The 1961 Formula One season was the 15th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 12th World Championship of Drivers, the 4th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship was contested over eight races between 14 May and 8 October 1961.
Phil Hill (pictured in 1966) won his first and only championship, driving a Ferrari
John Surtees (no. 12) replaced Tony Brooks (no. 5) at Reg Parnell Racing.
Phil Hill (no. 1) and Wolfgang von Trips (no. 3) were teammates and championship rivals. Von Trips was fatally injured in the penultimate round of the season.
Formula One, commonly known as Formula 1 or F1, is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the world's premier forms of racing since its inaugural running in 1950. The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules all participants' cars must follow. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix. Grands Prix take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built circuits or closed public roads.
Juan Manuel Fangio's 1951 title-winning Alfa Romeo 159
Stirling Moss's Lotus 18 at the Nürburgring during 1961
Stefan Johansson driving for Ferrari at the 1985 European Grand Prix
Damon Hill driving for Williams at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix