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The 1959 Formula One season was the 13th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1959 World Championship of Drivers and the 1959 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a nine race series ^[1] which commenced on 10 May and ended on 12 December. The season also included a number of non-championship Formula One races.

Jack Brabham won the World Championship of Drivers ^[1] in a sport still reeling from the death of several drivers, including reigning champion Mike Hawthorn. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers was awarded to Cooper–Climax.^[1]

Season summary

Vanwall's withdrawal, believed to have been a result of the high mortality rate of the 1958 season, left Ferrari as the only race-winning team in the Championship. Similarly, Juan Manuel Fangio and Mike Hawthorn's retirement meant that for the very first time no world champion was on the grid. Cooper's revolutionary rear-engined cars, powered by the compact Coventry-Climax 2.5 litre engine, won five races with Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss and Bruce McLaren. BRM also landed its maiden victory in the hands of Jo Bonnier. Aston Martin appeared with a car which, in the face of Cooper's rear-engined revolution, was outdated and overweight.

The German Grand Prix was held for the second time on the very high speed AVUS circuit, where Ferrari's Jean Behra was killed during an unrelated sports car race at the wheel of a Porsche.

Ferrari's Tony Brooks took the fight to the Coopers and going into the final race he, Moss or Brabham could win the title. Moss retired from the race, the inaugural United States Grand Prix, giving Brabham the lead. Brabham ran out of fuel on the last lap but pushed his car across the line to finish fourth. With Brooks unable to do better than third, Brabham became the first Australian World Champion while Cooper won the Constructors' crown.

Season review

Rnd	Race	Circuit	Date	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Constructor	Tyre	Report
1	Monaco Grand Prix	Monaco	10 May	Stirling Moss	Jack Brabham	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	D	Report
2	Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis	30 May	Johnny Thomson	Johnny Thomson	Rodger Ward	Watson-Offenhauser	F	Report
3	Dutch Grand Prix	Zandvoort	31 May	Joakim Bonnier	Stirling Moss	Joakim Bonnier	BRM	D	Report
4	French Grand Prix	Reims	5 July	Tony Brooks	Stirling Moss	Tony Brooks	Ferrari	D	Report
5	British Grand Prix	Aintree	18 July	Jack Brabham	Stirling Moss Bruce McLaren	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	D	Report
6	German Grand Prix	AVUS	2 August	Tony Brooks	Tony Brooks	Tony Brooks	Ferrari	D	Report
7	Portuguese Grand Prix	Monsanto	23 August	Stirling Moss	Stirling Moss	Stirling Moss	Cooper-Climax	D	Report
8	Italian Grand Prix	Monza	13 September	Stirling Moss	Phil Hill	Stirling Moss	Cooper-Climax	D	Report
9	United States Grand Prix	Sebring	12 December	Stirling Moss	Maurice Trintignant	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax	D	Report

There were 3 scheduled Grands Prix in 1959 that were canceled. The Argentine Grand Prix, scheduled to be held in January was cancelled because with heroes such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Jose Froilan Gonzalez having retired, there was no local interest and the race was promptly cancelled. The Belgian Grand Prix was scheduled to be held in June but it was canceled due to a dispute over start money. And finally, the Moroccan Grand Prix was scheduled to be held in October at Ain-Diab was cancelled for monetary reasons.^[2]

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1959 FIA World Championship.

Australian Jack Brabham (pictured in 1966) won his 1st of 3 driver's championships, driving for Cooper

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Driver	Rounds
Dr Ing F. Porsche KG	Behra-Porsche-Porsche	RSK	Porsche 547/6 1.5 F4	D	Maria Teresa de Filippis	1
	Porsche	718 RSK 718/2			Wolfgang von Trips	1, 6
Equipe Nationale Belge	Cooper-Climax	T51	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Lucien Bianchi	1
					Alain de Changy	1
Jean Lucienbonnet	Cooper-Climax	T45	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Jean Lucienbonnet	1
Owen Racing Organisation	BRM	P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	D	Harry Schell	1, 3–8
					Jo Bonnier	1, 3–8
					Ron Flockhart	1, 4–5, 7–8
Cooper Car Company	Cooper-Climax	T51	Climax FPF 2.5 L4	D	Bruce McLaren	1, 4–9
					Jack Brabham	1, 3–9
					Masten Gregory	1, 3–7
					Giorgio Scarlatti	8
R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Cooper-Climax	T51	Climax FPF 2.5 L4	D	Stirling Moss	1, 3, 6–9
					Maurice Trintignant	1, 3–9
British Racing Partnership	BRM	P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	D	Stirling Moss	4–5
					Hans Herrmann	6
	Cooper-Climax	T51	Climax FPF 1.5 L4		Ivor Bueb	1
	Cooper-Borgward		Borgward 1500 RS 1.5 L4			5
					Chris Bristow	5
High Efficiency Motors	Cooper-Maserati	T45	Maserati 250S 2.5 L4	D	Roy Salvadori	1, 4, 9
					Jack Fairman	8
	Cooper-Climax	T45	Climax FPF 2.5 L4			5
Team Lotus	Lotus-Climax	16	Climax FPF 2.5 L4	D	Graham Hill	1, 3–8
					Pete Lovely	1
					Innes Ireland	3–4, 6–9
					Alan Stacey	5, 9
John Fisher	Lotus-Climax	16	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Bruce Halford	1
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	246 156	Ferrari 155 2.4 V6 Ferrari D156 1.5 V6	D	Jean Behra	1, 3–4
					Phil Hill	1, 3–4, 6–9
					Tony Brooks
					Cliff Allison	1, 3, 6, 8–9
					Olivier Gendebien	4, 8
					Dan Gurney	4, 6–8
					Wolfgang von Trips	9
Scuderia Ugolini	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D	Giorgio Scarlatti	1, 4
					Carel Godin de Beaufort	4
Monte Carlo Auto Sport	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D	André Testut	1
David Brown Corporation	Aston Martin	DBR4	Aston Martin RB6 2.5 L6	A	Roy Salvadori	3, 5, 7–8
					Carroll Shelby	3, 5, 7–8
Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche	718 RSK	Porsche 547/6 1.5 F4	D	Carel Godin de Beaufort	3
Scuderia Centro Sud	Cooper-Maserati	T51	Maserati 250S 2.5 L4	D	Ian Burgess	4–6, 8
					Colin Davis	4, 8
					Hans Herrmann	5
					Mario Araujo de Cabral	7
	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6		Asdrúbal Fontes Bayardo	4
					Fritz d'Orey	4–5
Vandervell Products	Vanwall	VW 59	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4	D	Tony Brooks	5
J.B. Naylor	JBW-Maserati	59	Maserati 250S 2.5 L4	D	Brian Naylor	5
Ace Garage – Rotherham	Cooper-Climax	T51	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Trevor Taylor	5
Alan Brown Equipe	Cooper-Climax	T45	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Mike Taylor	5
					Peter Ashdown	5
Gilby Engineering	Cooper-Climax	T45	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Keith Greene	5
United Racing Stable	Cooper-Climax	T51	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Bill Moss	5
R.H.H. Parnell	Cooper-Climax	T51 T45	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Henry Taylor	5
					Tim Parnell	5
David Fry	Fry-Climax	F2	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Mike Parkes	5
Dennis Taylor	Lotus-Climax	12	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Dennis Taylor	5
Dorchester Service Station	Lotus-Climax	16	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	David Piper	5
Jean Behra	Behra-Porsche-Porsche	RSK	Porsche 547/6 1.5 F4	D	Jean Behra	6
Ottorino Volonterio	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D	Giulio Cabianca	8
Leader Cards Inc.	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	Midget	Offenhauser 1.7 L4	F	Rodger Ward	9
OSCA Automobili	Cooper-OSCA	T43	OSCA 2.0 L4	D	Alejandro de Tomaso	9
Camoradi USA	Tec-Mec-Maserati	F415	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D	Fritz d'Orey	9
Taylor-Crawley Racing Team	Cooper-Climax	T51	Climax FPF 2.5 L4	D	George Constantine	9
Blanchard Automobile Co.	Porsche	718 RSK	Porsche 547/6 1.5 F4	?	Harry Blanchard	9
Connaught Cars-Paul Emery	Connaught-Alta	C	Alta GP 2.5 L4	D	Bob Said	9
Ecurie Bleue	Cooper-Climax	T51	Climax FPF 2.5 L4	D	Harry Schell	9
Phil Cade	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D	Phil Cade	9

