The 1965 Formula One season was the 19th season of FIA Formula One racing. It featured the 16th World Championship of Drivers, the 8th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and seven non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over ten races between 1 January and 24 October 1965.

Jim Clark won his second and final championship, driving a Lotus-Climax.

Jim Clark won the Drivers' Championship in a Lotus-Climax.[1] It was his second and last championship. Lotus were also awarded the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers for the second time.[2]

Teams and drivers

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The following teams and drivers competed in the 1965 FIA World Championship.

Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre Driver Rounds
  Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC
  North American Racing Team
Ferrari 158
1512
Ferrari 205B 1.5 V8
Ferrari 207 1.5 F12
D   John Surtees 1–8
  Lorenzo Bandini All
  Nino Vaccarella 8
  Pedro Rodríguez 9–10
  Bob Bondurant 9
  Ludovico Scarfiotti 10
  Owen Racing Organisation BRM P261 BRM P56 1.5 V8 D   Graham Hill All
  Jackie Stewart All
  Team Lotus Lotus-Climax 33
25
Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 D   Jim Clark 1, 3–10
  Mike Spence 1, 3–10
  Gerhard Mitter 7
  Geki 8
  Moisés Solana 9–10
  Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham-Climax BT7
BT11
Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 G   Jack Brabham 1–3, 5, 7, 9–10
  Dan Gurney 1, 3–10
  Denny Hulme 2, 4–8
  Giancarlo Baghetti 8
  Cooper Car Company Cooper-Climax T77
T73
Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 D   Bruce McLaren All
  Jochen Rindt All
  R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Brabham-Climax BT7 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 D   Jo Bonnier All
Brabham-BRM BT11 BRM P56 1.5 V8   Jo Siffert All
  DW Racing Enterprises Brabham-Climax BT11 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 D   Bob Anderson 1–7
Lotus-Climax 33   Paul Hawkins 2, 7
  Reg Parnell Racing Lotus-BRM 25
33
BRM P56 1.5 V8 D   Tony Maggs 1
  Richard Attwood 2–3, 5–10
  Mike Hailwood 2
  Innes Ireland 3–6, 8–10
  Chris Amon 4, 7
  Bob Bondurant 10
  John Willment Automobiles Brabham-BRM BT11 BRM P56 1.5 V8 D   Frank Gardner 1–3, 5–8
Brabham-Ford BT10 Ford 109E 1.5 L4   Paul Hawkins 1
  John Love Cooper-Climax T55 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D   John Love 1
  David Prophet Brabham-Ford BT10 Ford 109E 1.5 L4 D   David Prophet 1
  Otelle Nucci Alfa Special-Alfa Romeo Special Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4 D   Peter de Klerk 1
LDS-Climax Mk2 Climax FPF 1.5 L4   Doug Serrurier 1
  Lawson Organisation Lotus-Climax 21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D   Ernie Pieterse 1
  Scuderia Scribante Lotus-Climax 21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D   Neville Lederle 1
  Clive Puzey Motors Lotus-Climax 18/21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 D   Clive Puzey 1
  Sam Tingle LDS-Alfa Romeo Mk2 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4 D   Sam Tingle 1
  Ted Lanfear Lotus-Ford 22 Ford 109E 1.5 L4 D   Brausch Niemann 1
  Trevor Blokdyk Cooper-Ford T59 Ford 109E 1.5 L4 D   Trevor Blokdyk 1
  Jackie Pretorius LDS-Alfa Romeo Mk1 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4 D   Jackie Pretorius 1
  Ecurie Tomahawk Lotus-Ford 20 Ford 109E 1.5 L4 D   Dave Charlton 1
  Honda R & D Company Honda RA272 Honda RA272E 1.5 V12 G   Ronnie Bucknum 2–4, 8–10
  Richie Ginther 2–6, 8–10
  Scuderia Centro Sud BRM P57 BRM P56 1.5 V8 D   Lucien Bianchi 3
  Willy Mairesse 3
  Masten Gregory 3, 5, 7–8
  Roberto Bussinello 7–8
  Giorgio Bassi 8
  Bob Gerard Racing Cooper-Climax T60 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 D   John Rhodes 5
Cooper-Ford T71/73 Ford 109E 1.5 L4   Alan Rollinson 5
  Ian Raby Racing Brabham-BRM BT3 BRM P56 1.5 V8 D   Ian Raby 5, 7
  Chris Amon 5
  Brian Gubby Lotus-Climax 24 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 D   Brian Gubby 5

