1969: JACKIE STEWART

1969 Jackie Stewart

1969 Jackie Stewart

Models produced by: Vitesse (Quartzo), Paul’s Model Art (Minichamps)

Year: 1969
Driver: Jackie Stewart (Great Britain)
Team: Matra Ford
Car: Matra MS80
Results: 6 wins, 7 podiums, 2 poles, 5 fastest laps

Matra withdrew their works team and focused on their partnership with Ken Tyrrell. Jackie Stewart and Matra team won both championships quite easily. It was the first title for both, the driver and the team, which was a great achievment considering Matra only entered Formula 1 the previous year. After several incidents wings were banned but were than reintroduced later in the season. Following a number of wet races the the previous year there were some experiments with 4 wheel drive, but with little success. Wide tyres and downforce proved to be superior means of increasing grip.

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1968: GRAHAM HILL

1968 Graham Hill

Models produced by: RBA Collectibles & Vitesse (Quartzo)

Year: 1968
Driver: Graham Hill (Great Britain)
Team: Lotus Ford
Car: Lotus 49B
Results: 3 wins, 6 podiums, 2 poles

Despite losing exclusive right to use the Cosworth engine, Team Lotus was a dominant force again with Jim Clark and Graham Hill driving their 49 car. Ken Tyrrell appeared as a new force as he entered his team also using a Cosworth-powered car, built by French company Matra and driven by Jackie Stewart. Bruce McLaren also build Cosworth-powered car. The great Jim Clark got killed at unsignificant F2 race, and the championship was decided between Hill and Stewart, both winning 3 races that year. Stewart’s drive at rainy and foggy Nuerburgring, where he won by 4 minutes, is considered as one of the finest ever. At the end, Team Lotus won both titles with Graham Hill.

The season also saw two significant innovations. Arrival of unrestricted sponsorship and introduction of front wings and rear spoilers. Colin Chapman and his Gold Leaf Team Lotus introduced both.

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See footage from Jim Clark’s fatal accident

1967: DENNY HULME

1967 Denny Hulme

Model produced by: Spark

Year: 1967
Driver: Denny Hulme (New Zealand)
Team: Brabham Repco
Car: Brabham BT24
Results: 2 wins, 8 podiums, 2 fastest laps

At the 3rd race of the season Team Lotus inveiled the new Ford-sponsored Cosworth engine which later became one of the best racing engines of all time, winning 155 F1 races,  Le Mans and Indianapolis. Although Jim Clark won 4 races in a fast Lotus 49, Denny Hulme (Brabham) took the title with only 2 wins and no pole positions at all, but with better consistency. At Monza Jim Clark confirmed his status as one of the all time greats. He suffered a puncture, pitted to replace a tyre, made up a lap to retake the lead, but ran out of fuel on the very last lap.

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See a short clip from Hulme’s win at “Green Hell” alias Nordschleife alias Nuerburgring (from times when F1 cars were literally flying)

1966: JACK BRABHAM

1966 Jack Brabham

Model produced by: SMTS

Year: 1966
Driver: Jack Brabham (Australia)
Team: Brabham Repco
Car: Brabham BT19
Results: 4 wins, 5 podiums, 3 poles, 1 fastest lap

The season was the first of the ‘3 litre formula’, which saw maximum engine capacity doubled from the previous season. British constructors were forced to look elsewhere after Climax’s withdrawal from racing. Ferrari appeared to be as well prepared as in 1961, but John Surtees left the team after a dispute at Le Mans, joining Cooper. Jack Brabham took his third championship, this time in a car of his own manufacture. Bruce McLaren and Dan Gurney emulated Brabham by building their own cars, though with little initial success. BRM and Lotus used 2 litre engines for much of the season. BRM’s new H16 engine was largely unsuccessful, though Jim Clark used one in his Lotus to win the US Grand Prix. Under new regulations, cars completing less than 90% of the race distance were not classified and did not receive points, even if they finished in the top six.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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1965: JIM CLARK

1965 Jim Clark

Model produced by: Spark

Year: 1965
Driver: Jim Clark (Great Britain)
Team: Lotus Climax
Car: Lotus 33
Results: 6 wins, 6 podiums, 6 poles, 6 fastest laps

Jim Clark and Team Lotus dominated the season again with Clark taking 6 wins out of first 7 races (he didn’t enter Monaco GP, the second race of the year, because he was in US winning Indianapolis 500). Graham Hill took 2 wins including Monaco, Jackie Stewart took 1 win and finished 3rd in his debut season. Richie Ginther won 1st Grand Prix for Honda at the last race of the season.

