The 1964 Mexican Grand Prix decided the Formula One World Championship on the final lap, with John Surtees winning the title by one point over Graham Hill.
Key Facts
- Race date
- 25 October 1964
- Circuit
- Ciudad Deportiva Magdalena Mixhuca
- Race winner
- Dan Gurney (Brabham-Climax)
- Championship winner
- John Surtees (Ferrari)
- Championship margin
- 1 point (40 vs 39)
- Race number in season
- 10 of 10
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Three drivers — Graham Hill (39 pts), John Surtees (34 pts), and Jim Clark (30 pts) — arrived at the final race of the 1964 season with the championship still mathematically open. Each needed specific finishing combinations involving the others to claim the title, setting up an unusually tense season finale.
Clark led from pole but retired on the penultimate lap when his engine seized due to an oil line failure. Bandini, acting on orders from the Ferrari team, slowed to allow Surtees to pass him into second place on the final lap. Hill had already lost positions after Bandini collided with him earlier, leaving Gurney to win the race while Surtees secured second and the championship.
John Surtees claimed the 1964 World Championship of Drivers by a single point over Graham Hill, becoming the only person to win world titles on both two wheels and four wheels. The race also marked the last time Ferrari cars appeared in Formula One in a colour other than their traditional red, as the NART-entered cars ran in white with blue stripes.