The Motorsport Scrapbook (59)

Phil Hill remains the only American winner of the FIA World Drivers’ Championship – Mario Andretti having been born in Italy prior to emigrating to the USA – when he won the title in 1961 driving a Ferrari 156. Hill came to Europe in 1949 to work as an engineer with Jaguar but his ambition was focused on driving. In 1956 he signed a contract with Ferrari, becoming part of its Formula 1 team in 1959.

1961 German GP Ferrari Phil Hill portrait

He had demonstrated his talent as a fast and reliable driver when he co-drove the winning car at the Le Mans 24-Hours the previous year, a feat he repeated in 1961 and 1962, in addition to winning at Daytona and Sebring. His first of three grand prix victories came at Monza in 1960, notable for being the last to be won by a front-engined car. 1961 saw Hill win a further two grand prix as well as two seconds and two thirds during a championship season that consisted of eight races. Despite achieving his ultimate goal, it came at a price; the Italian grand prix was the penultimate round of the championship and Hill was in second place behind his teammate Wolfgang von Trips who looked set to win the drivers’ title. But tragedy struck during the race when von Trips crashed and was killed along with numerous spectators. Hill inherited the race win and went on the secure the championship but despite achieving his ultimate goal, it was unavoidably tinged with sorrow. As a quiet, almost introspective person, he felt he had accomplished as much as he could with Ferrari so he made the decision to leave the team at the end of the 1962 season. In partnership with Giancarlo Baghetti he helped create the ATS team accompanied by a number of disillusioned ex-Ferrari engineers who had infamously departed the company. He took part in several races without success prior to joining the British Cooper Cars team in 1964, his final year in Formula 1. The next two years saw him concentrate on driving sportscars, having accepted an offer to join the Ford-backed Shelby American team as part of the driver line-up for the GT40 race programme. In 1966 and 1967 he joined Jim Hall’s all-American Chaparral team, recording his final race victory in a Chaparral 2F at the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch, prior to retiring from racing at the end of 1967. The photograph shows Phil Hill in the cockpit of his Ferrari 156 during the 1961 German grand prix at the Nurburgring, the year he won the driver championship. Despite securing pole position, one of five he achieved during the eight-race season, he finished third in the race behind the Ferrari of von Trips and the winning Lotus of Stirling Moss. It is interesting to note the name ‘HILL’ spelt out in chalk on the body panel between the screen and steering wheel.