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| champions = {{nowrap|[[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Drivers' Champion]]: [[Jim Clark]]}}<br>{{nowrap|[[List of Formula One World Constructors' Champions|International Cup Champion]]: [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Coventry Climax|Climax]]}}
}}
[[File:Jim Clark
The '''1963 Formula One season''' was the 17th season of [[FIA]] [[Formula One]] motor racing. It featured the 14th [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Championship of Drivers]], the 6th [[List of Formula One World Constructors' Champions|International Cup for F1 Manufacturers]], and numerous non-championship [[Formula One]] races. The World Championship was contested over ten races between 26 May and 28 December 1963.
[[Jim Clark]] driving for [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] won his first Drivers' Championship with three races to go.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1963/drivers.html|title=1963 Driver Standings|work=Formula1.com|access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref> He won seven races in the championship, a number that would not be beaten until {{F1|1988}}, when [[Ayrton Senna]] won eight, and a win percentage that nearly beat [[Alberto Ascari]]'s record from {{F1|1952}}. Lotus also won the Manufacturers' Championship for the first time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1963/team.html|title=1963 Constructor Standings|work=Formula1.com|access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>
Every [[pole position]] and race in the 1963 championship were won by British drivers, the first time that this was achieved by any single nation. ([[Italy]] is sometimes considered to have achieved this feat in {{F1|1952}}, but this only goes if the [[1952 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis 500]] is excluded from the statistic.)
==Teams and drivers==
The following [[List of Formula One constructors|teams]] and [[List of Formula One drivers|drivers]] competed in the 1963 [[FIA]] [[List of Formula One World Champions|World Championship]]. All teams competed with tyres supplied by [[Dunlop Tyres|Dunlop]].
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%"
! Entrant
Line 16 ⟶ 20:
! Chassis
! Engine
! Driver
! Rounds
Line 24 ⟶ 27:
| [[Lotus 25|25]]
|rowspan=3| [[Coventry Climax#FWMV|Climax FWMV 1.5 V8]]
|rowspan=2|{{flagicon|
| 1
Line 39 ⟶ 41:
|rowspan=2| [[BRM P57|P57]]<br>[[BRM P61|P61]]
|rowspan=2| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Richie Ginther]]
| All
Line 50 ⟶ 51:
|rowspan=2| [[Cooper T66|T66]]
|rowspan=2| [[Coventry Climax#FWMV|Climax FWMV 1.5 V8]]
| {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Bruce McLaren]]
| All
Line 61:
|rowspan=5| [[Lotus 25|25]]
|rowspan=5| [[Coventry Climax#FWMV|Climax FWMV 1.5 V8]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jim Clark]]
| All
Line 81 ⟶ 80:
| [[Cooper T60|T60]]<br>[[Cooper T66|T66]]
| [[Coventry Climax#FWMV|Climax FWMV 1.5 V8]]
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Jo Bonnier]]
| All
Line 89 ⟶ 87:
|rowspan=2| [[Lotus 24|24]]
|rowspan=3| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jim Hall (race car driver)|Jim Hall]]
| 1–9
Line 104 ⟶ 101:
|rowspan=5| [[Lola Mk4|Mk4A]]
|rowspan=5| [[Coventry Climax#FWMV|Climax FWMV 1.5 V8]]
| {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Chris Amon]]
| 1–7
Line 147 ⟶ 143:
|rowspan=4| [[Ferrari 156|156]]
|rowspan=4| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] 178 1.5 [[V6]]
| {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Willy Mairesse]]
| 1–2, 6
Line 164 ⟶ 159:
| [[Lotus 24|24]]
| [[Coventry Climax#FWMV|Climax FWMV 1.5 V8]]
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Bernard Collomb]]
| 1, 6
Line 172 ⟶ 166:
| [[Lotus 24|24]]
| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|CHE}} [[Jo Siffert]]
| 1–9
Line 180 ⟶ 173:
|rowspan=2| [[Scirocco SP|SP]]
|rowspan=2| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Settember]]
