1965 Mexican Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Richie Ginther gave Honda its first World Championship victory in the final race of the 1.5-litre formula. Dan Gurney finished second and Mike Spence third as the season closed in Mexico City.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jim Clark	Lotus
Pole time	1:56.17
Fastest lap	Dan Gurney	Brabham
Fastest-lap time	1:55.840 on lap 57
First	Richie Ginther	Honda
Second	Dan Gurney	Brabham
Third	Mike Spence	Lotus

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
19 October 1965	Tuesday Honda preparation	06:00–09:00
20 October 1965	Wednesday Honda preparation	06:00–09:00
21 October 1965	Thursday Honda preparation	06:00–09:00
22 October 1965	Friday timed practice	13:00–17:00
23 October 1965	Saturday final qualifying	13:00–17:00
24 October 1965	Race	Start time unconfirmed

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

Championship background

Jim Clark arrived at round 10 leading the 1965 F1 World Championship on 54 points, with Graham Hill on 40. Lotus – Climax headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 54 points.

Race entries

Surtees remained absent, and Ferrari initially added Scarfiotti alongside Bandini and Rodriguez. Solana again drove for Lotus. Honda arrived particularly well prepared for the altitude, while McLaren was making his final championship appearance for Cooper before running his own cars.

Tuesday Honda preparation

Honda began a series of early-morning tests to adapt its fuel injection and engine settings to the high altitude. The thin air created unusual mixture and cooling demands, making this preparation valuable before the main field began official practice. These were team tests, separate from the sessions that set the grid.

Wednesday Honda preparation

Honda continued its morning programme with Ginther and Bucknum. The team worked through fuel-injection difficulties and accumulated circuit experience, building on the previous day’s running. No official qualifying order was established during this preparation.

Thursday Honda preparation

The final early test took place on a damp track, where Ginther nevertheless showed encouraging speed. Honda approached official practice with substantial running completed, although the weekend’s changing temperatures would still require attention to mixture and cooling.

Friday timed practice

Honda’s consistent pace confirmed the value of its preparation. Rodriguez crashed after losing a rear wheel, while Clark and Stewart both suffered engine failures. Attwood also needed a replacement engine. Gurney finished narrowly ahead of Clark, who had switched to Spence’s Lotus, as teams faced a busy evening of repairs.

Saturday final qualifying

Clark returned with an older engine and took pole late in the session. Stewart, unwell during the weekend, damaged a suspension mounting and needed another chassis. McLaren also suffered suspension trouble. Several drivers arrived late after getting lost, prompting Parnell to replace Ireland with Bondurant. Rodriguez practised the spare Ferrari while repairs to his own car continued.

Qualifying Classification

The two official afternoon sessions decided the grid. Honda’s earlier tests did not count. Rodriguez ultimately used Scarfiotti’s Ferrari, reducing the starting field to seventeen cars.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	5	Jim Clark	Lotus	1:56.17
2	8	Dan Gurney	Brabham	1:56.24
3	11	Richie Ginther	Honda	1:56.48
4	7	Jack Brabham	Brabham	1:56.78
5	3	Graham Hill	BRM	1:57.06
6	6	Mike Spence	Lotus	1:57.22
7	2	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	1:57.31
8	4	Jackie Stewart	BRM	1:57.53
9	18	Moisés Solana	Lotus	1:57.55
10	12	Ronnie Bucknum	Honda	1:57.88
11	16	Jo Siffert	Brabham	1:57.94
12	15	Jo Bonnier	Brabham	1:58.22
13	24	Ludovico Scarfiotti	Ferrari	1:58.93
14	14	Pedro Rodríguez	Ferrari	1:59.06
15	9	Bruce McLaren	Cooper	1:59.15
16	10	Jochen Rindt	Cooper	1:59.30
17	21	Richard Attwood	Lotus	2:00.61
18	22	Bob Bondurant	Lotus	2:00.80
19	22	Innes Ireland	Lotus	2:02.36

What happened in the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix?

Ginther made an excellent start and led the opening lap, putting Honda in command. Clark and Hill retired with engine trouble, and Stewart’s race ended with clutch problems, removing several potential challengers.

Gurney remained Ginther’s nearest opponent, but the Honda driver controlled the race throughout. Ferrari’s challenge was further weakened when Bandini and Rodriguez collided at the hairpin.

Ginther secured his only World Championship victory and Honda’s first. Gurney and Spence completed the podium, followed by Siffert, Bucknum and Attwood. Honda’s breakthrough provided a striking conclusion to the five-year 1.5-litre era.

After the race, Jim Clark headed the drivers’ standings with 54 points, followed by Graham Hill on 40. Lotus – Climax led the constructors’ table on 54, with BRM on 45.

1965 Mexican Grand Prix race results

The 1965 Mexican Grand Prix was held on 24 October 1965.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	11	Richie Ginther	Honda	65	2:08:32.10	9
2	8	Dan Gurney	Brabham	65	+2.89 secs	6
3	6	Mike Spence	Lotus	65	+1:00.15	4
4	16	Jo Siffert	Brabham	65	+1:54.42	3
5	12	Ronnie Bucknum	Honda	64	+1 Lap	2
6	21	Richard Attwood	Lotus	64	+1 Lap	1
7	14	Pedro Rodríguez	Ferrari	62	+3 Laps	0
8	2	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	62	+3 Laps	0
Ret	3	Graham Hill	BRM	56	Engine	0
Ret	18	Moisés Solana	Lotus	55	Ignition	0
Ret	15	Jo Bonnier	Brabham	43	Suspension	0
Ret	10	Jochen Rindt	Cooper	39	Ignition	0
Ret	7	Jack Brabham	Brabham	38	Oil Leak	0
Ret	4	Jackie Stewart	BRM	35	Clutch	0
Ret	22	Bob Bondurant	Lotus	29	Suspension	0
Ret	9	Bruce McLaren	Cooper	25	Gearbox	0
Ret	5	Jim Clark	Lotus	8	Engine	0
DNS	22	Innes Ireland	Lotus		Car given to Bondurant	0
DNS	24	Ludovico Scarfiotti	Ferrari		Car given to Rodríguez	0

1965 Mexican Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	8	Dan Gurney	Brabham	57	1:55.840

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

1965 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.

1965 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jim Clark	British	Lotus	54
2	Graham Hill	British	BRM	40
3	Jackie Stewart	British	BRM	33
4	Dan Gurney	American	Brabham	25
5	John Surtees	British	Ferrari	17
6	Lorenzo Bandini	Italian	Ferrari	13
7	Richie Ginther	American	Honda	11
8	Mike Spence	British	Lotus	10
9	Bruce McLaren	New Zealander	Cooper	10
10	Jack Brabham	Australian	Brabham	9
11	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	Brabham	5
12	Jo Siffert	Swiss	Brabham	5
13	Jochen Rindt	Austrian	Cooper	4
14	Pedro Rodríguez	Mexican	Ferrari	2
15	Ronnie Bucknum	American	Honda	2
16	Richard Attwood	British	Lotus	2
–	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	Brabham	0
–	Frank Gardner	Australian	Brabham	0
–	Masten Gregory	American	BRM	0
–	Bob Anderson	British	Brabham	0
–	Innes Ireland	British	Lotus	0
–	Paul Hawkins	Australian	Brabham / Lotus	0
–	Bob Bondurant	American	Ferrari / Lotus	0
–	Peter de Klerk	South African	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Tony Maggs	South African	Lotus	0
–	Ian Raby	British	Brabham / Brabham	0
–	Moisés Solana	Mexican	Lotus	0
–	Lucien Bianchi	Belgian	BRM	0
–	Nino Vaccarella	Italian	Ferrari	0
–	Sam Tingle	Rhodesian	LDS	0
–	Roberto Bussinello	Italian	BRM	0
–	David Prophet	British	Brabham	0
–	Chris Amon	New Zealander	Lotus	0
–	Gerhard Mitter	German	Lotus	0
–	Mike Hailwood	British	Lotus	0
–	John Rhodes	British	Cooper	0
–	Giacomo Russo	Italian	Lotus	0
–	John Love	Rhodesian	Cooper	0
–	Ludovico Scarfiotti	Italian	Ferrari	0
–	Giancarlo Baghetti	Italian	Brabham	0
–	Giorgio Bassi	Italian	BRM	0
–	Ray Reed	South African	RE	0
–	David Clapham	South African	Cooper	0
–	Alex Blignaut	South African	Cooper	0

1965 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Lotus – Climax	54
2	BRM	45
3	Brabham – Climax	27
4	Ferrari	26
5	Cooper – Climax	14
6	Honda	11
7	Brabham – BRM	5
8	Lotus – BRM	2
—	Brabham – Ford	0
—	Alfa Special – Alfa Romeo	0
—	LDS – Alfa Romeo	0
—	Cooper – Ford	0
—	LDS – Climax	0
—	Lotus – Ford	0

Drivers and constructors counted their best 6 results. Only the highest-placed eligible car for each constructor could score constructor points.

1965 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1965 South African Grand Prix	Prince George Circuit, East London	1 January
2	1965 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	30 May
3	1965 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	13 June
4	1965 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Charade, Clermont-Ferrand	27 June
5	1965 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
6	1965 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	18 July
7	1965 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	1 August
8	1965 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	12 September
9	1965 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	3 October
10	1965 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	24 October