1963 United States Grand Prix

Championship standings

Clark is World Champion, having clinched at Monza with three rounds remaining. Ginther, Surtees, and Hill are fighting for runner-up in the Drivers’ standings.

Previous race

At Monza, the decision to revert from the banked oval to the road circuit was made at the drivers’ request after the banking was judged dangerous. Surtees qualified on pole in front of Ferrari’s home crowd, but his engine blew while running at the front, gifting Clark the lead. Hill and Gurney caught the Lotus as the Climax engine faded without a slipstream partner, but Hill’s clutch failed and Gurney’s fuel system gave trouble, leaving Clark to cruise to the finish a lap clear of Ginther. Clark became the first driver to win the championship with three races still to go.

Entrants

Ferrari appear at Watkins Glen for the first time. A dummy starting grid is used for the first time in a World Championship Grand Prix.

Mexican driver Pedro Rodríguez makes his Formula One debut. Peter Broeker enters for the Stebro team — the first Canadian constructor in Formula One — powered by a Ford four-cylinder engine, Ford’s first appearance as an engine supplier in the championship. The entry also contains five American drivers: Masten Gregory, Phil Hill, Jim Hall, Hap Sharp, and Rodger Ward — the most Americans in any Formula One field.

Practice

During Saturday qualifying, Broeker’s Stebro dumped oil around the full circuit. The session was stopped for 30 minutes to clean up, and conditions never recovered sufficiently for anyone to improve on their Friday times. Hill set the fastest lap on Friday at 1:13.4.