Season · 8 rounds, all run
1961 FIA Formula One World Championship
Title decided at Monza where Wolfgang von Trips was killed along with 15 spectators. Phil Hill became the first American champion.
How the title was decided
Phil HillWolfgang von TripsSir Stirling Moss
The three drivers who finished highest, tracked from the opening round. Before 1991 only a driver's best few results counted, so a line can rise by less than they scored that weekend.
The numbers behind this chart, How the title was decided
| Driver | After round | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Hill | 1 | 4 |
| Phil Hill | 2 | 10 |
| Phil Hill | 3 | 19 |
| Phil Hill | 4 | 19 |
| Phil Hill | 5 | 25 |
| Phil Hill | 6 | 29 |
| Phil Hill | 7 | 34 |
| Phil Hill | 8 | 34 |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 1 | 3 |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 2 | 12 |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 3 | 18 |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 4 | 18 |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 5 | 27 |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 6 | 33 |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 7 | 33 |
| Wolfgang von Trips | 8 | 33 |
| Sir Stirling Moss | 1 | 9 |
| Sir Stirling Moss | 2 | 12 |
| Sir Stirling Moss | 3 | 12 |
| Sir Stirling Moss | 4 | 12 |
| Sir Stirling Moss | 5 | 12 |
| Sir Stirling Moss | 6 | 21 |
| Sir Stirling Moss | 7 | 21 |
| Sir Stirling Moss | 8 | 21 |
Final drivers' standings
| Pos | Driver | Wins | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Hill | 2 | 34 | — |
| 2 | Wolfgang von Trips | 2 | 33 | 1 |
| 3 | Sir Stirling Moss | 2 | 21 | 13 |
| 4 | Dan Gurney | 0 | 21 | 13 |
| 5 | Richie Ginther | 0 | 16 | 18 |
| 6 | Innes Ireland | 1 | 12 | 22 |
| 7 | Jim Clark | 0 | 11 | 23 |
| 8 | Bruce McLaren | 0 | 11 | 23 |
| 9 | Giancarlo Baghetti | 1 | 9 | 25 |
| 10 | Tony Brooks | 0 | 6 | 28 |
| 11 | Sir Jack Brabham | 0 | 4 | 30 |
| 12 | John Surtees | 0 | 4 | 30 |
| 13 | Olivier Gendebien | 0 | 3 | 31 |
| 13 | Jackie Lewis | 0 | 3 | 31 |
| 15 | Jo Bonnier | 0 | 3 | 31 |
| 15 | Graham Hill | 0 | 3 | 31 |
| 17 | Roy Salvadori | 0 | 2 | 32 |
A driver with points and no position was excluded from the classification: the points stand, the position does not. Wins are counted from the race records, and a shared drive is a win for both of its drivers. The gap is to the highest points total classified, so the leader's own is an em dash; before 1991 it is a difference of net totals, dropped scores and all.
Final constructors' standings
| Pos | Constructor | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari ferrari | 40 | — |
| 2 | Team Lotus climax | 32 | 8 |
| 3 | Porsche porsche | 22 | 18 |
| 4 | Cooper climax | 14 | 26 |
| 5 | BRM climax | 7 | 33 |
The gap is to the highest points total classified, so the leader's own is an em dash; before 1991 it is a difference of net totals, dropped scores and all. The championship is contested by a chassis–engine pair, so one name can appear more than once with different engines.
The calendar
The outline is F1DB’s, for every layout; the trace is OpenStreetMap’s, where it exists. F1DB, CC BY 4.0 · drawn by Jules Roy.
| R | Grand Prix | Circuit | Dates | Winner | Constructor | Pole | Fastest lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | Sir Stirling Moss | Team Lotus | Sir Stirling Moss | Sir Stirling Moss / Richie Ginther | |
| 2 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort | Wolfgang von Trips | Ferrari | Phil Hill | Jim Clark | |
| 3 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Phil Hill | Ferrari | Phil Hill | Richie Ginther | |
| 4 | French Grand Prix | Reims-Gueux | Giancarlo Baghetti | Ferrari | Phil Hill | Phil Hill | |
| 5 | British Grand Prix | Aintree | Wolfgang von Trips | Ferrari | Phil Hill | Tony Brooks | |
| 6 | German Grand Prix | Nurburgring Nordschleife | Sir Stirling Moss | Team Lotus | Phil Hill | Phil Hill | |
| 7 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | Phil Hill | Ferrari | Wolfgang von Trips | Giancarlo Baghetti | |
| 8 | United States Grand Prix | Watkins Glen | Innes Ireland | Team Lotus | Sir Jack Brabham | Sir Jack Brabham |
Two names in one cell is a shared drive: both drivers are classified in that position, and both are winners. Open any round for its full classification.
