The Exceptional Races - 1965 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix

1965 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix

During the 1965 season dominated by Jim Clark and Lotus, the Italian race stood out as being more evenly matched than the Scot had made the others. It also saw the first win of very many for one of Clark's fellow countryman...




Although Clark took his customary pole position, John Surtees was very much the hero of the crowd, with a time in his Ferrari just 0.2s slower Also right on the pace were the two BRMs of Jackie Stewart — enjoying his first season in F1 — and Graham Hill. The crowd let out a collective sigh of disappointment at the start when Surtees was left virtually stationary on the line with clutch slip, As the cars completed their first manic slipstreaming lap, Clark led the pack, while Surtees was down in 14th place.The good news for the Italians was that his clutch was now perfectly okay, and he began to scythe his way through the field.

The usual. multi-car slipstreaming battle for the lead developed. Clark, Hill, Stewart, Gurney, Bandini, Spence and Siffert were all in early contention. By the tenth lap, Surtees had joined them, and a lap later he was leading ! Alas it was not for long, as the clutch began slipping again and eventually he retired.

Clark, Hill and Stewart — taking turns to lead — began to edge away from the others. Then, on the 64th lap, 12 from the end, Clark's fuel injection pump failed, and he was out.This left the two BRMs, driven by the wily old veteran and the eager new boy.

A lap from the end, Hill, who was leading, got off line through the Parabolica, suffered a huge sideways moment, and Stewart was through. A lap later, he recorded the first of 27 Grand Prix victories.