| 2, 4–7
Line 191 ⟶ 183:
|rowspan=2| [[ATS 100|100]]
|rowspan=2| [[Automobili Turismo e Sport|ATS]] 100 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Phil Hill]]
| 2–3, 7–9
Line 202 ⟶ 193:
|rowspan=2| [[Porsche 718|718]]
|rowspan=2| [[Porsche]] 547/3 1.5 [[Flat-4|F4]]
| {{flagicon|NLD}} [[Carel Godin de Beaufort]]
| 2–3, 5–10
Line 213 ⟶ 203:
| [[Lotus 24|24]]
| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Phil Hill]]
| 4
Line 221 ⟶ 210:
|rowspan=3| [[BRM P57|P57]]
|rowspan=3| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Lorenzo Bandini]]
| 4–6
Line 247 ⟶ 235:
| [[Lotus 24|24]]
| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Masten Gregory]]
| 4, 7
Line 270 ⟶ 257:
| [[Lola Mk4|Mk4]]
| [[Coventry Climax#FWMV|Climax FWMV 1.5 V8]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Bob Anderson (racing driver)|Bob Anderson]]
| 5, 7
Line 278 ⟶ 264:
| [[Gilby 62|62]]
| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Ian Raby]]
| 5–7
Line 286 ⟶ 271:
| [[Lotus 18|18]]
| [[Borgward]] 1500 RS 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]]
| {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Kurt Kuhnke]]
| 6
Line 294 ⟶ 278:
| [[De Tomaso F1|F1]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] 178 1.5 [[V6]]
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Roberto Lippi]]
| 7
Line 302 ⟶ 285:
| [[Lotus 18/21|18/21]]
| [[Coventry Climax#FPF|Climax FPF 1.5 L4]]
| {{flagicon|BEL}} [[André Pilette]]
| 7
Line 310 ⟶ 292:
| [[Stebro Mk IV|Mk IV]]
| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] 109E 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]]
| {{flagicon|CAN|1957}} [[Peter Broeker]]
| 8
Line 318 ⟶ 299:
| [[Cooper T51|T51]]
| [[Coventry Climax#FPF|Climax FPF 1.5 L4]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Frank Dochnal]]
| 9
Line 326 ⟶ 306:
| [[Lotus 21|21]]
| [[Coventry Climax#FPF|Climax FPF 1.5 L4]]
| {{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} [[Ernie Pieterse]]
| 10
Line 334 ⟶ 313:
| [[Lotus 24|24]]
| [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] P56 1.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| {{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} [[Paddy Driver]]
| 10
Line 342 ⟶ 320:
| [[LDS Mk 1|Mk 1]]
|rowspan=2| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] Giulietta 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]]
| {{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} [[Doug Serrurier]]
| 10
Line 355 ⟶ 332:
| [[Cooper T55|T55]]
| [[Coventry Climax#FPF|Climax FPF 1.5 L4]]
| {{flagicon|Rhodesia and Nyasaland}} [[John Love (racing driver)|John Love]]
| 10
Line 363 ⟶ 339:
| [[LDS Mk 1|Mk 1]]
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] Giulietta 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]]
| {{flagicon|Rhodesia and Nyasaland}} [[Sam Tingle]]
| 10
Line 371 ⟶ 346:
| [[Lotus 22|22]]
| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] 109E 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]]
| {{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} [[Brausch Niemann]]
| 10
Line 379 ⟶ 353:
| [[Brabham BT6|BT6]]
| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] 109E 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]]
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[David Prophet]]
| 10
Line 387 ⟶ 360:
| [[Cooper T51|T51]]
| [[Maserati in motorsport|Maserati]] 6-1500 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]]
| {{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} [[Trevor Blokdyk]]
| 10
|-
|}
===Team and driver changes===
* [[Porsche in motorsport#Formula One|Porsche]] withdrew their [[works team]] after 1962, choosing to focus on their road-going sports cars. Ex-driver [[Jo Bonnier]] signed with [[Rob Walker (motorsport)|Rob Walker]]'s private team, while [[Dan Gurney]] signed with the relatively new team of double World Champion [[Jack Brabham]]. This left only the private Porsche driven by [[Carel Godin de Beaufort]].
