1965 Belgian Grand Prix Explained

The 1965 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 13 June 1965. It was race 3 of 10 in both the 1965 World Championship of Drivers and the 1965 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was won by British driver Jim Clark who led every lap of the race driving a Lotus 33. It was one of the Scot's most dominant wins. In the rain, he pulled away and with a third of the race to go, the Lotus driver was leading his fellow Scotsman Jackie Stewart by 1 minute and 20 seconds. However, for the last six laps Clark eased off dramatically and when the chequered flag was waved his lead was down to just under 45 seconds.^{[1] [2]}

Classification

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	7	Graham Hill	BRM	3:45.4	—
2	17	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	3:47.5	+2.1
3	8	Jackie Stewart	BRM	3:48.8	+3.4
4	10	Richie Ginther	Honda	3:49.0	+3.6
5	15	Dan Gurney	Brabham-Climax	3:49.2	+3.8
6	1	John Surtees	Ferrari	3:49.7	+4.3
7	20	Jo Bonnier	Brabham-Climax	3:50.7	+5.3
8	21	Jo Siffert	Brabham-BRM	3:51.3	+5.9
9	4	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax	3:51.5	+6.1
10	14	Jack Brabham	Brabham-Climax	3:52.3	+6.9
11	11	Ronnie Bucknum	Honda	3:52.6	+7.2
12	18	Mike Spence	Lotus-Climax	3:53.2	+7.8
13	23	Richard Attwood	Lotus-BRM	3:53.3	+7.9
14	5	Jochen Rindt	Cooper-Climax	3:54.0	+8.6
15	2	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	3:57.4	+12.0
16	22	Innes Ireland	Lotus-BRM	3:59.0	+13.6
17	27	Lucien Bianchi	BRM	3:59.4	+14.0
18	26	Frank Gardner	Brabham-BRM	3:59.4	+14.0
19	24	Bob Anderson	Brabham-Climax	3:59.8	+14.4
20	29	Masten Gregory	BRM	4:02.8	+17.4
Source:[3] [4]

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	17	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	32	2:23:34.8	2	9
2	8	Jackie Stewart	BRM	32	+44.8 secs	3	6
3	4	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax	31	+1 Lap	9	4
4	14	Jack Brabham	Brabham-Climax	31	+1 Lap	10	3
5	7	Graham Hill	BRM	31	+1 Lap	1	2
6	10	Richie Ginther	Honda	31	+1 Lap	4	1
7	18	Mike Spence	Lotus-Climax	31	+1 Lap	12
8	21	Jo Siffert	Brabham-BRM	31	+1 Lap	8
9	2	Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari	30	+2 Laps	15
10	15	Dan Gurney	Brabham-Climax	30	+2 Laps	5
11	5	Jochen Rindt	Cooper-Climax	29	+3 Laps	14
12	27	Lucien Bianchi	BRM	29	+3 Laps	17
13	22	Innes Ireland	Lotus-BRM	27	+5 Laps	16
14	23	Richard Attwood	Lotus-BRM	26	Accident	13
Ret	29	Masten Gregory	BRM	12	Fuel pump	20
Ret	20	Jo Bonnier	Brabham-Climax	9	Ignition	7
Ret	11	Ronnie Bucknum	Honda	9	Gearbox	11
Ret	1	John Surtees	Ferrari	5	Engine	6
Ret	26	Frank Gardner	Brabham-BRM	3	Ignition	18
DNS	24	Bob Anderson	Brabham-Climax	0	Engine	19
WD	28	Willy Mairesse	BRM		Too slow

Notes

• Jim Clark now held the sole record of four Belgian Grand Prix wins, breaking the old record of three wins set by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix.
• This was the first Formula One World Championship point for Honda as a constructor and as an engine supplier, also the first for a Japanese and Asian constructor and engine supplier.
• A Coventry Climax-powered car now had won the Belgian Grand Prix a record five times, breaking the old record of four wins set by Ferrari at the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix.

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
1	1	Jim Clark	18
1	2	Graham Hill	15
2	3	Jackie Stewart	11
1	4	John Surtees	9
1	5	Bruce McLaren	8
Source: [5]

Constructors' Championship standings

	Pos	Constructor	Points
	1	BRM	19
1	2	Lotus-Climax	18
1	3	Ferrari	12
	4	Cooper-Climax	8
1	5	Brabham-Climax	3
Source:

• Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Jim Clark's 1965 season. peterwindsor.com. 17 January 2017.
2. News: MotorSport Magazine Archive. Belgian Grand Prix: Scotland Forever. 13 June 1965. 28 December 2018.
3. Web site: 1965 Belgian GP Qualification. www.chicanef1.com. 12 August 2020.
4. Web site: 1965 Belgian Grand Prix . Motor Sport Magazine. 12 August 2020.
5. Web site: Belgium 1965 - Championship • STATS F1. www.statsf1.com. 12 March 2019.