1966 Formula One Season: Brabham's Own-Name Title and the Return to Power

The 1966 Formula One season was the 20th championship year of FIA Formula One racing, and it introduced a new engine formula with 3-litre naturally aspirated engines. Jack Brabham clinched the crown in a Brabham-Repco, and the title was settled two rounds before the finale in Mexico. The season ran from 22 May to 23 October over nine championship races.

Why was 1966 called the return to power?

The season was nicknamed the return to power because the FIA doubled the permitted displacement for naturally aspirated engines, from 1.5 litres to 3 litres. Compressed engines were allowed up to 1.5 litres for the first time since 1960. The minimum car weight rose from 450 kg (990 lb) to 500 kg (1,100 lb) at the same time.

Teams welcomed the change, but not every project was ready when the lights went out in Monaco. Coventry Climax quit the racing engine business at the end of 1965, even though it had won that year's title. The company had been under the control of Jaguar Cars since 1963, and its withdrawal left most British teams without a supplier.

A new 3-litre engine formula, a late Weslake V12 and a title won in a car carrying its driver's own name.

Who won the 1966 Drivers' Championship?

Jack Brabham won the Drivers' Championship in a Brabham-Repco, his third title and his first since 1960. He finished on 42 points, ahead of John Surtees on 28 and Jochen Rindt on 22. Brabham also became the only driver to take the title in a car bearing his own name.

The win pushed Brabham into second place in the all-time list of champions, behind the five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio. The six years between his 1960 title and this one set a record for the longest gap between World Championship wins. That record stood until Niki Lauda broke it in 1984, seven years after his second title.

The Brabham team also won the Manufacturers' Cup, scoring 42 points. Ferrari took second with 31 points and Cooper finished third on 30.

How did the teams adapt to the new engines?

Each team found a different route to a 3-litre engine. Brabham partnered with the Australian engineering firm Repco, whose 3-litre V8 was ready in time for the opening race. Cooper turned to Maserati for an updated version of its 1957 engines, and Lotus began the year with a hastily prepared 2 litre Climax V8 that was never competitive enough to challenge at the front.

Lotus would not stay with that engine for long. The team returned to winning form after switching to Cosworth DFV engines for 1967, a change that came only after a season spent with the underpowered Climax unit.

Honda missed a large part of the early races and only returned for the Italian Grand Prix, where its new 3 litre V12 made its debut. Richie Ginther left Cooper after two races to rejoin Honda, and John Surtees took his place. Surtees had left Ferrari after the team refused him a drive at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a decision that also cost him his Formula One seat.

Which new teams entered the championship?

Two teams made their debut in 1966. Bruce McLaren left Cooper to set up his own operation and entered the McLaren M2B, a car designed by Robin Herd. McLaren tried a Ford V8 and then a Serenissima V8 during the year, switching between them without finding the right package.

Dan Gurney also left Brabham to enter his own team. He had worked with Carroll Shelby since 1962 to set up All American Racers, which built an F1 chassis called the Eagle Mk1. The chassis was not ready until the second race, and the Weslake 3 litre V12 only arrived with three races left. Until then Gurney ran a Climax FPF four-cylinder engine.

How did the rule changes shape the results?

Drivers who covered less than 90% of the race distance were not classified and received no points, even if they crossed the line in the top six. The maximum race distance was also cut from 500 km (310 mi) to 400 km (250 mi), which shortened every Grand Prix on the calendar.

The calendar itself changed as well. The South African Grand Prix at Prince George Circuit was relegated to non-championship status because it was open to 1.5 litre engines. The French Grand Prix moved from Charade to Reims-Gueux, and the British race switched from Silverstone to Brands Hatch as the two circuits took turns hosting it.

How did the first three rounds unfold?

Monaco set the tone. Jim Clark took pole in his Lotus-Climax, but he was caught out at the start and never led. John Surtees' Ferrari retired with a rear axle failure on lap 16, and Jackie Stewart went on to win the race in a BRM, his second career victory. Bandini finished second and Graham Hill was third.

The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps was a hard race from the outset. Surtees took pole in the Ferrari, but Stewart crashed at the Masta Kink in the rain and was trapped under his car while leaking fuel surrounded him for 25 minutes. Hill and Bob Bondurant borrowed a spectator's toolkit to free him. Five cars retired on the first lap, and Surtees won from Jochen Rindt and Lorenzo Bandini.

At the French Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux, Bandini took pole for Ferrari. His throttle cable broke on lap 32 and the lead passed to Brabham, who went on to win. Bandini tied a piece of string to the throttle and nursed the car back to the pits by hand, but he could not score. Parkes finished second in his first race and Denny Hulme was third.

What happened at Brands Hatch and Zandvoort?

The British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch was run in changing conditions. Rain fell early and Jochen Rindt pitted for rain tyres, but as the track dried he slipped back and Surtees retired. Brabham and Hulme finished first and second, with Graham Hill third, Jim Clark fourth and Rindt fifth.

The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort was another race for Brabham. Hulme's engine began to go wrong on lap 17 and he retired later on. Clark, driving a 2 litre Climax-powered Lotus, passed Brabham and built a substantial lead while lapping backmarkers. Brabham still finished first for his third race in a row, ahead of Hill.

Why was the German Grand Prix so dangerous?

The German Grand Prix took place on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Formula Two cars were allowed to race alongside the F1 field because organisers feared a thin entry, and that meant a crowded and hazardous first lap. John Taylor spun on the wet track, became trapped in a burning wreck and was rescued by Formula Two driver Jacky Ickx. Taylor was badly burned and died four weeks later.

Brabham led after the first lap and went on to win, his fourth consecutive victory. Clark crashed out on lap 11, and the podium places stayed unchanged. The result made Brabham the clear favourite for the title, with 39 points after six rounds.

How did the season finish at Monza, Watkins Glen and Mexico?

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza was the first round with the 3 litre engines in full swing. Mike Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiotti qualified at the front for Ferrari, ahead of Clark and Surtees. Brabham started sixth but retired with an oil leak, and Surtees needed to win all three remaining races to stop him. Scarfiotti took the win from Parkes and Hulme. Surtees' retirement from the race had already handed Brabham the championship.

At Watkins Glen, Brabham took pole for the United States Grand Prix. Clark inherited the win after Brabham retired halfway through the race. Jochen Rindt ran out of fuel and his last lap was so slow that it was forfeited. Rindt was still classified second, and Surtees third.

The last round in Mexico saw Surtees on pole for the first time in a Cooper. He fell back to fifth early on, then charged back to the lead by the halfway point. He won seven seconds ahead of Brabham, with Hulme at least a lap behind. It was his second win of the season after Belgium, and it gave him a final flourish after a season that had gone to Brabham.

What do the 1966 results show?

What was the lasting legacy of 1966?

The season is remembered for the return to power and for a champion who built his own car and raced it to the title. Brabham's record gap between titles lasted until Niki Lauda beat it in 1984. The season also left a clear picture of the 3-litre era, when Repco, Maserati, Climax, Weslake and Honda engines all fought for a place on the grid.

The 1966 season also inspired the film Grand Prix, which mixed real race footage with staged racing scenes. The film dramatised the spirit of a championship that began with a new engine formula and ended with a driver who had won in his own name.