1962 Formula One season facts for kids

The 1962 Formula One season was a super exciting year for Formula One racing! It was a time when brave drivers competed in fast, open-wheel cars to see who was the best in the world. In this amazing season, a British driver named Graham Hill became the world champion. He showed incredible skill and determination to win the top prize in motorsport.

About the 1962 Formula One Season

The 1962 Formula One season was the 13th year of the FIA Formula One World Championship. This championship is the highest level of racing for single-seater cars. Drivers and teams from all over the world competed in nine different races, called Grands Prix. Each race was a big event where drivers pushed their cars to the limit.

Who Won the Races?

Here's a quick look at the races and who won them:

Race Number	Race Name	Date	Location	Winning Driver	Car Team
1	Dutch Grand Prix	May 20	Zandvoort	Graham Hill	BRM
2	Monaco Grand Prix	June 3	Monaco	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax
3	Belgian Grand Prix	June 17	Spa-Francorchamps	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax
4	French Grand Prix	July 8	Rouen-Les-Essarts	Dan Gurney	Porsche
5	British Grand Prix	July 21	Aintree	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax
6	German Grand Prix	August 5	Nürburgring	Graham Hill	BRM
7	Italian Grand Prix	September 16	Monza	Graham Hill	BRM
8	United States Grand Prix	October 7	Watkins Glen	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax
9	South African Grand Prix	December 29	Prince George	Graham Hill	BRM

How Graham Hill Became Champion

Graham Hill, driving for the BRM team, had an amazing season. He won four of the nine races: the Dutch, German, Italian, and South African Grands Prix. His main rival was Jim Clark, who drove for the Lotus team. Jim Clark also won three races.

The championship came down to the very last race in South Africa. Graham Hill needed to finish well to win the title. Jim Clark was leading the race, which would have made him champion. But, Jim Clark's car had a problem, and he had to stop. This allowed Graham Hill to win the race and become the 1962 Formula One World Champion! It was a very close and exciting finish to the season.

Top Drivers of 1962

The championship points were awarded based on how well drivers finished in each race. Only a driver's best 5 results counted towards their final score. This meant that even if a driver had a few bad races, their best performances could still help them win.

Here are the final standings for the top drivers in 1962:

Rank Driver NED MON BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA RSA Points 1 Graham Hill 1 6 2 9 4 1 1 2 1 42 (52) 2 Jim Clark 9 Ret 1 Ret 1 4 Ret 1 Ret 30 3 Bruce McLaren Ret 1 Ret 4 3 5 3 3 2 27 (32) 4 John Surtees Ret 4 5 5 2 2 Ret Ret Ret 19 5 Dan Gurney Ret Ret 1 9 3 13 5 15 6 Phil Hill 3 2 3 Ret Ret 11 14 7 Tony Maggs 5 Ret Ret 2 6 9 7 7 3 13 8 Richie Ginther Ret Ret Ret 3 13 8 2 Ret 7 10 9 Jack Brabham Ret 8 6 Ret 5 Ret 4 4 9 10 Trevor Taylor 2 Ret Ret 8 8 Ret Ret 12 Ret 6 11 Giancarlo Baghetti 4 Ret 10 5 5 12 Lorenzo Bandini 3 Ret 8 4 13 Ricardo Rodríguez Ret 4 6 14 4 14 Willy Mairesse 7 Ret 4 3 15 Joakim Bonnier 7 5 Ret Ret 7 6 13 3 16 Innes Ireland Ret Ret Ret Ret 16 Ret 8 5 2 17 Carel Godin de Beaufort 6 DNQ 7 6 14 13 10 Ret 11 2 18 Masten Gregory Ret DNQ WD Ret 7 12 6 1 19 Neville Lederle 6 1 20 Maurice Trintignant Ret 8 7 Ret Ret Ret 0 21 Jackie Lewis 8 DNQ Ret 10 Ret 0 22 John Love 8 0 23 Nino Vaccarella DNQ 15 9 0 24 Lucien Bianchi 9 16 0 25 Roger Penske 9 0 26 Bruce Johnstone 9 0 27 Jo Siffert DNQ 10 Ret 12 DNQ 0 28 Rob Schroeder 10 0 29 Ernie Pieterse 10 0 30 Ian Burgess 12 11 DNQ 0 31 Tony Settember 11 Ret 0 32 John Campbell-Jones 11 0 33 Hap Sharp 11 0 34 Heini Walter 14 0 35 Jay Chamberlain 15 DNQ DNQ 0 — Wolfgang Seidel NC Ret DNQ 0 — Roy Salvadori WD Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Tony Shelly Ret DNQ DNQ 0 — Keith Greene Ret DNQ 0 — Ben Pon Ret 0 — Heinz Schiller Ret 0 — Bernard Collomb Ret 0 — Timmy Mayer Ret 0 — Doug Serrurier Ret 0 — Mike Harris Ret 0 — Günther Seiffert DNQ 0 — Gerry Ashmore DNQ 0 — Ernesto Prinoth DNQ 0 — Roberto Lippi DNQ 0 — Nasif Estéfano DNQ 0 Rank Driver NED MON BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA RSA Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Light blue Practiced only (PO) Friday test driver (TD) (starting in 2003) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrew entry before the event (WD)

• Only the best 5 results counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.

Images for kids

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  Graham Hill won the first of his two championships, driving for BRM

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  Briton Graham Hill (pictured in 1963) won his first Drivers' Championship, driving for BRM

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  Jim Clark (Lotus 25 Coventry Climax), here contesting the 1962 German Grand Prix, placed second in the championship after retiring from a championship-winning first position in the last round

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  Reigning champion Phil Hill placed sixth in the 1962 World Championship of Drivers

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  Porsche placed fifth in the 1962 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers

See also

In Spanish: Temporada 1962 de Fórmula 1 para niños