The 1960 Formula 1 season was the 14th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 11th World Championship of Drivers, contested over ten races. Jack Brabham (Cooper-Climax) won his second consecutive Drivers' Championship. The season marked the definitive triumph of rear-engined cars, with Cooper and Lotus dominating the old front-engined Ferraris and Maseratis. The season was also marred by tragedy at the Belgian Grand Prix, where two drivers lost their lives.
The 1960 season began at the Buenos Aires circuit. Bruce McLaren, driving a Cooper-Climax, won the Argentine Grand Prix, taking the first victory of his Formula 1 career and the early championship lead.
Stirling Moss won the Monaco Grand Prix driving a Lotus-Climax for Rob Walker's private team. It was a significant victory for the Lotus marque and demonstrated the growing competitiveness of rear-engined cars on tight street circuits.
The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps was one of the darkest weekends in Formula 1 history. Two drivers, Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey, were killed in separate accidents during the race. Stirling Moss suffered a severe crash in practice that sidelined him for much of the season. Jack Brabham won the race in his Cooper-Climax.
Jack Brabham won the French Grand Prix at the fast Reims-Gueux circuit, extending his championship lead. The race further confirmed the superiority of the Cooper-Climax rear-engined design on high-speed circuits.
Jack Brabham won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, completing a hat-trick of consecutive victories. His Cooper-Climax was now firmly established as the car to beat, and Brabham's championship lead appeared insurmountable.
American driver Phil Hill won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza driving a Ferrari, becoming the first American to win a Formula 1 World Championship race outside the Indianapolis 500. Ferrari's front-engined Dino 246 proved competitive on the high-speed Monza circuit.
By season's end, Jack Brabham's Drivers' Championship in the Cooper-Climax confirmed the permanent shift to rear-engined cars in Formula 1. The Cooper team, using Climax engines, had proven that the mid/rear-engined layout was superior, and by 1961 all major manufacturers would adopt the configuration.
The inaugural United States Grand Prix was held at Riverside International Circuit in California. Jack Brabham won the race and secured his second consecutive World Championship title. The event marked Formula 1's growing ambition to expand into the American market beyond the Indianapolis 500.
