Jack Brabham became the first Australian Formula One World Champion in 1959, with Cooper claiming both the Drivers' and Manufacturers' titles.
Key Facts
- Season races
- 9 championship races
- Champion
- Jack Brabham (Cooper)
- Season span
- 10 May – 12 December 1959
- Racing fatalities
- 2 (Jean Behra, Ivor Bueb)
- FIA season number
- 13th Formula One season
- Manufacturers' title
- Cooper (first title)
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1959 season opened with no reigning world champion on the grid. Five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio had retired, and 1958 champion Mike Hawthorn had both retired from racing and died in a road accident before the season began, leaving the championship entirely open.
Nine World Championship races were held between May and December 1959. Going into the final race, three drivers could still claim the title. Jack Brabham, driving for Cooper, ran out of fuel near the finish but pushed his car across the line to secure his first Drivers' Championship, with Cooper simultaneously winning their first Manufacturers' title.
Brabham became the first Australian Formula One World Champion, marking a shift in competitive power toward the British Cooper constructor. The season was also marked by tragedy, with drivers Jean Behra and Ivor Bueb both losing their lives in separate racing incidents during the year.