1966 French Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jack Brabham made history at Reims by winning a World Championship Grand Prix in a car bearing his own name. Mike Parkes finished second on his Ferrari debut, with Denny Hulme third.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari
Pole time	2:07.8
Fastest lap	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	2:11.300 on lap 30
First	Jack Brabham	Brabham
Second	Mike Parkes	Ferrari
Third	Denny Hulme	Brabham

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
29 June 1966	Wednesday evening timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
30 June 1966	Thursday evening timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
1 July 1966	Friday final qualifying	Evening; start unconfirmed
3 July 1966	Race	Start time unconfirmed

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

Championship background

Lorenzo Bandini arrived at round 3 leading the 1966 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Jackie Stewart on 9. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 15 points.

Race entries

Surtees left Ferrari and joined Cooper alongside Rindt and Amon, while Ginther returned to Honda. Ferrari promoted Parkes to partner Bandini. Hulme received a new Repco-powered Brabham, and Stewart remained absent after his Spa accident. Clark’s practice injury later forced Lotus to revise its plans.

Wednesday evening timed practice

Surtees immediately set a strong pace in the Cooper–Maserati as the full three-litre cars showed their advantage on Reims’s long straights. Ferrari missed the opening session, and Hulme briefly tried Brabham’s car while his own was completed. Lotus’s H16 engine failed before Arundell could run, while Hill continued developing BRM’s new machinery.

Thursday evening timed practice

Bandini arrived and rapidly challenged Surtees’s benchmark. Cooper used coordinated slipstreaming to regain the quickest time, while Parkes adapted well to the Ferrari. Clark was struck in the eye by a bird and could not continue the meeting. Arundell’s H16-powered Lotus suffered clutch trouble, and the new Brabham was readied for Hulme.

Friday final qualifying

Bandini delivered the decisive pole lap, ahead of Surtees and Parkes. Hill briefly demonstrated the H16 BRM’s straight-line potential despite awkward gear selection. Lotus’s H16 engine failed again, prompting running in the older car and preparations for Rodriguez to replace Clark. Bonnier tried a borrowed Brabham after the Cooper–ATS proved unsatisfactory.

Qualifying Classification

Three evening sessions, from Wednesday to Friday, set the grid. Clark withdrew after his eye injury, and the race field differed from the initial entries and practice appearances.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	20	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	2:07.8
2	10	John Surtees	Cooper	2:08.4
3	22	Mike Parkes	Ferrari	2:09.1
4	12	Jack Brabham	Brabham	2:10.2
5	6	Jochen Rindt	Cooper	2:10.9
6	38	Jo Siffert	Cooper	2:12.2
7	8	Chris Amon	Cooper	2:12.4
8	16	Graham Hill	BRM	2:12.8
9	14	Denny Hulme	Brabham	2:13.3
10	32	Mike Spence	Lotus	2:14.2
11	42	Guy Ligier	Cooper	2:15.4
12	36	Bob Anderson	Brabham	2:15.6
13	2	Jim Clark	Lotus	2:15.6
14	2	Pedro Rodríguez	Lotus	2:16.5
15	26	Dan Gurney	Eagle	2:17.9
16	44	John Taylor	Brabham	2:19.2
17	4	Peter Arundell	Lotus	2:19.6
18	30	Jo Bonnier	Brabham	2:23.5

What happened in the 1966 French Grand Prix?

Bandini led with Brabham initially using the Ferrari’s slipstream. Parkes settled into the leading group while mechanical failures gradually reduced the opposition. Hill’s challenge ended through engine trouble.

Bandini then retired with a throttle-linkage failure, leaving Brabham in front. The Australian brought the Repco-powered car home ahead of Parkes, who made an impressive start to his Ferrari Grand Prix career.

Hulme finished third, followed by Rindt, Gurney and Taylor. Brabham’s first championship victory since 1960 moved him into the points lead and established the effectiveness of his straightforward three-litre package.

After the race, Jack Brabham headed the drivers’ standings with 12 points, followed by Lorenzo Bandini on 10. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 21, with Brabham – Repco on 12.

1966 French Grand Prix race results

The 1966 French Grand Prix was held on 3 July 1966.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	12	Jack Brabham	Brabham	48	1:48:31.3	9
2	22	Mike Parkes	Ferrari	48	+ 9.5	6
3	14	Denny Hulme	Brabham	46	+ 2 Laps	4
4	6	Jochen Rindt	Cooper	46	+ 2 Laps	3
5	26	Dan Gurney	Eagle	45	+ 3 Laps	2
6	44	John Taylor	Brabham	45	+ 3 Laps	1
7	36	Bob Anderson	Brabham	44	+ 4 Laps	0
8	8	Chris Amon	Cooper	44	+ 4 Laps	0
NC	42	Guy Ligier	Cooper	42	+ 6 Laps	0
Ret	2	Pedro Rodríguez	Lotus	40	Oil Leak	0
NC	20	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	37	+ 11 Laps	0
NC	30	Jo Bonnier	Brabham	32	+ 16 Laps	0
Ret	16	Graham Hill	BRM	13	Engine	0
Ret	38	Jo Siffert	Cooper	10	Fuel System	0
Ret	32	Mike Spence	Lotus	8	Clutch	0
Ret	10	John Surtees	Cooper	5	Fuel System	0
Ret	4	Peter Arundell	Lotus	3	Gearbox	0
DNS	2	Jim Clark	Lotus		Accident	0

1966 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	20	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	30	2:11.300

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

1966 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1966 French Grand Prix.

1966 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jack Brabham	Australian	Brabham	12
2	Lorenzo Bandini	Italian	Ferrari	10
3	Jackie Stewart	British	BRM	9
4	John Surtees	British	Ferrari / Cooper	9
5	Jochen Rindt	Austrian	Cooper	9
6	Mike Parkes	British	Ferrari	6
7	Graham Hill	British	BRM	4
8	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	Brabham / Brabham	4
9	Bob Bondurant	American	BRM	3
10	Richie Ginther	American	Cooper	2
11	Dan Gurney	American	Eagle	2
12	John Taylor	British	Brabham	1
–	Bob Anderson	British	Brabham	0
–	Chris Amon	New Zealander	Cooper	0
–	Guy Ligier	French	Cooper	0
–	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	Cooper / Brabham	0
–	Jim Clark	British	Lotus	0
–	Mike Spence	British	Lotus	0
–	Jo Siffert	Swiss	Brabham / Cooper	0
–	Pedro Rodríguez	Mexican	Lotus	0
–	Bruce McLaren	New Zealander	McLaren / McLaren	0
–	Peter Arundell	British	Lotus	0
–	Vic Wilson	British	BRM	0

1966 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	21
2	Brabham – Repco	12
3	BRM	9
4	Cooper – Maserati	9
5	Eagle – Climax	2
6	Brabham – BRM	1
—	Brabham – Climax	0
—	Lotus – Climax	0
—	Lotus – BRM	0
—	McLaren – Ford	0
—	McLaren – Serenissima	0

Drivers and constructors counted their best 5 results. Only the highest-placed eligible car for each constructor could score constructor points.

1966 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1966 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	22 May
2	1966 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	12 June
3	1966 French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux, Reims	3 July
4	1966 British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown	16 July
5	1966 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	24 July
6	1966 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	7 August
7	1966 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	4 September
8	1966 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	2 October
9	1966 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	23 October