1960 would be the final season of the 2.5-litre Formula, and Jack Brabham retired from the opening race in Argentina with transmission trouble. His team-mate Bruce McLaren made the early championship running, winning in Argentina, helped by race leaders Stirling Moss and Jo Bonnier both hitting mechanical trouble. Moss finished third, returning to the race in Maurice Trintignant's Cooper.
"Tragedy at Spa"
Moss's new rear-engined Lotus 18 appeared at Monaco, and he drove brilliantly in the wet to win from McLaren; Brabham was disqualified for receiving assistance from marshals after he spun off. Moss was also on top form at Zandvoort in the Dutch Grand Prix. Challenging Brabham for the lead, he suffered a puncture; by the time the wheel was changed he found himself in 12th place, but managed to finish in fourth. Brabham, who led from the start, was beginning a run of success; Moss was about to run out of luck in dramatic circumstances. A series of dreadful accidents marked the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. A wheel came off Moss's Lotus during practice and he broke both legs; there were deaths in two separate incidents in the race itself, both involving young British drivers. Alan Stacey was hit by a bird and Chris Bristow went off the road. Brabham won, with McLaren second. Jim Clark was in fifth place, gaining his first championship points. He had made an impressive debut at Zandvoort; though he succumbed to gearbox trouble, he tussled for fourth with Graham Hill.
"Four in a row for Brabham"
Brabham had another win on the fast Reims circuit. Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, driving Ferraris, had been in contention, but both suffered from transmission failure and gave Brabham his third success. He made it four in a row at Silverstone, although Graham Hill got most of the praise. After stalling his BRM on the line, he roared through the field and took the lead, but spun off seven laps short. Brabham received maximum points, and John Surtees, who was in his debut year, took second; the motorcycling champion was driving for Lotus. Silverstone was his best finish, but his best performance probably came in the following race, in Portugal. He built up a io-second lead over Brabham but was forced out of the race when his radiator split. Brabham profited, and this fifth consecutive victory assured him of another world title with two races still to go. Moss was back at the wheel for the race in Oporto, and was second at one point, but was disqualified for pushing his car in the wrong direction after a spin.
"Ferraris' hollow victory at Monza"
The championship may have been decided by Monza, but there was still controversy. Many considered the banked sections of the circuit dangerous, and the British teams boycotted the event in protest. Ferrari were left to sweep the board, Phil Hill winning his first championship race. Apart from that somewhat meaningless victory, it had been a wretched year for Ferrari, and the team didn't bother to contest the United States Grand Prix, staged at Riverside. Moss won, ending the series on a high note, and his victory also meant that Climax-engined cars had won every race apart from Monza. Ferrari certainly understood the implications, and their persistence with front-engined cars was about to end.
