Big John

Words: Davide Marchi

Only one man has ever won world championships in both motorcycling and Formula One. That man is John Surtees, the last Briton to win the world title at the wheel of a Ferrari. Surtees was not your average racing driver: “He has oil running through his veins!” claimed a British advertisement back in the Fifties. Raised in a racing environment – father Jack had a motorcycle shop and mother Dorothy was also a biker – the Surrey-born Surtees’ first taste of competition came at the age of just fourteen when he rode passenger in dad’s sidecar in a grass-track race in 1949 at Trent Park. They won, although Surtees junior was disqualified when stewards discovered he was underage.

Above: the cigar-shaped Ferrari 158 F1 in action at the Belgium GP at Spa-Francorchamps in June 1964

But the youngster was on his way and started racing motorbikes in 1950 at local level, before turning pro in 1952. He made his Motorcycle World Championship debut aboard a Norton, before switching to the Italian MV Agusta marque, a pairing that would become one of the most successful of all time, as Surtees took seven world titles, three in the 350cc class in 1958, 1959, and 1960, and four more in the sport’s top 500cc category in 1956 and three years on the trot from 1958 to 1960.

The story has it that it was fellow Englishman Mike Hawthorn who first suggested a switch to four wheels. The Ferrari racer had just won the 1958 Formula One World Championship and, finding himself sharing a table with Surtees at a Sportsman of the Year function in London’s Park Lane, the mischievous Yorkshireman apparently quipped, “Hey John, try a car sometime. They stand up easier!”

A year later Surtees was approached by Lotus boss Colin Chapman, who provided him with a Formula One car for events that didn’t clash with the up-and-coming racer’s two-wheel commitments. Surtees soon proved his worth, finishing second in the British Grand Prix. His time with MV Agusta meant he’d learnt some Italian as the team mechanics spoke no English and he was aware that the same applied to the folk at Maranello and its founder, Enzo Ferrari. Surtees knew Ferrari was an extremely demanding character who asked a lot of his engineers and drivers, someone who didn’t hide a burning desire to win at all costs. For that reason, when the first approach came from Maranello the polymath young Englishman said a polite “no thanks”. He simply did not yet feel ready to head off to “the red planet”.

Above, from left: a two-wheeled Surtees on a 250cc MV Agusta Bialbero in 1957; with Enzo Ferrari (left) at Maranello; Surtees at the Monaco GP in May 1964; winning the F1 World Championship title in Mexico City on 25 October, 1964, alongside race winner, Dan Gurney

Eventually, Surtees signed for Maranello in 1963. Enzo liked English drivers. He felt they were better prepared than others, and more likely to seize the moment even if it sometimes meant taking greater risks. There was an immediate understanding between Surtees and Enzo Ferrari, who appreciated the fact the foreigner spoke a little Italian, making integration into the team that bit easier. Surtees’ debut season with the Scuderia was a re-building year after a mass exodus of the engineering personnel who had helped claim both Formula One titles in 1961, but he still picked up his first win at the daunting Nürburgring.

In 1964, the Scuderia wheeled out a brand-new car, the 158 F1. Pushing it along was a new 90-degree V8 engine which put out over 210 horsepower thanks to a new direct injection system. Things began well when Surtees won the non-championship Syracuse GP. However, the start of the season proper was less encouraging with Surtees coming second in The Netherlands, amongst a trio of race retirements. But he came third in England, marking a turning point. He then won in Germany in August and in Italy in September, putting him right back in the title fight.

Above: a behind-the-scenes view of Surtees in the Ferrari pits during preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966

At Watkins Glen in early October Surtees finished second to fellow Englishman Graham Hill. It meant that for the third time in the history of the championship, the title fight would go down to the wire. In late October the circus showed up in Mexico City. Graham Hill was leading the table in his BRM on 39 points, Surtees was on 34, with Lotus’ Jim Clark on 30 points. Hill could take the crown even if he finished third as long as Surtees did not win, or if Clark did not win and Surtees was no higher than third. The Ferrari driver needed to win or to finish second with Hill no better than fourth. For Clark to win the title, Surtees had to do no better than third and Hill no better than fourth.

At the start, Clark had a perfect getaway, whilst Surtees was slow away. Clark took the opening lap two seconds ahead of Dan Gurney (Brabham) and Bandini, whilst Hill and Surtees were back in tenth and thirteenth places, respectively. By lap 18 Clark led from Gurney, Hill, Bandini, and Surtees. Bandini began to put Hill under pressure, prompting the usually unflappable Englishman to wave his fist in anger when negotiating the hairpin, after the Italian had come dangerously close on several occasions. The inevitable happened one lap later when the Ferrari attacked the BRM at that very same hairpin. They collided and spun. Although they were both able to continue, Surtees took his chance to go third.

Above: John Surtees competes for Ferrari at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in his 158 F1, number 7, wearing the NART blue-and-white livery

It all produced one of the most dramatic finales in the history of the sport. With just eight laps remaining, Clark was leading but overshot the hairpin when foiled by a pernicious patch of oil. Gurney took the chequered flag, Surtees second, meaning the Englishman clinched the title by a single point from the unfortunate Hill, who limped home eleventh. Ferrari also claimed its second Constructors’ crown. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of that extraordinary day in the history of the track.

‘Big John’ Surtees, as he was often affectionately known, died in 2017, aged 83. He remains a legendary figure in motorsport.

Above: moments after the race at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, when Surtees became the first-ever winner of both two-wheel and four-wheel world titles

Since Surtees, a further six British drivers have raced for the Scuderia: Mike Parkes (1966-1967), Jonathan Williams (1967), Derek Bell (1968), Nigel Mansell (1989-1990), Eddie Irvine (1996-1999) and Oliver Bearman, who made his debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP in March, finishing seventh after standing in for the indisposed Carlos Sainz. Bearman became the fourteenth British driver to race a Ferrari in the Formula One World Championship, meaning multiple-world-champion Lewis Hamilton will become the fifteenth when he reignites the English flame at the Scuderia Ferrari HP next season.

Cover image: John Surtees aboard the 158 F1 for Ferrari at the French Grand Prix at Rouen les Essarts in June 1964, in the middle of a roller coaster season that went down to the wire and saw him crowned Formula One World Champion in the final race

THIS STORY WAS TAKEN FROM ISSUE 64 OF THE OFFICIAL FERRARI MAGAZINE