1968 Spanish Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Graham Hill gave a grieving Lotus team an important victory at Jarama, winning the first championship race since Jim Clark’s death. Denny Hulme finished second, with Brian Redman securing a podium for Cooper.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Chris Amon	Ferrari
Pole time	1:27.9
Fastest lap	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra
Fastest-lap time	1:28.300 on lap 47
First	Graham Hill	Lotus
Second	Denny Hulme	McLaren
Third	Brian Redman	Cooper

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
10 May 1968	Friday midday timed practice	Midday; 90 minutes
10 May 1968	Friday afternoon timed practice	16:00–17:00
11 May 1968	Saturday final qualifying	16:00–17:30
12 May 1968	Race	12:00

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 2 leading the 1968 F1 World Championship on 9 points, with Graham Hill on 6. Lotus – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 9 points.

The long interval since South Africa had brought the deaths of Jim Clark and Mike Spence. Lotus arrived in mourning, and Colin Chapman did not attend the meeting. Jarama hosted the Spanish Grand Prix’s return to the World Championship after a lengthy absence.

Race entries

Hill was Lotus’s only race starter, with Jackie Oliver’s second car not ready. Stewart was sidelined by a wrist injury, so Beltoise drove the Matra-Cosworth. McLaren introduced its Cosworth-powered cars to championship competition, while Brabham brought a new four-cam Repco engine. Lotus appeared in its Gold Leaf sponsor colours.

Friday midday timed practice

Rodriguez set the early pace in the BRM, narrowly ahead of Hill. The tight circuit rewarded clean acceleration from slow corners, and Surtees struggled with the Honda’s fuel delivery. Beltoise learnt the powerful Matra while Rindt waited for the delayed Brabham transporter. Recent changes to kerbs and barriers had addressed the drivers’ concerns about the circuit.

Friday afternoon timed practice

Rindt finally joined the running after his car arrived. Hulme and Amon shared the session’s fastest time, although neither bettered Rodriguez’s earlier lap. Rodriguez tried his second BRM with different wheels and tyres without improving. The Honda began to respond better, while the two Cooper drivers remained closely matched.

Saturday final qualifying

Amon secured his first pole as Ferrari’s pace improved. Brabham’s new engine failed near the end, spreading oil that sent McLaren into the barrier and damaged the front of his car. Brabham could not start, but McLaren’s mechanics repaired his chassis overnight, accepting a handling compromise from the available replacement wheels.

Qualifying Classification

The best lap across all three timed sessions counted. Amon took pole ahead of Rodriguez and Hulme; Brabham’s engine failure prevented him from starting.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	19	Chris Amon	Ferrari	1:27.9
2	9	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	1:28.1
3	1	Denny Hulme	McLaren	1:28.3
4	2	Bruce McLaren	McLaren	1:28.3
5	6	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	1:28.3
6	10	Graham Hill	Lotus	1:28.4
7	7	John Surtees	Honda	1:28.8
8	21	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	1:29.6
9	4	Jochen Rindt	Brabham	1:29.7
10	16	Jo Siffert	Lotus	1:29.7
11	5	Piers Courage	BRM	1:29.9
12	15	Ludovico Scarfiotti	Cooper	1:30.8
13	14	Brian Redman	Cooper	1:31.0
14	3	Jack Brabham	Brabham	1:44.2

What happened in the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix?

Rodriguez led initially before Beltoise moved ahead. The Matra then developed trouble, allowing Amon to take control. Rodriguez crashed while pursuing the Ferrari, leaving Hill as Amon’s principal challenger.

Amon’s fuel-pump failure ended his hopes and handed Hill the lead. Hulme remained close until losing second gear forced him to ease his challenge. Hill brought the Lotus home for an emotional victory and moved into the championship lead.

Redman finished third ahead of team-mate Scarfiotti, giving Cooper a strong result. Beltoise recovered to fifth and set the fastest lap, but no bonus point accompanied it. Only five cars were classified as finishers after the demanding race.

After the race, Graham Hill headed the drivers’ standings with 15 points, followed by Jim Clark on 9. Lotus – Ford led the constructors’ table on 18, with McLaren – Ford on 6.

1968 Spanish Grand Prix race results

The 1968 Spanish Grand Prix was held on 12 May 1968, with a scheduled start of 12:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	10	Graham Hill	Lotus	90	2:15:20.1	9
2	1	Denny Hulme	McLaren	90	+ 15.9	6
3	14	Brian Redman	Cooper	89	+ 1 Lap	4
4	15	Ludovico Scarfiotti	Cooper	89	+ 1 Lap	3
5	6	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	81	+ 9 Laps	2
Ret	2	Bruce McLaren	McLaren	77	Oil Leak	0
Ret	7	John Surtees	Honda	74	Gearbox	0
Ret	16	Jo Siffert	Lotus	62	Transmission	0
Ret	19	Chris Amon	Ferrari	57	Fuel Pump	0
Ret	5	Piers Courage	BRM	52	Fuel Pump	0
Ret	9	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	27	Accident	0
Ret	21	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	13	Ignition	0
Ret	4	Jochen Rindt	Brabham	10	Oil Pressure	0
DNS	3	Jack Brabham	Brabham		Engine	0

1968 Spanish Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	6	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	47	1:28.300

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

1968 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix.

1968 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Graham Hill	British	Lotus	15
2	Jim Clark	British	Lotus	9
3	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	McLaren / McLaren	8
4	Jochen Rindt	Austrian	Brabham	4
5	Brian Redman	British	Cooper / Cooper	4
6	Chris Amon	New Zealander	Ferrari	3
7	Ludovico Scarfiotti	Italian	Cooper	3
8	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	French	Matra	3
–	Jo Siffert	Swiss	Cooper / Lotus	0
–	John Surtees	British	Honda	0
–	John Love	Rhodesian	Brabham	0
–	Bruce McLaren	New Zealander	McLaren	0
–	Jackie Pretorius	South African	Brabham	0
–	Piers Courage	British	BRM	0
–	Pedro Rodríguez	Mexican	BRM	0
–	Dan Gurney	American	Eagle	0
–	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Ferrari	0
–	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	Cooper	0
–	Jack Brabham	Australian	Brabham	0
–	Jackie Stewart	British	Matra	0
–	Sam Tingle	Rhodesian	LDS	0
–	Basil van Rooyen	South African	Cooper	0
–	Andrea de Adamich	Italian	Ferrari	0
–	Mike Spence	British	BRM	0
–	Dave Charlton	South African	Brabham	0

1968 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Lotus – Ford	18
2	McLaren – Ford	6
3	Cooper – BRM	4
4	Brabham – Repco	4
5	Ferrari	3
6	Matra – Ford	3
7	McLaren – BRM	2
—	Cooper – Maserati	0
—	Honda	0
—	Brabham – Climax	0
—	Eagle – Weslake	0
—	LDS – Repco	0
—	Cooper – Climax	0
—	BRM	0

Drivers and constructors counted their best 5 results from rounds 1–6 and their best 5 from rounds 7–12. Only the highest-placed eligible car for each constructor could score constructor points.

1968 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1968 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	1 January
2	1968 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito del Jarama, San Sebastián de los Reyes	12 May
3	1968 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	26 May
4	1968 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	9 June
5	1968 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	23 June
6	1968 French Grand Prix	Rouen-les-Essarts, Rouen	7 July
7	1968 British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown	20 July
8	1968 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	4 August
9	1968 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	8 September
10	1968 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Saint-Jovite	22 September
11	1968 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	6 October
12	1968 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	3 November