1968 Belgian Grand Prix

  1968 Belgian Grand Prix

Race details
Race 4 of 12 in the 1968 Formula One season
Date	June 9, 1968
Official name	XXVIII Grand Prix de Belgique
Location	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium
Course	Permanent racing facility 14.100 km (8.761 mi)
Distance	28 laps, 394.800 km (245.317 mi)
Weather	Overcast, Dry
Pole position
Driver	Chris Amon	Ferrari
Time	3:28.6
Fastest lap
Driver	John Surtees	Honda
Time	3:30.5 on lap 5
Podium
First	Bruce McLaren	McLaren-Ford
Second	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM
Third	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari

The 1968 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit on June 9, 1968. It was the fourth round of the 1968 Formula One season.

Classification

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	5	Bruce McLaren	McLaren-Ford	28	1:40:02.1	6	9
2	11	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	28	+ 12.1	8	6
3	23	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	28	+ 39.6	3	4
4	7	Jackie Stewart	Matra-Ford	27	Out of fuel	2	3
5	2	Jackie Oliver	Lotus-Ford	26	Transmission	15	2
6	15	Lucien Bianchi	Cooper-BRM	26	+ 2 Laps	12	1
7	3	Jo Siffert	Lotus-Ford	25	Oil Pressure	9
8	10	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	25	+ 3 Laps	13
Ret	14	Piers Courage	BRM	22	Engine	7
Ret	6	Denny Hulme	McLaren-Ford	18	Halfshaft	5
Ret	20	John Surtees	Honda	11	Suspension	4
Ret	22	Chris Amon	Ferrari	8	Radiator	1
Ret	16	Brian Redman	Cooper-BRM	6	Spun Off	11
Ret	12	Richard Attwood	BRM	6	Oil Pipe	18
Ret	18	Jack Brabham	Brabham-Repco	6	Throttle	10
Ret	1	Graham Hill	Lotus-Ford	5	Halfshaft	14
Ret	19	Jochen Rindt	Brabham-Repco	5	Engine	17
Ret	17	Jo Bonnier	McLaren-BRM	1	Wheel	16

Notes

• This was the first race where wings were used on an F1 car. Ferrari added wings to their lead driver Chris Amon's car and he nabbed pole position, and was 4 seconds faster in qualifying than the next fastest car of Jackie Stewart. Amon's teammate Jacky Ickx did not have wings on his car.^[1] The Brabham team also fitted a rear wing to Jack Brabham's car, paired with dive planes on the nose to counteract lift; he qualified 10th.^[2] Wings were added to Ickx's car (and many other teams copied the idea for their cars) for the next race at Zandvoort.
• On the seventh lap Brian Redman went off the circuit when his suspension failed and he crashed into and over a concrete barrier and into a parked car. His Cooper caught fire but Redman escaped with a broken right arm and a few minor burns.
• Records:
  • Fastest Fastest Lap Speed - John Surtees (241.140 km/h)
  • Most Races Contested - Jack Brabham (100)
  • Fastest Average Race Speed - Bruce McLaren (236.797 km/h)
• Milestones:
  • 100th Race Entry Jack Brabham (Driver)
  • 10th Fastest Lap John Surtees (Driver)
  • 1st Win - McLaren (Car Manufacturer)
• Last win: Bruce McLaren

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Graham Hill 24 2 Denny Hulme 10 14 3 Bruce McLaren 9 1 4 Jim Clark 9 10 5 Pedro Rodríguez 6

Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 Lotus-Ford 29 2 McLaren-Ford 17 1 3 BRM 12 1 4 Cooper-BRM 9 1 5 Ferrari 7

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

References

1. ^ Lawrence (1999) p.100
2. ^ Nye (1986) p.72

• Lang, Mike (1982). Grand Prix! Vol 2. Haynes Publishing Group. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-85429-321-3. 
• Lawrence, Mike (1999). Brabham+Ralt+Honda: The Ron Tauranac story. Motor Racing Publications. ISBN 1-899870-35-0. 
• Nye, Doug (1986). Autocourse history of the Grand Prix car 1966–85. Hazleton publishing. ISBN 0-905138-37-6. 
• "The Official Formula 1 website". http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1968/552/. Retrieved 2007-06-13.