* {{F1|1961}} champion [[Phil Hill]] and his teammate [[Giancarlo Baghetti]] left [[Scuderia Ferrari]] after 1962 to go to [[Automobili Turismo e Sport|ATS]]. The new team was formed by ex-Ferrari employees, including chief engineers [[Carlo Chiti]] and [[Giotto Bizzarrini]], after the [[History_of_Ferrari#The_"palace_revolt"|"palace revolt"]] of 1961.
* [[John Surtees]] signed with Ferrari in 1963, leaving [[Reg Parnell]] to search for new drivers, which he found in veteran [[Maurice Trintignant]] and debutant [[Chris Amon]].
====Mid-season changes====
* [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] hired [[Belgium|Belgian]] [[Willy Mairesse]] and [[Italy|Italian]] [[Ludovico Scarfiotti]] to share the role of teammate to [[John Surtees]]. Mairesse suffered a heavy crash in the [[1963 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]] and broke his arm. {{F1|1962}} Ferrari driver [[Lorenzo Bandini]] was brought in to finish the season.
* [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] driver [[Trevor Taylor (racing driver)|Trevor Taylor]] crashed out of the (non-championship) [[1963 Mediterranean Grand Prix]] at [[Enna-Pergusa]]. He was thrown out of his car, which then caught fire. He escaped with fairly minor injuries but missed the [[1963 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]]. [[Mike Spence]] substituted for him.
==Calendar==
Line 453 ⟶ 434:
===Calendar changes===
* The [[Dutch Grand Prix]]
* The [[French Grand Prix]] was moved back to [[Reims-Gueux]]. It would alternate to host the GP with [[Rouen-Les-Essarts]] until {{F1|1964}}.
* The [[British Grand Prix]] was moved from [[Aintree Motor Racing Circuit|Aintree]] to [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]]. Aintree had alternated with Silverstone since {{F1|1955}}, but 1962 was the last time that they hosted F1.▼
* The [[Mexican Grand Prix]] was added to the calendar and was held at the [[Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez|Magdalena Mixhuca]] circuit in [[Mexico City]].▼
==Championship report==
===Rounds 1 to 3===
The [[1963 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]] received the honorary title of ''European Grand Prix'' and, more importantly, functioned as the 1963 season opener. With little driver changes in the front-running teams and constructors withholding to introduce new designs to the narrow streets of [[Monte Carlo]], the battle between the {{F1|1962}} championship protagonists was expected to restart. Only five drivers were guaranteed a starting place: the previous World Champions or winners of the [[Monaco Grand Prix]]. The rest had to fight in [[Formula One racing#Qualifying|qualifying]] over the remaining eleven spaces. 1962's runner-up [[Jim Clark]] managed this with ease in his [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Coventry Climax|Climax]]. He posted the fastest practice time and started the race on [[pole position]]. Reigning champion [[Graham Hill]] started second in his [[British Racing Motors|BRM]], while [[John Surtees]] ([[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]) and [[Richie Ginther]] (BRM). Hill and Ginther took the lead at the start, but the first nine cars kept going nose-to-tail. Clark managed to get past Hill on lap 7, but then went wide at the Station hairpin and going down to third once again. He tried again and the lead changes hands multiple times, before Clark went ahead definitively and increased his lead to 17 seconds at three-quarters race-distance. Then suddenly, his [[gearbox]] jammed and his [[wheel]]s locked. Hill was gifted the win, ahead of teammate Ginther and [[Bruce McLaren]] in the [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]].<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204025940/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1963/26/xxi-monaco-grand-prix/|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1963/26/xxi-monaco-grand-prix/|title=1963 Monaco Grand Prix race report: BRM beats the street|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Denis Jenkinson|date=26 May 1963|archive-date=4 December 2023|access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>
The [[1963 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]] was run at [[Spa-Francorchamps]], one of the fastest circuits of the year, with the 1.5 [[litre]] cars running full [[throttle]] for some three minutes per lap. Clark was still suffering from gearbox issues, so Hill took pole position, ahead of [[Dan Gurney]] ([[Brabham]]) and local hero [[Willy Mairesse]] (Ferrari). Clark started eighth, but somehow, managed to take the lead before the first corner was reached. Hill followed him and the pair had a 15 second lead after the first lap. The race was run in very wet conditions and Clark had the upper-hand, stretching out a lead of his own to almost 30 seconds at half-distance. Then when Hill's gearbox broke, his win looked sealed, expect the heaviest storm of the day flooded the track. Five drivers crashed and it was discussed to stop the race, but Clark cautiously completed the laps, ahead of McLaren and Gurney.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527144201/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1963/11/the-xxii-belgian-grand-prix-lotus-all-the-way/|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1963/11/the-xxii-belgian-grand-prix-lotus-all-the-way/|title=1963 Belgian Grand Prix race report: Clark vanquishes field in Spa spray|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Denis Jenkinson|date=9 June 1963|archive-date=27 May 2023|access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>
[[File:Grand Prix te Zandvoort Nummer 6 Jim Clark aan kop met achter hem Graham Hill m, Bestanddeelnr 915-2877.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jim Clark]] on his way to win the [[1963 Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch Grand Prix]]]]
Moving north some {{conv|300|km|abbr=on}}, [[Circuit Zandvoort]] hosted the [[1963 Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch Grand Prix]]. Clark started on pole, ahead of Hill and McLaren. The three arrived side-by-side at Tarzan corner, but the positions were unchanged. Brabham had started fourth but got up to second while his teammate Gurney drew everyone's attention with a heroic recovery drive after a bad start. Hill got back up to second, but his BRM was overheating. Gurney had climbed to fourth, but a [[strut]] underneath the car had come loose and a [[pit stop]] brought him back down the order. Hill's engine had enough on lap 58 and he was forced to pit, letting Surtees into second and Gurney up to third. The latter had been working wonders again, but Clark, meanwhile, was a lap ahead of everyone else. He won the race to make it a [[Glossary of motorsport terms#G|"grand slam"]], ahead of Gurney and Surtees, a late spin by the Ferrari driver gave Gurney a deserved place as 'best-of-the-rest'.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209181753/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1963/20/the-dutch-grand-prix-2|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1963/20/the-dutch-grand-prix-2|title=1963 Dutch Grand Prix race report: Clark at the double|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Denis Jenkinson|date=23 June 1963|archive-date=9 December 2022|access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>
In the Drivers' Championship, [[Jim Clark]] ([[Team Lotus|Lotus]]) was leading with 18 points, ahead of [[Richie Ginther]] ([[British Racing Motors|BRM]] with 11 and [[Bruce McLaren]] ([[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]]) and [[Dan Gurney]] ([[Brabham]]), both with 10. Lotus was leading the Manufacturers' Championship with 19 points, ahead of BRM with 14 and Cooper and Brabham with 10.
===Rounds 4 to 7===
Championship leader [[Jim Clark]] scored another [[pole position]] at the [[1963 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]], ahead of [[Graham Hill]] and [[Dan Gurney]]. At the start, Hill stalled his engine, along with [[Masten Gregory]] and the unrelated [[Phil Hill]], but they were allowed to be push-started without further consequence, which was a diversion from the normal rules by the French race director. Behind Clark, a group of [[Brabham]]s and [[British Racing Motors|BRMs]] were fighting over second place. A couple of laps later, a series of retirements had changed the picture, and Clark's engine was not reaching full [[rpm]] either. [[Jack Brabham]] was catching the leading [[Team Lotus|Lotus]], but when the rain fell, Clark was again the fastest man on track and took the chequered flag to complete another [[Glossary of motorsport terms#G|"grand slam"]] and a [[hat-trick|hattrick]] of wins. When an electrical wire had come loose, Brabham's engine died. Although he could restart it, second place was now up for grabs. Hill took first advantage but his [[clutch]] slipped and it was [[Tony Maggs]] for [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]] that was the first to finish behind the almighty Clark. During the race, the stewards decided to [[foul (sports)|penalise]] the three drivers that stalled on the grid by adding a minute to their race time.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129062707/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1963/26/49th-french-grand-prix|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1963/26/49th-french-grand-prix|title=1963 French Grand Prix race report: Clark completes his hat-trick|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Denis Jenkinson|date=30 June 1963|archive-date=29 November 2021|access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref> Hill was still classified as third, but at a later point, it was decided to withhold his championship points. No points were awarded for third place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1963/races/208/france/race-result.html|title=1963 French Grand Prix - RACE RESULT|work=Formula1.com|access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>