Who entered
| Constructor | Entered as | Chassis | Designs | Engines | Tyres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRM | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P48/57 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Bernard Collomb | Cooper T53 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Camoradi International | Cooper T53 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Cooper Car Company | Cooper T55, Cooper T58 | 2 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4, Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Fred Tuck Cars | Cooper T45 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | H&L Motors | Cooper T53 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Hap Sharp | Cooper T53 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | John M. Wyatt III | Cooper T53 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Momo Corporation | Cooper T53 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Pescara Racing Team | Cooper T45 | 1 | Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Scuderia Centro Sud | Cooper T53, Cooper T51 | 2 | Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Scuderia Serenissima | Cooper T51 | 1 | Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Cooper | Yeoman Credit Racing Team | Cooper T53 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| De Tomaso | Isobele de Tomaso | De Tomaso F1/004 | 1 | Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| De Tomaso | Scuderia Serenissima | De Tomaso F1/001 | 1 | OSCA 372 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| De Tomaso | Scuderia Serenissima | De Tomaso F1/003 | 1 | Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| De Tomaso | Scuderia Settecolli | De Tomaso F1/002 | 1 | OSCA 372 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Emeryson | Equipe Nationale Belge | Emeryson 61 | 1 | Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Emeryson | Equipe Nationale Belge | Emeryson 61 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Ferguson | R.R.C. Walker Racing Team | Ferguson P99 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Ferrari | FISA | Ferrari 156 | 1 | Ferrari 178 1.5 V6 | Dunlop |
| Ferrari | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 156 | 1 | Ferrari 178 1.5 V6, Ferrari 188 1.5 V6 | Dunlop |
| Ferrari | Scuderia Sant'Ambroeus | Ferrari 156 | 1 | Ferrari 178 1.5 V6 | Dunlop |
| Gilby | Gilby Engineering | Gilby 61 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| JBW | J.B. Naylor | JBW 59 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Porsche | Ecurie Maarsbergen | Porsche 718 | 1 | Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 | Dunlop |
| Porsche | Porsche System Engineering | Porsche 787, Porsche 718 | 2 | Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Camoradi International | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Equipe Nationale Belge | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Gaetano Starrabba | Lotus 18 | 1 | Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Gerry Ashmore | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | J. Frank Harrison | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | J. Wheeler Autosport | Lotus 18/21 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Jim Hall | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Louise Bryden-Brown | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | R.R.C. Walker Racing Team | Lotus 18, Lotus 18/21, Lotus 21 | 3 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Scuderia Colonia | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Team Lotus | Lotus 21, Lotus 18, Lotus 18/21 | 3 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Tim Parnell | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | Tony Marsh | Lotus 18 | 1 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
| Team Lotus | UDT Laystall Racing Team | Lotus 18, Lotus 18/21 | 2 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | Dunlop |
Show all 41 entrantsShow the first 10, Who entered
Where an entrant ran more than one design, no source records which car raced which round — so those race results carry no chassis.
Photographs
From Wikimedia Commons, each shown with the photographer and licence its terms require.
Ferrari 156 F1
Ferrari Tipo 156 Sharknose (1961) Solitude Revival 2019 IMG 1632 · Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · unchecked
Cooper T53
Cooper T53 Wheatcroft Straight · John Chapman ( Pyrope ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lotus 18
Lotus 18 Stirling Moss Monaco 1961 · John Chapman ( Pyrope ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
BRM P48
BRM P48 Mallory Park · TOM at Picassa . · CC BY-SA 3.0
Cooper T51
Cooper T51 Rob Walker Donington · John Chapman ( Pyrope ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Cooper T45
Cooper T45 Rob WalkerDonington pits · John Chapman ( Pyrope ) · CC BY-SA 3.0A photograph marked unchecked has a file name that does not name the car it is shown for. Most are still the right car, filed under the driver rather than the machine — but nobody has confirmed these one by one.
1 more photograph
Ferguson P99
Ferguson P99 - Flickr - andrewbasterfield (1) · Andrew Basterfield · CC BY-SA 2.0Where this comes from
- Team
- Ferrari
- Runner-up
- Wolfgang von Trips — 33
- Engine formula
- 1.5 L naturally aspirated
- Tyres
- Dunlop, Firestone, Goodyear
- Entered
- 54 drivers, 10 constructors, 6 engine makers — counted from the entries, whether or not they started