1964 United States Grand Prix

Championship standings

Hill leads Clark by two points, with Surtees — who has won two of the last three races — just two further points behind Clark in third. The title is alive for all three men heading into the final two rounds.

Previous race

At Monza, Surtees won from pole in a race of slipstreaming that eventually settled once Clark and Hill retired. McLaren was a comfortable second, Bandini third. Surtees’s win, combined with the retirements of his rivals, puts Ferrari at the top of the Manufacturers’ standings and brings him back into contention for the Drivers’ title.

Entrants

The Ferrari cars are entered not by Scuderia Ferrari but by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team, painted in blue and white rather than their traditional red. Enzo Ferrari surrendered his entrant’s licence in a dispute with the Automobile Club d’Italia over the homologation of Ferrari’s new mid-engined Le Mans race car; NART’s US licence means the cars carry American national colours.

Milestones

Hill won at Watkins Glen in 1963. A second victory here would give him the sole record for most United States Grand Prix wins, breaking the tie he currently shares with Bruce McLaren, who won the inaugural 1959 race.

This is the 100th Formula One World Championship Grand Prix in which an Italian driver has participated.

Weather

Cool breezes and bright sunshine are expected for race day, with a crowd of 65,000 anticipated at the circuit.