1960 Season

Season context

The 1960 season is the final year of the 2.5-litre formula. From 1961, FIA mandates a shift to 1.5-litre engines — a change that is reshaping development priorities across the paddock right now. Jack Brabham and Cooper-Climax enter as defending double champions, having taken both titles in 1959.

Driver changes

Dan Gurney moves from Ferrari to BRM. Tony Brooks also leaves Ferrari, joining the Yeoman Credit Racing (British Racing Partnership) Cooper entry. Graham Hill moves in the opposite direction, leaving Lotus for BRM alongside Gurney.

The most talked-about arrival is John Surtees, making his Formula One debut with Lotus after a career of extraordinary success in motorcycle racing. Lance Reventlow brings the American Scarab constructor to the championship with himself and Chuck Daigh as drivers. Carroll Shelby retires from driving to establish a driving school.

Team changes

Scarab, the American front-engined constructor built by Lance Reventlow, makes its World Championship debut. The team enters two cars for Reventlow and Chuck Daigh.

Aston Martin runs their DBR5 for Roy Salvadori and Maurice Trintignant at the British Grand Prix only. Vanwall, champions in 1958, are effectively absent — Tony Brooks tests one car at the French Grand Prix before returning to his BRP drive.

The field divides sharply by philosophy: rear-engined Cooper, Lotus, BRM, and Porsche versus front-engined Ferrari, Scarab, and Aston Martin.

Calendar

Ten championship rounds are scheduled, with the Indianapolis 500 included for the last time. The Argentine Grand Prix returns after its 1959 cancellation over faded local interest; the Belgian Grand Prix also returns after being cancelled in 1959 over start-money disputes.

The German Grand Prix is cancelled — it had been scheduled for the AVUS circuit in Berlin but withdrawn over safety concerns. The Moroccan Grand Prix is dropped for financial reasons.

The British Grand Prix moves from Aintree to Silverstone as part of the circuits’ alternating arrangement. The Portuguese Grand Prix moves from the Monsanto park circuit to the Boavista street circuit in Porto. The United States Grand Prix relocates from Sebring to Riverside International Raceway in California after Sebring proved unprofitable. This will be the only World Championship race held at Riverside.

Regulation changes

The points-scoring system is revised. The single point previously awarded for fastest lap is dropped; instead, a point is now given for sixth place. The top six positions score 8-6-4-3-2-1. Points from shared drives no longer count toward the championship. The best six results from ten rounds count.

For the Constructors’ Championship, only the highest-finishing car per team per round scores points, and Indianapolis 500 results are excluded.