1961 Italian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Phil Hill became the first American World Champion at Monza, but the result was overshadowed by catastrophe. His Ferrari team-mate Wolfgang von Trips and fifteen spectators died after an accident on the second lap.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari
Pole time	2:46.3
Fastest lap	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	2:48.400 on lap 2
First	Phil Hill	Ferrari
Second	Dan Gurney	Porsche
Third	Bruce McLaren	Cooper

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
8 September 1961	Friday banking familiarisation	Start time unconfirmed
8 September 1961	Friday timed practice	15:00–18:30
9 September 1961	Saturday banking familiarisation	Start time unconfirmed
9 September 1961	Saturday final qualifying	15:00–18:30
10 September 1961	Race	Start time unconfirmed

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

Championship background

Wolfgang von Trips arrived at round 7 leading the 1961 F1 World Championship on 33 points, with Phil Hill on 29. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 38 points.

Race entries

Ferrari fielded five drivers, with teenager Ricardo Rodriguez making his championship debut. The British teams returned to the combined road and banked circuit after the previous year’s boycott. BRM brought its new V8 for testing, while Brabham and Moss had Climax V8-powered cars available.

Friday banking familiarisation

Drivers unfamiliar with Monza’s banked circuit completed an introductory session before official timed practice. The exercise allowed them to learn the banking’s profile and transitions before attempting competitive laps. It did not replace the later practice on the full combined circuit.

Friday timed practice

Ferrari set the early pace before rain made the road section slippery and discouraged full-speed running on the banking. The new Climax V8 installations suffered cooling-system problems. Clark looked confident in the four-cylinder Lotus, while Surtees struggled with both his cars. Lewis could not run while his entry arrangements were resolved.

Saturday banking familiarisation

A further banking qualification period preceded the final timed session. It gave drivers another opportunity to satisfy the circuit-familiarity requirement before joining the full-course running. The race still used both the road section and the high-speed bankings.

Saturday final qualifying

Von Trips claimed pole, narrowly ahead of the impressive Rodriguez. Graham Hill showed encouraging speed in the new BRM V8 after an ignition repair, but the team chose its established cars for the race. Moss and Brabham continued battling cooling problems. Phil Hill requested an engine change after struggling to match his Ferrari colleagues.

Qualifying Classification

The grid was set by eligible laps on the combined circuit, with a 115% threshold relative to the second-fastest time. Pre-session banking familiarisation was separate from timed qualifying. Moss ultimately raced a borrowed works Lotus rather than his V8 car.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Timed session 1	Timed session 2	Best Time
1	4	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	2:50.3	2:46.3	2:46.3
2	8	Ricardo Rodríguez	Ferrari	2:49.6	2:46.4	2:46.4
3	6	Richie Ginther	Ferrari	2:46.8	2:47.1	2:46.8
4	2	Phil Hill	Ferrari	2:48.9	2:47.2	2:47.2
5	24	Graham Hill	BRM	2:55.0	2:48.7	2:48.7
6	32	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	2:53.4	2:49.0	2:49.0
7	36	Jim Clark	Lotus	2:52.4	2:49.2	2:49.2
8	44	Jo Bonnier	Porsche	2:53.6	2:49.6	2:49.6
9	38	Innes Ireland	Lotus	2:56.7	2:50.3	2:50.3
10	10	Jack Brabham	Cooper	2:55.1	2:51.6	2:51.6
11	28	Stirling Moss	Lotus	2:51.8	2:57.5	2:51.8
12	46	Dan Gurney	Porsche	2:53.4	2:52.0	2:52.0
13	26	Tony Brooks	BRM	2:58.8	2:52.2	2:52.2
14	12	Bruce McLaren	Cooper	2:59.8	2:53.4	2:53.4
15	74	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Porsche	2:57.9	2:53.8	2:53.8
16	60	Jackie Lewis	Cooper	No time	2:54.0	2:54.0
17	22	Masten Gregory	Lotus	3:01.4	2:55.2	2:55.2
18	40	Roy Salvadori	Cooper	3:02.0	2:55.2	2:55.2
19	42	John Surtees	Cooper	2:59.3	2:55.6	2:55.6
20	50	Nino Vaccarella	De Tomaso	3:03.7	2:56.0	2:56.0
21	62	Lorenzo Bandini	Cooper	2:57.7	2:58.2	2:57.7
22	48	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper	3:03.9	2:58.7	2:58.7
23	20	Henry Taylor	Lotus	3:03.8	3:00.6	3:00.6
24	54	Roberto Bussinello	De Tomaso	3:09.8	3:01.7	3:01.7
25	18	Gerry Ashmore	Lotus	No time	3:03.0	3:03.0
26	30	Jack Fairman	Cooper	3:06.7	3:04.8	3:04.8
27	16	Tim Parnell	Lotus	3:15.4	3:05.7	3:05.7
28	56	Wolfgang Seidel	Lotus	No time	3:06.0	3:06.0
29	58	Renato Pirocchi	Cooper	3:18.3	3:06.5	3:06.5
30	72	Gaetano Starrabba	Lotus	No time	3:07.9	3:07.9
31	14	Brian Naylor	JBW	3:13.0	3:08.1	3:08.1
32	52	Roberto Lippi	De Tomaso	3:27.7	3:08.9	3:08.9
DNQ	68	André Pilette	Emeryson	3:19.4	3:11.6	3:11.6

