1963 Italian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Clark leads the championship by 20 points, with Ginther and Surtees chasing.

Previous race

At the Nürburgring, Clark led away from pole but found Surtees and the Ferrari faster on the straights after his Climax engine lost a cylinder. Surtees passed him and stayed ahead to win Ferrari’s first Grand Prix in two years. Clark finished second — the only occasion this season he has failed to either win or retire. Willy Mairesse suffered a serious crash and broke his arm.

Between-race developments

With Mairesse out injured, Ferrari has brought Lorenzo Bandini in to partner Surtees for the remaining rounds.

Trevor Taylor crashed heavily in the non-championship Mediterranean Grand Prix at Enna-Pergusa, being thrown from his Lotus before the car caught fire. He escaped with relatively minor injuries but is unable to start at Monza. Mike Spence substitutes for him.

Championship permutations

Clark can clinch the 1963 World Championship at this race if he wins, regardless of what his rivals score.

Entrants

The organisers planned to use the full 10 km Monza layout, including the banked oval, for the first time since 1961. However, police inspected the track and found no fencing on the inside of the banking to protect spectators. Faced with a petition to exclude the oval and the organisers’ own concerns, the decision was taken to revert to the 5.75 km road circuit for the rest of the weekend.

This is Scuderia Ferrari’s 100th start as a constructor in World Championship racing. Mike Spence and Ernesto Brambilla both make their Formula One World Championship debuts. Chris Amon is hospitalised following a practice accident and is unable to start.