1961 Naples Grand Prix

  1961 Naples Grand Prix

Race details
Non-Championship race in the 1961 Formula One season
Date	14 May 1961
Official name	XIX Gran Premio di Napoli
Location	Posillipo Circuit, Posillipo, Naples
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	2.491 km (1.548 mi)
Distance	60 laps, 149.444 km (92.86 mi)
Pole position
Driver	Gerry Ashmore	Lotus-Climax
Time	1:21.3
Fastest lap
Driver	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari
Time	1:20.2
Podium
First	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari
Second	Gerry Ashmore	Lotus-Climax
Third	Lorenzo Bandini	Cooper-Maserati

The 19th Naples Grand Prix was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 14 May 1961 at Posillipo Circuit, Naples. The race was run over 60 laps of the circuit, and was won by Italian driver Giancarlo Baghetti in a Ferrari 156 in only his second Formula One race, having also won his first. Baghetti went on to win his next Formula One race as well, his first World Championship race, and is the only driver to have achieved this feat.

This race was held on the same day as the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, therefore very few of the top drivers of the day were in action in Naples. Baghetti took a comfortable victory despite only starting third on the grid, with pole-sitter Gerry Ashmore finishing second after the other main challenger and early leader Roy Salvadori suffered a puncture. Lorenzo Bandini had led for a lap before Baghetti took over on lap 4, and he held the lead until the chequered flag.^[1]

Qualifying

Pos	No.	Driver	Constructor	Lap	Gap
1	10	Gerry Ashmore	Lotus-Climax	1:21.3	—
2	18	Roy Salvadori	Cooper-Climax	1:21.3	+0.0
3	32	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	1:21.9	+0.6
4	34	Lorenzo Bandini	Cooper-Maserati	1:22.5	+1.2
5	30	Ian Burgess	Lotus-Climax	1:22.7	+1.4
6	40	Ernesto Prinoth	Lotus-Climax	1:23.0	+1.7
7	36	Menato Boffa	Cooper-Climax	1:23.2	+1.9
8	22	Giovanni Alberti	De Tomaso-O.S.C.A.	1:24.4	+3.1
9	2	John Campbell-Jones	Cooper-Climax	1:24.5	+3.2
10	26	Bernard Collomb	Cooper-Climax	1:24.6	+3.3
11	28	Roberto Bussinello	De Tomaso-O.S.C.A.	1:25.1	+3.8
12	8	Tim Parnell	Lotus-Climax	1:25.2	+3.9
13	14	Keith Greene	Gilby-Climax	1:25.2	+3.9
14	38	Massimo Natili	Cooper-Maserati	1:25.3	+4.0
15	12	Renato Pirocchi	Cooper-Climax	1:25.8	+4.5
16	6	André Pilette	Emeryson-Climax	1:27.1	+5.8
17	16	"Wal Ever"	Cooper-O.S.C.A.	1:27.2	+5.9
18	20	Giuseppe Maugeri	Cooper-Climax	1:27.6	+6.3
19	4	François Santé	Cooper-Climax	2:22.9	+1:01.6

Results

Pos	No.	Driver	Entrant	Constructor	Time/Retired	Grid
1	32	Giancarlo Baghetti	FISA	Ferrari	1.22:46.5	3
2	10	Gerry Ashmore	Tim Parnell	Lotus-Climax	59 laps	1
3	34	Lorenzo Bandini	Scuderia Centro Sud	Cooper-Maserati	59 laps	4
4	30	Ian Burgess	Camoradi International	Lotus-Climax	58 laps	6
5	28	Roberto Bussinello	Isobele de Tomaso	De Tomaso-O.S.C.A.	56 laps	11
6	26	Bernard Collomb	Bernard Collomb	Cooper-Climax	56 laps	10
7	18	Roy Salvadori	Yeoman Credit Racing Team	Cooper-Climax	56 laps	2
8	8	Tim Parnell	Tim Parnell	Lotus-Climax	54 laps	12
9	40	Ernesto Prinoth	Scuderia Dolomiti	Lotus-Climax	34 laps	6
Ret	22	Giovanni Alberti	Scuderia Settecolli	De Tomaso-O.S.C.A.	Unknown - 36 laps	8
Ret	14	Keith Greene	Gilby Engineering	Gilby-Climax	Accident - 5 laps	13
Ret	36	Menato Boffa	Menato Boffa	Cooper-Climax	Accident - 5 laps	16
Ret	2	John Campbell-Jones	John Campbell-Jones	Cooper-Climax	Ignition - 1 lap	9
DNQ	38	Massimo Natili	Scuderia Centro Sud	Cooper-Maserati		-
DNQ	12	Renato Pirocchi	Pescara Racing Club	Cooper-Climax		-
DNQ	6	André Pilette	Equipe Nationale Belge	Emeryson-Climax		-
DNQ	16	"Wal Ever"	"Wal Ever"	Cooper-O.S.C.A.		-
DNQ	20	Giuseppe Maugeri	Giuseppe Maugeri	Cooper-Climax		-
DNQ	4	François Santé	François Santé	Cooper-Climax		-
DNA	24	André Wicky	André Wicky	Cooper-Climax	Withdrew	-

References

• "The Grand Prix Who's Who", Steve Small, 1995.
• "The Formula One Record Book", John Thompson, 1974, pp. 26–27.
• Race results at www.silhouet.com