Jim Clark secured his second and final Formula One Drivers' Championship, while Jackie Stewart made his debut in a season marking Lotus's second manufacturers' title.
Key Facts
- Season number
- 19th FIA Formula One season
- Championship rounds
- 10 races
- Season span
- 1 January – 24 October 1965
- Drivers' Champion
- Jim Clark (Lotus-Climax)
- Manufacturers' Cup winner
- Lotus (2nd title)
- Non-championship races
- 7
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1965 Formula One season was structured as the 16th World Championship of Drivers and the 8th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, continuing the FIA's established framework of competitive racing across ten championship rounds and seven non-championship races open to Formula One cars.
Contested between 1 January and 24 October 1965, the season saw Jim Clark dominate in a Lotus-Climax to claim his second Drivers' Championship, with Lotus simultaneously securing the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers for the second time. Jackie Stewart made his debut and finished third in the Drivers' standings.
Jim Clark's championship proved to be his last, cementing his legacy as one of the era's foremost drivers. Jackie Stewart's strong debut third-place finish signaled the beginning of a career that would culminate in three World Championship titles, reshaping the sport in subsequent seasons.