What happened in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix?

On the second lap, von Trips and Clark collided approaching the Parabolica. The Ferrari left the circuit, killing von Trips and fifteen spectators. Clark survived. The race continued, but the tragedy defined the afternoon.

Phil Hill and Ginther ran at the front before mechanical failures eliminated the other Ferraris. Hill brought his car home ahead of Gurney and McLaren, with Lewis finishing an excellent fourth in his private Cooper.

Brooks and Salvadori completed the points. Hill secured the drivers’ championship in circumstances that left no room for celebration, and Ferrari confirmed the manufacturers’ title. This was the final World Championship race held on Monza’s combined road-and-banking layout.

After the race, Phil Hill headed the drivers’ standings with 34 points, followed by Wolfgang von Trips on 33. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 40, with Lotus – Climax on 24.

1961 Italian Grand Prix race results

The 1961 Italian Grand Prix was held on 10 September 1961.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Phil Hill	Ferrari	43	2:03:13.0	9
2	46	Dan Gurney	Porsche	43	+31.2	6
3	12	Bruce McLaren	Cooper	43	+2:28.4	4
4	60	Jackie Lewis	Cooper	43	+2:40.4	3
5	26	Tony Brooks	BRM	43	+2:40.5	2
6	40	Roy Salvadori	Cooper	42	+1 Lap	1
7	74	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Porsche	41	+2 Laps	0
8	62	Lorenzo Bandini	Cooper	41	+2 Laps	0
9	48	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper	41	+2 Laps	0
10	16	Tim Parnell	Lotus	40	+3 Laps	0
11	20	Henry Taylor	Lotus	39	+4 Laps	0
12	58	Renato Pirocchi	Cooper	38	+5 Laps	0
Ret	28	Stirling Moss	Lotus	36	Wheel bearing	0
Ret	6	Richie Ginther	Ferrari	23	Engine	0
Ret	72	Gaetano Starrabba	Lotus	19	Engine	0
Ret	44	Jo Bonnier	Porsche	14	Suspension	0
Ret	8	Ricardo Rodríguez	Ferrari	13	Fuel system	0
Ret	32	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	13	Engine	0
Ret	50	Nino Vaccarella	De Tomaso	13	Engine	0
Ret	22	Masten Gregory	Lotus	11	Suspension	0
Ret	24	Graham Hill	BRM	10	Engine	0
Ret	10	Jack Brabham	Cooper	8	Overheating	0
Ret	14	Brian Naylor	JBW	6	Engine	0
Ret	38	Innes Ireland	Lotus	5	Chassis	0
Ret	30	Jack Fairman	Cooper	5	Engine	0
Ret	42	John Surtees	Cooper	2	Accident	0
Ret	4	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	1	Fatal collision	0
Ret	36	Jim Clark	Lotus	1	Collision	0
Ret	54	Roberto Bussinello	De Tomaso	1	Engine	0
Ret	56	Wolfgang Seidel	Lotus	1	Engine	0
Ret	52	Roberto Lippi	De Tomaso	1	Engine	0
Ret	18	Gerry Ashmore	Lotus	0	Accident	0
DNQ	68	André Pilette	Emeryson		Too slow	0
DNS	46	Edgar Barth	Porsche		Practice only – experimental car	0
WD	58	Massimo Natili	Cooper		Pirocchi drove car	0
DNA	34	Alfonso Thiele	Cooper		Support race	0
DNA	64	Ernesto Prinoth	Lotus		On route to the Flugplatzrennen	0
DNA	66	Menato Boffa	Cooper		Racing at Vallelunga	0
DNA	70	Michael May	Lotus		Retired from racing	0

1961 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	32	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	2	2:48.400

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

1961 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1961 Italian Grand Prix.