For the [[1963 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]], Clark scored a fourth consecutive pole position, ahead of Gurney and Hill. Clark bogged down at the start, but he was back in front after just four laps. Brabham was the first of a group tightly fighting over second place. Gurney took over when Brabham's engine blew up. The race went on without incidents until Gurney's engine blew up on lap 60 and spread oil across the track. Hill went into second place before he starting running out of [[fuel]], letting Surtees into second and coasting over the line in third place. Clark scored his fourth win in a row. <ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608190829/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1963/14/xvi-british-grand-prix/|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1963/14/xvi-british-grand-prix/|title=1963 British Grand Prix race report - Clark (Lotus-Climax) uncatchable|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Denis Jenkinson|date=20 July 1963|archive-date=8 June 2023|access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>
Clark looked unstoppable going into the [[1963 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]], putting his Lotus on pole once again, ahead of Surtees and [[Lorenzo Bandini|Bandini]] (BRM). Clark held the lead at the start and was expected to run away with it, but sixth-starting [[Richie Ginther]] overtook him and so did Surtees, later in the first lap. Surtees and Clark soon passed Ginther, but still, it was a Ferrari in front and not a Lotus. And that remained for a while, with Clark going faster through the corners, but his Climax engine cutting out a cylinder, slowing him down on the straights. Graham Hill retired with a failing gearbox. When Surtees set a new lap record, Clark eased off to at least ensure a second place. Surtees delivered Ferrari's first win in two years. Ginther finished third. There were multiple heavy crashes during the race: Surtees's teamamte [[Willy Mairesse]] came off worst with a broken arm.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202123158/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1963/28/the-25th-german-grand-prix|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1963/28/the-25th-german-grand-prix|title=1963 German Grand Prix race report: Surtees rules at the 'Ring|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Denis Jenkinson|date=4 August 1963|archive-date=2 December 2022|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>
Clark was now 20 points ahead in the championship, and he would clinch the title if he won the [[1963 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]], no matter the results of his rivals. Unlike in {{F1|1962}}, the organisers had planned to use the full {{conv|10|km|abbr=on}} [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza circuit]], including the oval. [[Bob Anderson (racing driver)|Bob Anderson]] crashed his [[Lola Cars|Lola]] in [[Formula One racing#Free practice|practice]] and described it the safest accident he could wish to have. However, the [[police]] went round the track and noted that there were no fences on the inside of the oval to protect spectators. The organisers quickly agreed, seeing that there was a petition going to refuse the race unless the banking was eliminated, and declared to use the road circuit only for the rest of the weekend. Surtees qualified on pole in front of Ferrari's home crowd, ahead of Hill and Clark. Hill got the best start and was followed by Clark, before the traditional [[slipstreaming]] commenced and the lead changes hands multiple times through the next laps. Soon, though, Surtees and Clark were on their own, and then the Ferrari engine blew up. This gifted Clark the lead, but without a slipstream, the Climax engine was not up for it, so Hill and Gurney caught him and they formed a new trio at the front. But Hill's clutch gave out just after half-distance and Gurney's BRM had trouble with its fuel system, so Clark was left alone once more and his pace dropped. By this point, however, he was a lap ahead of second-placed Ginther and he cruised to the finish, to take the win and claim the 1963 championship.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426094818/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1963/40/34th-italian-grand-prix/|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1963/40/34th-italian-grand-prix/|title=1963 Italian Grand Prix race report: Clark and Lotus rule supreme|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Denis Jenkinson|date=8 September 1963|archive-date=26 April 2023|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>
[[Jim Clark]] ([[Team Lotus|Lotus]]) led the championship with 51 points, ahead of [[Richie Ginther]] ([[British Racing Motors|BRM]], 24) and [[John Surtees]] ([[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]], 22). On the basis of points, Ginther could still get level with Clark, but only the six best results in the season would count towards the championship, so on the minute chance that he would win the last three races, a number of third and second place finishes would be discounted. It marked Clark's and Lotus's first titles, and it was the first time that a driver secured the title with three races to go. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Lotus stood on 51 points, ahead of BRM (28) and Ferrari (22).
▲The [[British Grand Prix]] was moved from [[Aintree Motor Racing Circuit|Aintree]] to [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]].
===Rounds 8 to 10===
▲The [[Mexican Grand Prix]] was added to the calendar and was held at the [[Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez|Magdalena Mixhuca]] circuit in [[Mexico City]].
Even with the title in the pocket, [[Jim Clark]] was not easing off and fought for [[pole position]] for the [[1963 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]], but it was {{F1|1962}} champion [[Graham Hill]] that snatched it by a tenth of a second. His rivals in the hunt for second position in the championship, [[John Surtees]] and [[Richie Ginther]], started on the second row. At the start, Clark's engine stalled, so Hill was unchallenged into the first corner. The [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] was pushed to life and the freshly crowned champion started his race over a lap down. On lap 7, Surtees took the lead from Hill and [[Dan Gurney]] took third place from Ginther. Hill followed the [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] but had had enough of it by lap 30. He tried to overtake twice, but both times, Surtees repassed him on the straight. By lap 80, Hill was falling back with handling problems, but Surtees came into the pits with a failing engine. The [[British Racing Motors|BRMs]] of Hill and Ginther finished 1-2, ahead of Clark in third, whose engine was [[engine knocking|misfiring]] but had seen more than ten other drivers retiring.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226233830/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-1963/29/grand-prix-of-united-states-2?v=79cba1185463|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-1963/29/grand-prix-of-united-states-2?v=79cba1185463|title=1963 United States Grand Prix race report: Hill on top of the Glen as Surtees suffers again|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Michael Tee|date=6 October 1963|archive-date=26 December 2022|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>
Clark was back on top for the [[1963 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexican Grand Prix]], he started ahead of Surtees and Hill. Ginther, second in the championship standings, started fifth. At the start, Hill missed a gear and moved down to eighth. Fourth-starting Gurney moved up to second. Surtees [[pit stop|pitted]] on lap 19 and was [[Formula_One_regulations#Penalties|disqualified]] for needing a [[push-start]] from his [[car mechanic|mechanics]]. Double World Champion [[Jack Brabham]] inherited third place and managed to get past Ginther. Clark finished an lonely race at the top, almost a lap ahead of Brabham and Ginther. Hill finished fourth.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130182147/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-1963/26/11-gran-premio-de-mexico|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-1963/26/11-gran-premio-de-mexico|title=1963 Mexican Grand Prix race report: Clark leaves them standing|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Michael Tee|date=27 October 1963|archive-date=30 November 2021|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>
▲[[File:Jim Clark 1965.jpg|thumb|[[Jim Clark]] (pictured in 1965) won his first championship, driving a [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Coventry Climax|Climax]]]]
Going into the final race, the [[1963 South African Grand Prix|South African Grand Prix]], Ginther (29 points), Hill (25) and Surtees (22) could all still finish runner-up in the championship. The deal would be done if one of them could beat Clark to victory, but the champion started on pole position. Surtees started fourth, was up to second at the end of the first lap, but was back to fourth on lap 5. He suddenly retired on lap 43 when his engine blew up. Brabham had started second but fell back with a loss of power, while teammate Gurney was running a comfortable second, actually keeping up with Clark but not able to do more than that. Ginther's [[driveshaft]] failed on lap 44, letting Hill into third place and gifting the [[Great Britain|Brit]] second place in the championship.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607163114/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-1964/32/10th-south-african-grand-prix/|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-1964/32/10th-south-african-grand-prix/|title=1963 South African Grand Prix race report: Clark's finish fantastic|work=Motorsport Magazine|author=Michael Tee|date=28 December 1963|archive-date=7 June 2023|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>
The Drivers' Championship ended with [[Jim Clark]] ([[Team Lotus|Lotus]]) on 54 points, winning his first title, ahead of [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] teammates [[Graham Hill]] and [[Richie Ginther]], both scoring 29 points, but the [[Great Britain|Brit]] getting second place on [[countback]]. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Lotus gathered 54 points, winning their first title as well, ahead of BRM with 36 and [[Brabham]] with 28.
==Results and standings==
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