Racing in the 1960s meant open helmets, no seatbelts and circuits lined with trees, yet that grid still produced some of the purest talent the sport has seen. Multiple champions line up next to one-race wonders and drivers remembered for what they might have won.
1Jim ClarkLotus genius who won the 1963 and 1965 world titles and dominated races with record pole and win counts.1000pts
2Jacky IckxBelgian prodigy who won the 1968 French GP for Ferrari and was runner-up to Stewart in 1969.756pts
3Jackie StewartScot who arrived in 1965 and capped the decade with the 1969 world championship for Matra.733pts
4Graham HillTwo-time champion of the decade (1962 with BRM, 1968 with Lotus) and five-time Monaco winner.709pts
5Pedro RodríguezMexican star who won the 1967 South African Grand Prix for Cooper-Maserati.640pts
6Stirling MossWon Monaco and the Nürburgring in 1961 in an outclassed Lotus before a 1962 crash ended his career.640pts
7Jack BrabhamWon the 1960 title for Cooper, then the 1966 crown in a car bearing his own name.594pts
8John SurteesMotorcycle world champion who won the 1964 F1 title with Ferrari, still the only champion on two and four wheels.585pts
9Richie GintherGave Honda its first Formula One victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.524pts
10Jo SiffertSwiss privateer who won the 1968 British Grand Prix in Rob Walker's Lotus.454pts
11Denny HulmeNew Zealander who beat his boss Jack Brabham to the 1967 world championship.374pts
12Giancarlo BaghettiWon the 1961 French Grand Prix on his championship debut, a feat never repeated.374pts
13Chris AmonFast but famously unlucky Ferrari driver who led many 1960s races without a win.374pts
14Bruce McLarenWon GPs for Cooper and founded the McLaren team, giving it its first victory in 1968.374pts
15Dan GurneyAmerican who won Grands Prix for Porsche, Brabham and his own Eagle, including the 1967 Belgian GP.282pts
16Innes IrelandScot who scored Team Lotus's first world championship win at Watkins Glen in 1961.282pts
17Lorenzo BandiniFerrari's Italian hope who won the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix.282pts
18Jochen RindtSpectacularly fast Austrian who took his first Grand Prix win at Watkins Glen in 1969.175pts
19Phil HillFirst American world champion, crowned with Ferrari in 1961.0pts
Photo credits
- Jacky Ickx — Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jackie Stewart — David Merrett from Daventry, England, CC BY 2.0
- Pedro Rodríguez — Harald Bischoff, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jack Brabham — Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Richie Ginther — Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0
- Jo Siffert — Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Denny Hulme — Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Chris Amon — Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bruce McLaren — Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dan Gurney — Joost Evers / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lorenzo Bandini — Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Jochen Rindt — Evers, Joost / Anefo / neg, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Phil Hill — Stuart Seeger from College Station, Texas, USA, CC BY 2.0
