In January 1959 Vanwall team boss Tony Vandervell withdrew from racing, shocking everyone. Brooks went to Ferrari while Moss hovered between two teams. In some races he drove a Cooper-Climax; in others he struck a deal allowing him to drive a front-engined BRM.
"Success for Brabham"
The championship began at Monaco; the Argentine Grand Prix was cancelled. Moss fought for the lead with Behra's Ferrari and Brabham's Cooper-Climax, but he and Behra both had to retire, leaving Brabham to score his and Cooper's first victory. Brooks came second, with Brabham's team-mate Trintignant third. This Cooper was a much better car than the one in which Moss had won the Argentine Grand Prix the year before. 1958, Cooper's first full season, saw some encouraging results, but 1959 was to be the breakthrough for the impressive rear-engined car, and for Brabham. Since arriving from Australia in 1955, Brabham had been with Cooper. He was the top works driver when it moved to Formula One in 1957.
"First win for BRM"
Another British marque scored a success at Zandvoort. BRM had been involved in Formula One since 1950, but had never won. Joakim Bonnier changed that, fighting off the Cooper challenge of Brabham, Moss and Masten Gregory. The best Ferrari achieved was Behra's fifth place, but in two of the next three races its speed proved decisive. At Reims Brooks and Hill made it a one-two for Ferrari, with Brabham having to settle for third. However, a Italian strike meant that Ferrari was unable to follow up this success, leaving the British teams to fight it out in the Aintree Grand Prix. Brabham led all the way; Moss chose to drive the front-engined BRM and took second, coming in just ahead of Cooper's up-and-coming McLaren.
"Behra killed on 'lethal' circuit"
The German Grand Prix was staged for the first time on Berlin's high-speed Avus track, and Ferrari was back. This circuit's steeply-banked section was thought lethal by many drivers, and Behra was killed in the sports car race preceding the main event. The Grand Prix itself was split into two 30-lap heats; Brooks won both, taking overall first place. New Ferrari driver Dan Gurney was second; Hill in third made it a clean sweep.
Moss had driven the Cooper for the two laps he lasted in Germany. Hans Herrmann entered the race in the BRM but crashed out after a brakes failure, destroying the car, and Moss drove Coopers for the rest of the season. He dominated the next race, the Portuguese Grand Prix at Monsanto, where he lapped the entire field. Masten Gregory's Cooper was a distant second, ahead of Gurney's Ferrari.
The Ferraris were expected to dominate at Monza, but Moss was at his best. He sat on Hill's tail, conserving his tyres. Hill, like all the Ferrari drivers, had to stop for new rear tyres; Moss hit the front and finished the race on his original ones. Hill was second, and Brabham was third. There was only one round to go. Brabham had 31 points, Moss 25.5 and Tony Brooks 23, meaning that he, too, could overhaul Brabham by winning the final round and setting the fastest lap.
"Brabham's championship at a push"
The decider would be on the Sebring airfield track in Florida — the United States' first ever championship event with the exception of the Indianapolis 500 — but not until December, giving the contenders three months to prepare. Moss took pole and was out of the blocks first, but retired with transmission failure after just six laps. Brabham took over and held the lead to the last lap, running out of fuel 500 yards from the line. Again he pushed his Cooper to the finish, earning fourth place. His team-mates McLaren and Trintignant crossed the line first and second. Brooks's third place gave him four points, enough to snatch second place from Moss, but not enough to prevent Brabham gaining his first world crown.
1959 Drivers Championship
1.Jack Brabham - 31
2. Tony Brooks - 27
3. Stirling Moss - 25.5
1959 Constructors Title
1. Cooper-Climax - 40
2. Ferrari - 32
3. BRM - 18