Driver changes

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Three future champions made their debuts in 1965:

Calendar

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Round Grand Prix Circuit Date
1 South African Grand Prix   Prince George Circuit, East London 1 January
2 Monaco Grand Prix   Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 30 May
3 Belgian Grand Prix   Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 13 June
4 French Grand Prix   Charade Circuit, Clermont-Ferrand 27 June
5 British Grand Prix   Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 10 July
6 Dutch Grand Prix   Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort 18 July
7 German Grand Prix   Nürburgring, Nürburg 1 August
8 Italian Grand Prix   Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 12 September
9 United States Grand Prix   Watkins Glen International, New York 3 October
10 Mexican Grand Prix   Magdalena Mixhuca, Mexico City 24 October

Calendar changes

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Championship report

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Rounds 1 to 3

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For the first time, the championship started in South Africa, and it did on the very first day of the year. Sixteen drivers were invited to the event and guaranteed a place on the grid. There were four places remaining, but fourteen drivers applied. Through pre-qualifying and subsequent qualifying, the grid was filled. The drivers started in order of their fastest qualifying times: 1963 champion Jim Clark in his Lotus-Climax was on pole position, ahead of 1964 champion John Surtees (Ferrari) and 1959 and 1960 champion Jack Brabham (Brabham). After the start, Clark led away with his teammate Mike Spence up to second. Not many changes in positions happened after that, until Brabham's engine started misfiring, leaking oil, and sending Spence in a spin on the next lap. The podium was taken by Clark, Surtees and 1962 champion Graham Hill (BRM). Spence and Brabham finished fourth and eighth, respectively.[4]

Just short of a full five months later, the Monaco Grand Prix was held and for this race, the organisers guaranteed one place on the grid for each factory team. The rest of the applicants had to be fast enough during qualifying to gain a starting ticket. In disagreement, Lotus decided to withdraw from the event, instead entering the Indianapolis 500 a day later. Hill started on pole position, ahead of Brabham and Hill's teammate Jackie Stewart. Brabham fell back and the two BRMs led away. Hill lost a lot of time when he had to avoid a backmarker, going up the escape road and having to push his car back onto the track. On lap 30, Stewart spun coming out of the fastest corner, before Brabham's Climax engine seized. Hill made it back into the lead, ahead of the Ferraris of Bandini and Surtees. Richard Attwood crashed in the hairpin, the leaders narrowly avoiding him, before Paul Hawkins crashed into the harbour. His car sank to the bottom but Hawkins was unhurt, as was Attwood. Hill took the win, ahead of Bandini and Stewart, after Surtees ran out of fuel with a lap to go.[5]

For the Belgian Grand Prix, Hill started on pole again, ahead of Clark and Stewart. Rain fell and everyone held a safe distance from the car in front, expect Clark, who took the lead through the most dangerous corner on the track, the Masta Kink. He quickly pulled out a big lead and even lapped Hill. Stewart finished second, ahead of Bruce McLaren, Brabham and Hill. Attwood crashed at Masta, his Lotus breaking in half and catching fire, but the driver escaping with only minor burns.[6]

After his Grand Slam in Belgium, Jim Clark (Lotus) was leading the Drivers' Championship with 18 points, ahead of Graham Hill (BRM, 15) and debutant Jackie Stewart (BRM, 11). In the Manufacturers' Championship, BRM was leading with 19 points, ahead of Lotus (18) and Ferrari (12).

Rounds 4 to 7

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The French Grand Prix was run for the first time at the Circuit de Charade, which was described as a quicker, twistier version of the Nürburgring.[7] Championship leader Jim Clark qualified his Lotus on pole position, ahead of two "number two drivers": Jackie Stewart (BRM) and Lorenzo Bandini (Ferrari). Their respective team leaders, Graham Hill and John Surtees, started thirteenth and fourth. Except from Bandini's accident on lap 36, the race finished as it started: Clark claimed another Grand Slam victory, ahead of Stewart and Surtees. Hill recovered to fifth.[8]