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Or see the portrait of the great Jim Clark by Murray Walker

1964: JOHN SURTEES

1964 John Surtees

Model produced by: IXO

Year: 1964
Driver: John Surtees (Great Britain)
Team: Scuderia Ferrari
Car: Ferrari 158
Results: 2 wins, 6 podiums, 2 poles, 2 fastest laps

1964 season saw Jim Clark (Lotus), Graham Hill (BRM) and John Surtees (Ferrari) as the main contenders. Clark won 3 races, Hill and Surtees won 2 each, and championship went down to the last race in Mexico. In decisive race Hill was delayed after collision with Bandini’s Ferrari and Clark retired at the very last lap with an oil leak. Ferrari signalled Bandini to let Surtees through into the second place, which gave him the title by one point from Hill. Ferrari also took the constructors title. Surtees became the only person the won World Championships on both, two and four wheels (he was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956).

See the season review: part one and part two

1963: JIM CLARK

1963 Jim Clark

Model produced by: Spark

Year: 1963
Driver: Jim Clark (Great Britain)
Team: Lotus Climax
Car: Lotus 25
Results: 7 wins, 9 podiums, 7 poles, 6 fastest laps

Another season dominated by British teams and drivers. Jim Clark showed his class and won 7 out of 10 races for Lotus, Graham Hill won 2 for BRM and John Surtees won 1 for Ferrari. Colin Chapman’s Team Lotus took their first 2 titles, driver’s and constructor’s.

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Onboard camera with Jim Clark

1962: GRAHAM HILL

1962 Graham Hill

Model produced by: Spark

Year: 1962
Driver: Graham Hill (Great Britain)
Team: BRM
Car: BRM P57
Results: 4 wins, 6 podiums, 1 pole, 3 fastest laps

Ferrari were having internal battles and lost the best personell while British teams made a huge progress. Graham Hill won 4 races and won a driver’s title in a BRM, who also took the constructors title. Jim Clark won 3 races in a Lotus, while Ferrari suffered a winless year. Jack Brabham emerged as a constructor and scored first points in his own car. Stirling Moss had a big crash before the champonship and never raced in F1 again. Ricardo Rodriguez became the youngest driver to score points in F1 with 20 years and 123 days.

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1961: PHIL HILL

1961 Phil Hill

1961 Phil Hill

Models produced by: Vitesse (Quartzo) & Hot Wheels Elite

Year: 1961
Driver: Phil Hill (USA)
Team: Scuderia Ferrari
Car: Ferrari 156 F1 “Sharknose”
Results: 2 wins, 6 podiums, 5 poles, 2 fastest laps

Formula went from 2.4 litre to 1.5 litre engines and Ferrari was the most prepared with their 156 “sharknose” design. Only Stirling Moss in a Rob Walker Lotus was able to beat Ferraris on two ocasions, but the championship was decided between two Ferrari drivers – Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips. A tragedy in Monza, where von Trips collided with Jim Clark, killed von Trips and 14 spectators, and Phil Hill went on to win the championship.

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1960: JACK BRABHAM

1960 Jack Brabham

1960 Jack Brabham

Model produced by: Spark & Brumm

Year: 1960
Driver: Jack Brabham (Australia)
Team: Cooper Climax
Car: Cooper T53
Results: 5 wins, 5 podiums, 3 poles, 3 fastest laps

Jack Brabham dominated the season in a rear-engined Cooper Climax again. Ferrari, Lotus and BRM also changed to rear-engine design that season, and Stirling Moss in Rob Walker Lotus gave famous constructor Colin Chapman his first two wins. It was also the last season to feature the famous Indianapolis 500 race.

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