1959 World Championship of Drivers – final standings

Pos. Driver MON 500 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA Pts.[a] 1 Jack Brabham 1 2 3 1 Ret Ret 3 (4) 31 (34) 2 Tony Brooks 2 Ret 1 Ret 1 9 Ret 3 27 3 Stirling Moss Ret Ret DSQ 2 Ret 1 1 Ret 25.5 4 Phil Hill 4 6 2 3 Ret 2 Ret 20 5 Maurice Trintignant 3 8 11 5 4 4 9 2 19 6 Bruce McLaren 5 5 3 Ret Ret Ret 1 16.5 7 Dan Gurney Ret 2 3 4 13 8 Joakim Bonnier Ret 1 Ret Ret 5 Ret 8 10 9 Masten Gregory Ret 3 Ret 7 Ret 2 10 10 Rodger Ward 1 Ret 8 11 Jim Rathmann 2 6 12 Johnny Thomson 3 5 13 Harry Schell Ret Ret 7 4 7 5 7 Ret 5 14 Innes Ireland 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 5 15 Olivier Gendebien 4 6 3 16 Tony Bettenhausen 4 3 17 Cliff Allison Ret 9 Ret 5 Ret 2 18 Jean Behra Ret 5 Ret DNS 2 19 Paul Goldsmith 5 2 — Roy Salvadori 6 Ret Ret 6 6 Ret Ret 0 — Ron Flockhart Ret 6 Ret 7 13 0 — Ian Burgess Ret Ret 6 14 0 — Wolfgang von Trips Ret DNS 6 0 — Johnny Boyd 6 0 — Graham Hill Ret 7 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 0 — Duane Carter 7 0 — Harry Blanchard 7 0 — Carroll Shelby Ret Ret 8 10 0 — Giorgio Scarlatti DNQ 8 12 0 — Alan Stacey 8 Ret 0 — Eddie Johnson 8 0 — Carel Godin de Beaufort 10 9 0 — Paul Russo 9 0 — Fritz d'Orey 10 Ret Ret 0 — A. J. Foyt 10 0 — Chris Bristow 10 0 — Mario de Araujo Cabral 10 0 — Colin Davis Ret 11 0 — Gene Hartley 11 0 — Henry Taylor 11 0 — Bob Veith 12 0 — Peter Ashdown 12 0 — Al Herman 13 0 — Ivor Bueb DNQ 13 0 — Jimmy Daywalt 14 0 — Chuck Arnold 15 0 — Giulio Cabianca 15 0 — Jim McWithey 16 0 — Hans Herrmann Ret Ret 0 — Jack Fairman Ret Ret 0 — Bruce Halford Ret 0 — Eddie Sachs Ret 0 — Al Keller Ret 0 — Dick Rathmann Ret 0 — Bill Cheesbourg Ret 0 — Don Freeland Ret 0 — Ray Crawford Ret 0 — Don Branson Ret 0 — Bob Christie Ret 0 — Bobby Grim Ret 0 — Jack Turner Ret 0 — Jud Larson Ret 0 — Jimmy Bryan Ret 0 — Red Amick Ret 0 — Len Sutton Ret 0 — Pat Flaherty Ret 0 — Mike Magill Ret 0 — Chuck Weyant Ret 0 — Brian Naylor Ret 0 — David Piper Ret 0 — Mike Taylor Ret 0 — Alejandro de Tomaso Ret 0 — George Constantine Ret 0 — Bob Said Ret 0 — Alain de Changy DNQ 0 — Lucien Bianchi DNQ 0 — Maria Teresa de Filippis DNQ 0 — Pete Lovely DNQ 0 — Jean Lucienbonnet DNQ 0 — André Testut DNQ 0 — Bill Moss DNQ 0 — Keith Greene DNQ 0 — Mike Parkes DNQ 0 — Trevor Taylor DNQ 0 — Dennis Taylor DNQ 0 — Tim Parnell DNQ 0 — Asdrúbal Fontes Bayardo DNS 0 — Phil Cade DNS 0 Pos. Driver MON 500 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA Pts.

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD)

• 
  Italics indicate fastest lap (1 point awarded – point shared equally between drivers sharing fastest lap)


• 
  Bold indicates pole position

1959 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers – final standings

Points were awarded on an 8–6–4–3–2 basis to the first five finishers at each round (excluding the Indianapolis 500). However, a manufacturer only received points for its highest placed car in each round, and only the best five results from the eight races were retained.

Pos.	Manufacturer	MON	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	USA	Pts.[a]
1	Cooper-Climax	1	(2)	(3)	1	(4)	1	1	1	40 (53)
2	Ferrari	2	(5)	1		1	3	2	(3)	32 (38)
3	BRM	Ret	1	6	2	5	5	7		18
4	Lotus-Climax	Ret	4	Ret	8	Ret	Ret	Ret	5	5
—	Cooper-Maserati	6		Ret	Ret	6	10	11	Ret	0
—	Aston Martin		Ret		6		6	10		0
—	Porsche	Ret	10			DNS			7	0
—	Maserati	DNQ		8	Ret	WD	WD	15	DNS	0
—	Cooper-Borgward				10					0
—	JBW-Maserati				Ret					0
—	Vanwall				Ret					0
—	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser								Ret	0
—	Cooper-OSCA								Ret	0
—	Tec-Mec-Maserati								Ret	0
—	Connaught-Alta				WD				Ret	0
—	Fry-Climax				DNQ					0
Pos.	Manufacturer	MON	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	USA	Pts.

• 
  Bold results counted to championship totals.

Non-championship race results

Other Formula One races also held in 1959, which did not count towards the World Championship.

Race Name	Circuit	Date	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
VII Glover Trophy	Goodwood	30 March	Stirling Moss	Cooper-Climax	Report
XIV BARC Aintree 200	Aintree	18 April	Jean Behra	Ferrari	Report
XI BRDC International Trophy	Silverstone	2 May	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	Report
VI International Gold Cup	Oulton Park	26 September	Stirling Moss	Cooper-Climax	Report
IV Silver City Trophy	Snetterton	10 October	Ron Flockhart	BRM	Report

Notes

References