Jim Clark's third win of the 1962 season kept his Formula One championship title hopes alive entering the final round, with a nine-point deficit to Graham Hill.
Key Facts
- Race date
- October 7, 1962
- Race length
- 100 laps laps
- Winner
- Jim Clark (Lotus)
- Championship round
- Race 8 of 9
- Clark's deficit to Hill
- 9 points with 9 points remaining
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1962 Formula One season had produced a tight championship battle, with Graham Hill holding a commanding lead over Jim Clark entering the penultimate round at Watkins Glen. Clark needed a strong result to stay mathematically in contention for the drivers' title.
On October 7, 1962, Jim Clark started from pole position and won the 100-lap United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in his Lotus. Graham Hill finished second for BRM and Bruce McLaren took third for Cooper in a race that counted as round 8 of the 1962 World Championship.
Clark's victory, his third of the season, reduced his championship deficit to nine points with nine points still available in the final round, keeping his title hopes alive. McLaren was mathematically eliminated from contention, leaving the championship to be decided between Clark and Hill at the season finale.