1959 Dutch Grand Prix Explained

Type:F1
Previous Round:1959 Indianapolis 500#World Drivers' Championship
Next Round:1959 French Grand Prix
Country:Netherlands
Grand Prix:Dutch
Date:31 May
Year:1959
Official Name:VII Grote Prijs van Nederland
Location:Circuit Park Zandvoort
Zandvoort, Netherlands
Course:Permanent racing facility
Course Mi:2.605
Course Km:4.193
Distance Laps:75
Distance Mi:195.406
Distance Km:314.475
Weather:Sunny
Pole Driver:Jo Bonnier
Pole Country:Sweden
Pole Team:BRM
Pole Time:1:36.0
Fast Driver:Stirling Moss
Fast Team:Cooper-Climax
Fast Time:1.36.6
Fast Lap:42
Fast Country:UK
First Driver:Jo Bonnier
First Country:Sweden
First Team:BRM
Second Driver:Jack Brabham
Second Country:Australia
Second Team:Cooper-Climax
Third Driver:Masten Gregory
Third Country:USA
Third Flag Suffix:1912
Third Team:Cooper-Climax

The 1959 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on 31 May 1959. It was the ninth Dutch Grand Prix. The race was held over 75 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a race distance of 314 kilometres. It was race 3 of 9 in the 1959 World Championship of Drivers and race 2 of 8 in the 1959 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

The race was won by Swedish driver Joakim Bonnier driving a BRM P25. It would be the only World Championship victory of Bonnier's fifteen-year Grand Prix career. It was the first pole position and also the first win for the Owen Racing Organisation, the race team of the constructor BRM, and also the first pole position and win for a BRM-engine, after almost a decade of effort. Bonnier won by fifteen seconds over Australian driver Jack Brabham driving a Cooper T51, to become the first Swedish driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. Brabham's American teammate Masten Gregory was the only other driver to finish on the lead lap in his Cooper T51 in third position.

Brabham's second position expanded his championship points lead with Bonnier now second along with the Indianapolis 500 winner Rodger Ward.

The organisers wanted to have a local driver in the race, so Carel Godin de Beaufort was allowed to compete despite his car being a Porsche RSK sports car.[1]

Classification

Qualifying

PosNoDriverConstructorTimeGap
17 Jo BonnierBRM1:36.0
28 Jack BrabhamCooper-Climax1:36.0+0.0
311 Stirling MossCooper-Climax1:36.2+0.2
41 Jean BehraFerrari1:36.6+0.6
514 Graham HillLotus-Climax1:36.7+0.7
66 Harry SchellBRM1:37.3+1.3
79 Masten GregoryCooper-Climax1:37.6+1.6
82 Tony BrooksFerrari1:37.9+1.9
912 Innes IrelandLotus-Climax1:38.3+2.3
105 Carroll ShelbyAston Martin1:38.5+2.5
1110 Maurice TrintignantCooper-Climax1:38.7+2.7
123 Phil HillFerrari1:39.2+3.2
134 Roy SalvadoriAston Martin1:39.7+3.7
1415 Carel Godin de BeaufortPorsche1:44.5+8.5
1516 Cliff AllisonFerrari
Source:[2]

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
17 Jo BonnierBRM752:05:26.818
28 Jack BrabhamCooper-Climax75+ 14.226
39 Masten GregoryCooper-Climax75+ 1:23.074
412 Innes IrelandLotus-Climax74+ 1 Lap93
51 Jean BehraFerrari74+ 1 Lap42
63 Phil HillFerrari73+ 2 Laps12 
714 Graham HillLotus-Climax73+ 2 Laps5 
810 Maurice TrintignantCooper-Climax73+ 2 Laps11 
916 Cliff AllisonFerrari71+ 4 Laps15 
1015 Carel Godin de BeaufortPorsche68+ 7 Laps14 
Ret11 Stirling MossCooper-Climax62Gearbox31
Ret6 Harry SchellBRM46Gearbox6 
Ret2 Tony BrooksFerrari42Oil Leak8 
Ret5 Carroll ShelbyAston Martin25Engine10 
Ret4 Roy SalvadoriAston Martin3Engine13 
Notes

Notes

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
PosDriverPoints
1 Jack Brabham15
212 Joakim Bonnier8
13 Rodger Ward8
14 Tony Brooks6
15 Jim Rathmann6
Source: [3]
Constructors' Championship standings
PosConstructorPoints
1 Cooper-Climax14
22 BRM8
13 Ferrari8
4 Lotus-Climax3
Source:

Notes and References

  1. Book: Long. Brian. Porsche Racing Cars: 1953 to 1975. 2008. Veloce Publishing. Dorchester, England. 9781904788447. 75.
  2. Web site: 1959 Dutch GP Qualification. www.chicanef1.com. 25 July 2020.
  3. Web site: Netherlands 1959 - Championship • STATS F1. www.statsf1.com. 15 March 2019.