1961 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Phil Hill	American	Ferrari	34
2	Wolfgang von Trips	German	Ferrari	33
3	Stirling Moss	British	Lotus / Ferguson	21
4	Richie Ginther	American	Ferrari	16
5	Dan Gurney	American	Porsche	15
6	Jim Clark	British	Lotus	11
7	Giancarlo Baghetti	Italian	Ferrari	9
8	Bruce McLaren	New Zealander	Cooper	8
9	Jack Brabham	Australian	Cooper	4
10	John Surtees	British	Cooper	4
11	Jackie Lewis	British	Cooper	3
12	Innes Ireland	British	Lotus	3
13	Olivier Gendebien	Belgian	Emeryson / Ferrari	3
14	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	Porsche	2
15	Tony Brooks	British	BRM	2
16	Roy Salvadori	British	Cooper	2
17	Graham Hill	British	BRM	1
–	Maurice Trintignant	French	Cooper	0
–	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Dutch	Porsche	0
–	Lorenzo Bandini	Italian	Cooper	0
–	Cliff Allison	British	Lotus	0
–	Hans Herrmann	German	Porsche	0
–	Masten Gregory	American	Cooper / Lotus	0
–	Henry Taylor	British	Lotus	0
–	Tim Parnell	British	Lotus	0
–	Tony Maggs	South African	Lotus	0
–	Michael May	Swiss	Lotus	0
–	Ian Burgess	British	Lotus / Cooper	0
–	Renato Pirocchi	Italian	Cooper / Cooper	0
–	Trevor Taylor	British	Lotus	0
–	Tony Marsh	British	Lotus	0
–	Keith Greene	British	Gilby	0
–	Gerry Ashmore	British	Lotus	0
–	Wolfgang Seidel	German	Lotus	0
–	Gaetano Starrabba	Italian	Lotus	0
–	Willy Mairesse	Belgian	Lotus / Ferrari	0
–	Ricardo Rodríguez	Mexican	Ferrari	0
–	Lucien Bianchi	Belgian	Emeryson / Lotus	0
–	Bernard Collomb	French	Cooper	0
–	Jack Fairman	British	Ferguson / Cooper	0
–	Nino Vaccarella	Italian	De Tomaso	0
–	Giorgio Scarlatti	Italian	De Tomaso	0
–	Brian Naylor	British	JBW	0
–	Edgar Barth	German	Porsche	0
–	Juan Manuel Bordeu	Argentine	Lotus	0
–	Roberto Bussinello	Italian	De Tomaso	0
–	Massimo Natili	Italian	Cooper	0
–	Peter Monteverdi	Swiss	MBM	0
–	Roberto Lippi	Italian	De Tomaso	0
–	Geoff Duke	British	Cooper	0
–	John Campbell-Jones	British	Cooper	0
–	Alfonso Thiele	Italian	Cooper	0
–	Ernesto Prinoth	Italian	Lotus	0
–	Menato Boffa	Italian	Cooper	0

1961 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	40
2	Lotus – Climax	24
3	Porsche	17
4	Cooper – Climax	13
5	BRM – Climax	3
—	Cooper – Maserati	0
—	Gilby – Climax	0
—	Emeryson – Maserati	0
—	De Tomaso – OSCA	0
—	JBW – Climax	0
—	Ferguson – Climax	0
—	De Tomaso – Alfa Romeo	0
—	Lotus – Maserati	0
—	Emeryson – Climax	0

Drivers and constructors counted their best 5 results. Only the highest-placed eligible car for each constructor could score constructor points. A victory earned nine driver points but eight constructor points.

1961 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1961 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	14 May
2	1961 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	22 May
3	1961 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	18 June
4	1961 French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux, Reims	2 July
5	1961 British Grand Prix	Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Liverpool	15 July
6	1961 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	6 August
7	1961 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	10 September
8	1961 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	8 October