The British Grand Prix was run at Silverstone, where Clark scored another pole position, ahead of Hill and Honda driver Richie Ginther. At the start, Ginther challenged Clark for the lead, but fell back to fourth and then retired on lap 26. Surtees was fighting for third place against Lotus driver Mike Spence, while his team leader suddenly slowed down. The Climax engine was losing oil and Clark was coasting round the corners, only using power on the straights. Hill did anything within his might to chase his rival down, but the Lotus hang on to finish with 3 seconds to spare. Surtees came in third.[9]

 
The start of the Dutch Grand Prix

The Dutch Grand Prix was run just a week later and all eyes were on Clark. It was his rival Hill, however, that scored pole position. Clark started in second, Ginther again in third. Moments before the flag fell, Lotus team owner Colin Chapman was involved in a brawl with the Dutch police. It would result in his arrest and a two-day imprisonment. The race went on unhindered, however, and saw Ginther take the lead. On lap 5, Hill and Clark were back at the front, with the Lotus soon getting ahead. Hill then lost second place to his teammate Stewart and third place to Brabham driver Dan Gurney. Clark scored his fifth win of the season, ahead of Stewart, his fourth podium, and Gurney, his first podium of the year.[10]

It was Clark on top again during qualifying for the German Grand Prix, with more than 3 seconds over the BRMs of Stewart and Hill. At the start, Surtees's gearbox went wrong and he fell back. It would lead to his retirement on lap 11. Clark and Hill were fighting for the lead, while Stewart's suspension failed and he handed third place to Gurney. Clark broke the lap record a couple of times and won his fifth consecutive race. It was the first time since Jack Brabham in 1960 that a driver achieved this feat. Hill was second, Gurney third.[11]

Jim Clark (Lotus) was still leading the Drivers' Championship, now at 54 points, ahead of Graham Hill (BRM, 30) and Jackie Stewart (BRM, 25). Hill would have to win the remaining three races to prevent Clark from becoming champion. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Lotus led with 54 points, ahead of BRM (39) and Scuderia Ferrari (21).

Rounds 8 to 10

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Jackie Stewart won the Italian Grand Prix in his debut season.

Championship favourite Jim Clark (Lotus) achieved his fifth pole position of the year at the Italian Grand Prix, ahead of John Surtees for Ferrari and Jackie Stewart for BRM. At the start, Surtees had problems with his clutch, so Clark and Stewart were followed by Graham Hill, who had to finish first to stay in the race for the championship. The top three were engaged in a slipstream battle and the lead changed hands lap after lap. With ten laps to go, Clark suddenly stopped with a failing fuel pump, so Hill and Stewart were free to fight over the win in equal machinery. Going into the last lap, Hill touched the grass with his outer wheels, almost spinning but certainly valuable seconds. Stewart won his first race, with Hill in second and Dan Gurney in third. Despite Clark's retirement, Hill's second place meant that the 1965 championship was now decided.[12]

Hill started on pole for the United States Grand Prix, ahead of Clark and Honda driver Richie Ginther. Clark quickly grabbed the lead but soon retired with a broken piston. As it had happened more often, Ginther fell back, while his American rival Gurney went up the order. He came within four seconds of Hill when the Brit slid off the track, but when he made a mistake himself, his team leader Jack Brabham took second place. The Australian challenged Hill for the lead, but was unable to get by, and then became the third top-runner to take to the grass. The order at the finish was Hill, Gurney, Brabham. Lotus clinched the Manufacturers' Championship, seeing that BRM could no longer catch them in the last race. [13]

The season ended with the Mexican Grand Prix, where Clark scored another pole position, ahead of Americans Gurney and Ginther. The Honda driver took the lead at the start, while Stewart got up to second, before being passed by Mike Spence. His teammate Clark suffered his third consecutive retirement, before Stewart went out at the half-way point, and Hill's engine gave out with ten laps to go. Gurney passed Spence for second place and came within 3 seconds of the leader, but Ginther held on to his and Honda's first win.[14]

Jim Clark (Lotus) was awarded the 1965 Drivers' Championship after scoring 54 points, ahead of Graham Hill (BRM, 40) and Jackie Stewart (BRM, 33). Lotus clinched the Manufacturers' Championship as well, with 54 points, ahead of BRM (45), with Brabham just overtaking Ferrari for third place (27 and 26 points, respectively).

