turn. Determined not to repeat his fuel miscalculation from Sebring the previous year, he had overfilled his car. The excess fuel began spilling and igniting on the hot exhaust, creating alarming flames at the rear. Multiple pit stops failed to fully resolve the issue, and Brabham was forced into a recovery drive.

That misfortune handed control of the race to Moss, who quickly established a commanding lead. Gurney’s hopes of victory ended when his BRM suffered a mechanical failure, allowing Bonnier to move into second ahead of Ireland and Graham Hill.

Attrition continued to shape the race. Graham Hill retired with gearbox trouble, while Bonnier began to lose pace due to engine issues. Meanwhile, Brabham charged back through the field after his stops, demonstrating both determination and pace.

The Finish

Moss was untouchable. He cruised to victory in what would be the final race of the 2.5-litre Formula One era, securing his fourteenth win under those regulations—just one shy of Fangio’s tally.

Behind him, McLaren secured second place, with Ireland completing the podium. Brabham’s gritty recovery earned him fourth, more than enough to confirm his championship triumph.

Phil Hill, running strongly in unfamiliar machinery, eventually slipped back after a spin, while Bonnier managed to nurse his ailing BRM home to claim the final points position.

Post-race

Moss’s victory also secured him third place in the championship for the second consecutive year, reinforcing his status as one of the era’s finest drivers—even without a world title.

For Ulmann, however, the race was bittersweet. Having twice struggled to establish a successful Formula One event in the United States, he personally covered financial shortfalls to ensure teams and suppliers were paid. Moss received $7,500 in prize money, a significant sum at the time.

Despite the challenges, Formula One’s American story was far from over. The following year, the United States Grand Prix found a more permanent and enthusiastic home at Watkins Glen, while California would later rejoin the calendar with the United States Grand Prix West at Long Beach in 1976.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Stirling Moss	Lotus Climax	75	02:28:52	8
2	10	Innes Ireland	Lotus Climax	75	+38.000s	6
3	3	Bruce McLaren	Cooper Climax	75	+82.000s	4
4	2	Jack Brabham	Cooper Climax	74	+1 lap	3
5	15	Jo Bonnier	BRM	74	+1 lap	2
6	9	Phil Hill	Cooper Climax	74	+1 lap	1
7	24	Jim Hall	Lotus Climax	73	+2 laps	0
8	14	Roy Salvadori	Cooper Climax	73	+2 laps	0
9	26	Wolfgang von Trips	Cooper Maserati	72	+3 laps	0
10	23	Chuck Daigh	Scarab	70	+5 laps	0
11	25	Pete Lovely	Cooper Castellotti	69	+6 laps	0
12	7	Olivier Gendebien	Cooper Climax	69	+6 laps	0
13	20	Bob Drake	Maserati	68	+7 laps	0
14	8	Henry Taylor	Cooper Climax	68	+7 laps	0
15	18	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper Maserati	66	+9 laps	0
16	12	Jim Clark	Lotus Climax	61	+14 laps	0
NC	17	Graham Hill	BRM	34	DNF	0
NC	19	Ian Burgess	Cooper Maserati	29	DNF	0
NC	21	Brian Naylor	JBW Maserati	20	DNF	0
NC	16	Dan Gurney	BRM	18	DNF	0
NC	4	Ron Flockhart	Cooper Climax	11	DNF	0
NC	6	Tony Brooks	Cooper Climax	6	DNF	0
NC	11	John Surtees	Lotus Climax	3	DNF	0

1960 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Drivers

Teams