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1959 Season Formula One
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 which commenced on 10 May and ended on 12 December.
Jack Brabham won the World Championship of Drivers in a sport still reeling from the death of several drivers. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers was awarded to Cooper–Climax.
Cooper's revolutionary mid-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.
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 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers.
| Grands Prix | Date | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 1959-05-10 | ||
| 1959-05-30 | ||
| 1959-05-31 | ||
| 1959-07-05 | ||
| 1959-07-18 | ||
| 1959-08-02 | ||
| 1959-08-23 | ||
| 1959-09-13 | ||
| 1959-12-12 |
- 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 cancelled due to a dispute over start money.
- The Moroccan Grand Prix was scheduled to be held in October at Ain-Diab but it was cancelled for monetary reasons.
1959 Season Formula One Non-championship Races
| Race Name | Date | Circuit | Winning driver | Winning Constructor | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII Glover Trophy | 1959-03-30 | Goodwood | Stirling Moss | Cooper-Climax | Report |
| XIV BARC Aintree 200 | 1959-04-18 | Aintree | Jean Behra | Ferrari | Report |
| XI BRDC International Trophy | 1959-05-02 | Silverstone | Jack Brabham | Cooper-Climax | Report |
| VI International Gold Cup | 1959-09-26 | Oulton Park | Stirling Moss | Cooper-Climax | Report |
| IV Silver City Trophy | 1959-10-10 | Snetterton | Ron Flockhart | BRM | Report |