1959 British Grand Prix

United Kingdom  1959 British Grand Prix
Race details
Race 5 of 9 in the 1959 Formula One season

Date 18 July 1959
Official name XII RAC British Grand Prix
Location Aintree Circuit, Liverpool, England
Course Permanent road course
4.828 km (3.000 mi)
Distance 75 laps, 362.10 km (225.00 mi)
Weather Dry and sunny.
Pole position
Driver Australia Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax
Time 1:58.0
Fastest lap
Drivers United Kingdom Stirling Moss (lap 69)
New Zealand Bruce McLaren (lap 75)
BRM
Cooper-Climax
Time 1:57.0
Podium
First Australia Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax
Second United Kingdom Stirling Moss BRM
Third New Zealand Bruce McLaren Cooper-Climax

The 1959 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Aintree Circuit on 18 July 1959. It was the fifth round of the 1959 Formula One season. It was the 14th British Grand Prix and the third to be held at the Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, a circuit mapped out in the grounds of the Aintree Racecourse horse racing venue. The race was held over 75 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a race distance of 362 kilometres.

The BRP BRM P25 which Stirling Moss drove to second place in the 1959 British Grand Prix, BRP's first podium finish.

The race was won by Australian Jack Brabham taking his second Grand Prix victory in a works Cooper T51. Brabham dominated the race, leading all 75 laps to win by 22 seconds over British driver Stirling Moss driving a British Racing Partnership entered BRM P25. It was the first time a BRP entry finished in the top three. Brabham's Cooper Car Company team mate, New Zealader Bruce McLaren finished in third place, just 0.2 seconds behind Moss, having lost second place late in the race. Harry Schell finished fourth for the Owen Racing Organisation BRM team a lap behind Brabham.

The British Grand Prix had the biggest entry of the season outside of the Indianapolis 500 with 30 cars competing and 24 starting the race, all despite the absence of Ferrari. Strikes in Italy trapped the team at home, leaving the British teams to fight over the race. Ferrari's new lead driver Tony Brooks was given a release and started the race in a Vanwall but was the first to retire with misfire after 13 laps having started in a lowly 17th after winning the French Grand Prix a few weeks earlier.

The win saw Brabham expand his points lead over Brooks to 13 points. Moss and McLaren moved into fourth place just half a point behind the absent Phil Hill.

On the last lap of this race, McLaren became the youngest driver to set a fastest lap in Formula One, aged 21 years and 322 days. It was another 44 years before Fernando Alonso relieved him of that achievement with fastest lap in the 2003 Canadian GP. He was a day younger aged 21 years and 321 days.

Classification

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 12 Australia Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax 75 2:30:11.6 1 8
2 6 United Kingdom Stirling Moss BRM 75 + 22.2 7 6.5
3 16 New Zealand Bruce McLaren Cooper-Climax 75 + 22.4 8 4.5
4 8 United States Harry Schell BRM 74 + 1 Lap 3 3
5 18 France Maurice Trintignant Cooper-Climax 74 + 1 Lap 4 2
6 2 United Kingdom Roy Salvadori Aston Martin 74 + 1 Lap 2  
7 14 United States Masten Gregory Cooper-Climax 73 + 2 Laps 5  
8 30 United Kingdom Alan Stacey Lotus-Climax 71 + 4 Laps 12  
9 28 United Kingdom Graham Hill Lotus-Climax 70 + 5 Laps 9  
10 48 United Kingdom Chris Bristow Cooper-Borgward 70 + 5 Laps 16  
11 58 United Kingdom Henry Taylor Cooper-Climax 69 + 6 Laps 21  
12 52 United Kingdom Peter Ashdown Cooper-Climax 69 + 6 Laps 23  
13 46 United Kingdom Ivor Bueb Cooper-Borgward 69 + 6 Laps 18  
Ret 4 United States Carroll Shelby Aston Martin 69 Ignition 6  
Ret 40 Brazil Fritz d'Orey Maserati 57 Accident 20  
Ret 42 United Kingdom Ron Flockhart BRM 53 Spun Off 11  
Ret 38 United Kingdom Jack Fairman Cooper-Climax 39 Gearbox 15  
Ret 10 Sweden Jo Bonnier BRM 37 Brakes 10  
Ret 22 United Kingdom Ian Burgess Cooper-Maserati 31 Transmission 13  
Ret 24 Germany Hans Herrmann Cooper-Maserati 21 Gearbox 19  
Ret 64 United Kingdom David Piper Lotus-Climax 19 Overheating 22  
Ret 36 United Kingdom Brian Naylor JBW-Maserati 18 Transmission 14  
Ret 50 United Kingdom Mike Taylor Cooper-Climax 17 Transmission 24  
Ret 20 United Kingdom Tony Brooks Vanwall 13 Ignition 17  
DNQ 54 United Kingdom Keith Greene Cooper-Climax        
DNQ 56 United Kingdom Bill Moss Cooper-Climax        
DNQ 60 United Kingdom Mike Parkes Fry-Climax        
DNQ 62 United Kingdom Dennis Taylor Lotus-Climax        
DNQ 44 United Kingdom Trevor Taylor Cooper-Climax        
DNQ 66 United Kingdom Tim Parnell Cooper-Climax        

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 Australia Jack Brabham 27
2 United Kingdom Tony Brooks 14
3 United States Phil Hill 9
12 4 United Kingdom Stirling Moss 8.5
5 5 New Zealand Bruce McLaren 8.5

Constructors' Championship standings
Pos Constructor Points
1 United Kingdom Cooper-Climax 26
2 Italy Ferrari 16
3 United Kingdom BRM 14
4 United Kingdom Lotus-Climax 3

References

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    1959 French Grand Prix
    FIA Formula One World Championship
    1959 season
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    1959 German Grand Prix
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