Results and standings

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Grands Prix

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Round Grand Prix Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning constructor Tyre Report
1   South African Grand Prix   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Lotus-Climax D Report
2   Monaco Grand Prix   Graham Hill   Graham Hill   Graham Hill   BRM D Report
3   Belgian Grand Prix   Graham Hill   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Lotus-Climax D Report
4   French Grand Prix   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Lotus-Climax D Report
5   British Grand Prix   Jim Clark   Graham Hill   Jim Clark   Lotus-Climax D Report
6   Dutch Grand Prix   Graham Hill   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Lotus-Climax D Report
7   German Grand Prix   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Lotus-Climax D Report
8   Italian Grand Prix   Jim Clark   Jim Clark   Jackie Stewart   BRM D Report
9   United States Grand Prix   Graham Hill   Graham Hill   Graham Hill   BRM D Report
10   Mexican Grand Prix   Jim Clark   Dan Gurney   Richie Ginther   Honda G Report

Scoring system

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Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. Only the best six results counted towards the championship.

The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. Additionally, like the Drivers' Championship, only the best six results counted towards the cup.

Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th 
Race 9 6 4 3 2 1
Source:[15]

World Drivers' Championship standings

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Pos. Driver RSA
 
MON
 
BEL
 
FRA
 
GBR
 
NED
 
GER
 
ITA
 
USA
 
MEX
 
Pts.[a]
1   Jim Clark 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 Ret Ret 54
2   Graham Hill 3 1 (5) (5) 2 (4) 2 2 1 Ret 40 (47)
3   Jackie Stewart (6) 3 2 2 5 2 Ret 1 Ret Ret 33 (34)
4   Dan Gurney Ret 10 Ret 6 3 3 3 2 2 25
5   John Surtees 2 4 Ret 3 3 7 Ret Ret 17
6   Lorenzo Bandini 15 2 9 8 Ret 9 6 4 4 8 13
7   Richie Ginther Ret 6 Ret Ret 6 14 7 1 11
8   Mike Spence 4 7 7 4 8 Ret 11 Ret 3 10
=   Bruce McLaren 5 5 3 Ret 10 Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret 10
10   Jack Brabham 8 Ret 4 DNS 5 3 Ret 9
11   Denny Hulme 8 4 Ret 5 Ret Ret 5
=   Jo Siffert 7 6 8 6 9 13 Ret Ret 11 4 5
13   Jochen Rindt Ret DNQ 11 Ret 14 Ret 4 8 6 Ret 4
14   Pedro Rodríguez 5 7 2
=   Ronnie Bucknum Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 5 2
=   Richard Attwood Ret 14 13 12 Ret 6 10 6 2
  Jo Bonnier Ret 7 Ret Ret 7 Ret 7 7 8 Ret 0
  Frank Gardner 12 Ret Ret 8 11 Ret Ret 0
  Masten Gregory Ret 12 8 Ret 0
  Bob Anderson NC 9 DNS 9 Ret Ret DNS 0
  Innes Ireland 13 Ret Ret 10 9 Ret DNS 0
  Paul Hawkins 9 10 Ret 0
  Bob Bondurant 9 Ret 0
  Peter de Klerk 10 0
  Tony Maggs 11 0
  Ian Raby 11 DNQ 0
  Moisés Solana 12 Ret 0
  Lucien Bianchi 12 0
  Nino Vaccarella 12 0
  Sam Tingle 13 0
  Roberto Bussinello DNQ 13 0
  David Prophet 14 0
  Chris Amon Ret DNS Ret 0
  John Love Ret 0
  Mike Hailwood Ret 0
  John Rhodes Ret 0
  Gerhard Mitter Ret 0
  Giancarlo Baghetti Ret 0
  Geki Ret 0
  Giorgio Bassi Ret 0
  Willy Mairesse DNS 0
  Alan Rollinson DNS 0
  Ludovico Scarfiotti DNS 0
  Trevor Blokdyk DNQ 0
  Doug Serrurier DNQ 0
  Neville Lederle DNQ 0
  Brausch Niemann DNQ 0
  Ernie Pieterse DNQ 0
  Brian Gubby DNQ 0
  Jackie Pretorius DNPQ 0
  Clive Puzey DNPQ 0
  Dave Charlton DNPQ 0
Pos. Driver RSA
 
