1963 Belgian Grand Prix — Second round of the 1963 Formula One World Championship
Jim Clark won the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix driving one-handed due to gearbox failure, lapping all but one competitor in heavy rain.
Key Facts
- Race date
- 9 June 1963
- Championship round
- Race 2 of 10
- Winner
- Jim Clark (Team Lotus)
- Margin of victory
- Almost 5 minutes over 2nd place
- Starting grid position
- 8th
- Clark's 1963 wins (total)
- 7 (first of the season)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1963 Belgian Grand Prix took place at Spa-Francorchamps in extremely wet and rainy conditions. Jim Clark started eighth on the grid, behind early leader Graham Hill. A mechanical gearbox fault compelled Clark to manually hold the gear lever in place when selecting fifth gear, effectively forcing him to drive one-handed at speed.
Clark methodically passed every car ahead of him, including race leader Graham Hill, to take the lead. To manage his gearbox problem on the high-speed circuit, he ultimately abandoned fifth gear entirely and raced with only four gears. By the finish he had lapped the entire field except for second-placed Bruce McLaren, winning by nearly five minutes.
The victory was the first of seven wins for Clark and Team Lotus in the 1963 season, a campaign that would culminate in the World Championship. Clark's performance in severely compromised mechanical conditions and poor weather cemented his reputation as an exceptional driver and highlighted Team Lotus's competitive strength that year.
Result
at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium