BRM P48/57
The Coventry Climax powered BRM P57 (also called P48/P57) was a Formula One racing car raced in 1961.
Development
Like the other British teams, BRM were caught off guard by new regulations that limited engines to 1.5 liters for the 1961 Formula 1 season. They had a new 1.5 litre V8 motor on the drawing board, but this would not be ready until late season, and would not be raced until 1962. The Coventry Climax 4 cylinder unit used by Cooper and Team Lotus was chosen as a stopgap solution. This would be installed in the first BRM spaceframe chassis, based on the 1960 BRM P48 Mark II designed by Tony Rudd. The P48 Mark II had abandoned the single rear disc brake introduced by the P25 in favor of a more conventional 2 disc layout at the rear.
At 450 kg, the new BRM P57 was heavier than its British rivals, while the Climax engine was no match for the V6 in the Ferrari 156. The later V8 powered BRM was originally designated the P578, but both types have since been commonly referred to as the P57.
Racing record
With Joakim Bonnier and Dan Gurney leaving for the new Porsche outfit, BRM ran just two cars for Graham Hill and Tony Brooks. While it proved to last a Grand Prix distance, it failed to do so competitively. Points would not be had until Reims, the fourth race of the season. Brooks scored a remarkable third and Hill a fifth in the final round at Watkins Glen, but this result was more caused by Ferrari's withdrawal following the death of Wolfgang von Trips. BRM would finish with only 7 points, good for fifth and last of the regular runners in the constructor's championship.
References
- Ménard, Pierre (2000). The Great Encycopedia of Formula One. London, England: Constable & Robinson Ltd. p. 432. ISBN 1-84119-259-7.
- Nye, Doug (2003). BRM: The Saga of British Racing Motors: Rear-Engined Cars, 1960-79. Vol 2. Motor Racing Publications. ISBN 1-899870-00-8.
Graham Hill