MON
 
BEL
 
FRA
 
GBR
 
NED
 
GER
 
ITA
 
USA
 
MEX
 
Pts.
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Other points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
Purple Not classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (cell empty)
Text formatting Meaning
Bold Pole position
Italics Fastest lap


International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings

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Pos. Manufacturer RSA
 
MON
 
BEL
 
FRA
 
GBR
 
NED
 
GER
 
ITA
 
USA
 
MEX
 
Pts.[a]
1   Lotus-Climax 1 10 1 1 1 1 1 10 12 (3) 54 (58)
2   BRM (3) 1 2 2 2 (2) (2) 1 1 Ret 45 (61)
3   Brabham-Climax 8 7 4 (4) (6) 3 3 3 2 2 27 (31)
4   Ferrari 2 2 9 3 3 7 (6) 4 4 7 26 (27)
5   Cooper-Climax 5 5 3 Ret 10 Ret 4 5 6 Ret 14
6   Honda Ret 6 Ret Ret 6 14 7 1 11
7   Brabham-BRM 7 6 8 6 8 11 Ret Ret 11 4 5
8   Lotus-BRM 11 Ret 13 Ret 13 10 Ret 6 10 6 2
  Brabham-Ford 9 0
  Alfa Special-Alfa Romeo 10 0
  LDS-Alfa Romeo 13 0
  Cooper-Ford DNQ DNS 0
  LDS-Climax DNQ 0
  Lotus-Ford DNQ 0
Pos. Manufacturer RSA
 
MON
 
BEL
 
FRA
 
GBR
 
NED
 
GER
 
ITA
 
USA
 
MEX
 
Pts.
  • Bold results counted to championship totals.

Non-championship races

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Other Formula One races were also held in 1965, which did not count towards the World Championship. The last of them, the 1965 Rand Grand Prix, was the first Formula One race for cars with 3-litre engines.

Race Name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Report
  II Cape South Easter Trophy Killarney 9 January   Paul Hawkins   Brabham-Climax Report
  I Race of Champions Brands Hatch 13 March   Mike Spence   Lotus-Climax Report
  XIV Syracuse Grand Prix Syracuse 4 April   Jim Clark   Lotus-Climax Report
  I Sunday Mirror Trophy Goodwood 19 April   Jim Clark   Lotus-Climax Report
  XVII BRDC International Trophy Silverstone 15 May   Jackie Stewart   BRM Report
  IV Mediterranean Grand Prix Pergusa 15 August   Jo Siffert   Brabham-BRM Report
  VIII Rand Grand Prix Kyalami 4 December   Jack Brabham   Brabham-Climax Report

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Only the best 6 results counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.

References

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  1. ^ "1965 Driver Standings". Formula1.com. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  2. ^ "1965 Constructor Standings". Formula1.com. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Zeltweg 200 Miles". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  4. ^ Michael Tee (1 January 1965). "1965 South African Grand Prix race report: Clark peerless at season opener". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  5. ^ Denis Jenkinson (30 May 1965). "1965 Monaco Grand Prix race report: Hill fights back". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  6. ^ Denis Jenkinson (13 June 1965). "1965 Belgian Grand Prix race report: Clark weathers the storm at Spa". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  7. ^ "The Volcanic Rush of Clermont Ferrand". speedhunters.com. August 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  8. ^ Denis Jenkinson (27 June 1965). "1965 French Grand Prix race report: A hat-trick of wins for Clark". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  9. ^ Denis Jenkinson (10 July 1965). "1965 British Grand Prix race report - A close thing". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  10. ^ Denis Jenkinson (18 July 1965). "1965 Dutch Grand Prix race report: Clark rules the dunes". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  11. ^ Denis Jenkinson (1 August 1965). "1965 German Grand Prix race report: Clark king at the 'ring". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  12. ^ Denis Jenkinson (12 September 1965). "1965 Italian Grand Prix race report: Debutant's delight". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  13. ^ Michael Tee (3 October 1965). "1965 United States Grand Prix race report: Hill masterful at the Glen". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  14. ^ Michael Tee (24 October 1965). "1965 Mexican Grand Prix race report: Ginther wraps it up". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  15. ^ "World Championship points systems". 8W. Forix. 18 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
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