Date 13 September 1959 | Course length 5.750 km (3.573 mi) | |
 | ||
Official name XXX Gran Premio d'Italia Location Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Monza, Italy Course Permanent racing facility Distance 72 laps, 414.000 km (257.256 mi) | ||
The 1959 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 13 September 1959. It was the eighth and penultimate round of the 1959 Formula One season. It was the 29th Italian Grand Prix and the 24th to be held at Monza. The race was held over 72 laps of the five kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 414 kilometres.
Contents
The race was won by British driver Stirling Moss driving a Cooper T51 for the privateer Rob Walker Racing Team. Moss won by 46 seconds over American driver Phil Hill driving a Ferrari Dino 246 for Scuderia Ferrari. Championship points leader Australian Jack Brabham finished third in works entered Cooper T51, expanding his points lead, but not sufficiently to prevent a championship showdown with Moss and Ferrari driver Tony Brooks at the United States Grand Prix.
Race report
This race was won on the weight of the cars, with Stirling Moss and team manager Rob Walker gambling on running the whole race without a tyre change in the little lightweight Cooper - although they substituted knock-on wheels for bolt-ons in case a pit stop was necessary. Stirling drove a careful race, relying on the Ferrari crew needing to pit. Tony Brooks made a good start but a piston failure eliminated him on the first lap. Graham Hill and then Dan Gurney led, but lost their advantages through clumsy pit-stop action. Moss continued to win at an average speed of 124 mph, a track record. Phil Hill was second for Ferrari on their home track, ahead of a Ferrari 4-5-6 in the order Gurney, Cliff Allison and Olivier Gendebien.
Moss' win closed the championship gap to only 5½ points behind Jack Brabham with Brooks eight points behind Brabham. The combined efforts of Brabham, Moss, Maurice Trintignant, Bruce McLaren and Masten Gregory secured the constructors championship for the Cooper Car Company.