A Clean Sweep at Spa

The 1961 Belgian Grand Prix

61 years ago today, Scuderia Ferrari would produce one of the strongest performances ever seen in Formula 1, scoring a 1-2-3-4 victory in the Belgian Grand Prix. Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips, Richie Ginther and Olivier Gendebien all played their part, simply blowing away their competition at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

Discover more about the Ferrari 156 F1 at 1:8 scale >

Fresh from a Von Trips-Hill 1-2 victory in the Netherlands, Ferrari arrived at Spa-Francorchamps for Round 3. Considered one of the most demanding tests of a Formula 1 driver’s ability and courage, Spa presented a significant challenge with many high speed corners and little run off area before meeting dense forest in case of miscalculation. The cars from Maranello qualified in four of the top five places, as Hill took pole just 0.8 seconds ahead of Von Trips, breaking the four minute barrier in the process. Gendebien, his Ferrari painted yellow in the national colour of Belgium (as the car's entry costs were supported by the local Ferrari importer), was 3.7 seconds behind. The fastest non-Ferrari competitor, the Cooper-Climax of John Surtees, qualified 6.7 seconds off the pace in fourth but pipped Richie Ginter in the final Ferrari by just a tenth of a second. 

Hill had the quickest reactions off the line, but courtesy of the long straight, Von Trips and Ginther soon got past. Gendebien, who had partnered with Hill to win the Le Mans 24 Hours just a week prior at the wheel of a Ferrari 250 TR, held back, not wanting to get involved in the wheel to wheel melee taking place at around 155mph (250km/h) ahead of him. This was understandable, considering this was going to be his only Grand Prix with the team that season and he did not want to interfere with the works drivers' title aspirations.

After an intense three lap battle, Hill managed to gain enough of a lead to pull his slipstream away from his teammates, while Von Trips was able to fend off Ginther's attempts at overtaking. The positions remained unchanged from then on and Hill was first past the chequered flag after 30 laps (423km) of racing, seven tenths ahead of Von Trips. Ginther was third, 19.5 seconds behind, and Gendebien brought his yellow Ferrari home 45.6 seconds after Hill, thus giving the team a clean sweep of the top four places. The closest competitor, future Ferrari World Champion Surtees, crossed the line an enormous 86.8 seconds behind the lead car.

This was the last time any team would would score a 1-2-3-4 victory. Ferrari remain the only team to score multiple quadruple wins, after a win at the 1952 German Grand Prix nine years prior. Maserati also achieved the feat in Argentina in 1957.

The 1961 Formula 1 season would go down as one of the best ever for Scuderia Ferrari, even if it ended on a heart-breaking note. The Maranello team dominated proceedings, getting to grips better than anyone else with the new technical regulations aimed at limiting car performance, which in the preceding years had led to an excessive number of accidents.

Discover more about the Ferrari 156 F1 at 1:8 scale >

Phil Hill

A Ferrari Racing Legend

Undeniably one of the aces of his era, Philip Toll Hill, Jr left university early to pursue his passion for motor racing. Remarkably candid about his personal demons that caused inner turmoil and made his racing life a bittersweet experience, Hill struggled with the risks associated with the sport and saw his fair share of trauma in one of motorsport's most dangerous eras. And yet, Hill still felt compelled to race. Once behind the wheel, he relaxed with notable composure and courage, especially given his admitted phobias. A mechanically sympathetic and careful driver, he often performed at his best in the worst conditions and on the worst circuits, particularly distinguishing himself at Spa and the Nurburgring.

Among his many other accolades, Hill remains one of only two American drivers to win the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship, after Mario Andretti equalled his achievement in 1978. He is still the joint most successful American driver at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, tied with Al Holbert and Hurley Haywood, and at the 12 Hours of Sebring, another record shared with Andretti.

Discover our Phil Hill models here >

Ferrari 156 F1

The 'Sharknose'

The first Scuderia Ferrari first mid-engined Formula 1 machine to be driven in true competition, the evocative Ferrari 156 F1 stands tall in amongst the halls of Maranello racing legends as one of the most dominant cars in history. Dubbed the ‘Sharknose’, due to its distinctive front air intakes, the 156 F1 delivered Ferrari their first Constructors’ Championship and fifth Drivers’ Championship titles. Successful as it was, the 1961 season was blighted for Ferrari when Wolfgang von Trips was fatally injured along with fifteen spectators when he crashed at the championship-defining Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Overall, the Ferrari 156 F1 ‘Sharknose’ earned five victories, nine further podiums, six pole positions and five fastest laps, scoring 40 points and winning the World Championship of Drivers and International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers for the 1961 Formula 1 season. Such was the strength of the 156 F1, that it still regularly contested and achieved victories and podiums into the 1963 and 1964 seasons.

Discover more about the Ferrari 156 F1 at 1:8 scale >

Contact our sales team here >

 

Buy now, pay later

Pay in interest-free installments with Splitit using your Mastercard and Visa credit cards (no debit cards).

Quick and Easy

No credit checks, no paperwork, only fill in your card details

Interest-free

Splitit will not charge any interest

HOW IT WORKS

SplitIt®
Simply select Splitit at checkout and enter your card details
No credit checks required but the total amount is held in reserve on your card to ensure payment
Your first payment is taken immediately. The rest will be paid automatically in monthly installments

EXAMPLE

Order Total
£2000
Pay Today
£500 (Total of £1500 held on card)
2ND INSTALMENT
£500 (Total of £1000 held on card)
3RD INSTALMENT
£500 (Total of £500 held on card)
4TH INSTALMENT
£500 (Total of £0 held on card)
IMPORTANT NOTE:
  • A PAYMENT AUTHORISATION FOR THE OUTSTANDING AMOUNT OF YOUR PURCHASE WILL BE HELD DURING THE FULL PLAN PERIOD as security. This hold will be charged ONLY in the event a monthly payment is declined (the authorisation hold might appear as "Pending" on your credit card bill).
  • You must maintain a sufficient "Required Available Credit" amount on your credit card for both the full outstanding amount of your purchase and the monthly payment during the full period of the plan.
  • Your credit card issuer may charge you interest on amounts charged to your credit card unless you pay Your credit card balance in full each month.
  • In case we do not manage to reauthorize the remaining amount of the transaction, you will receive a notice email. In that case, you will have to promptly update your credit card details. In case your bank still refuses to reauthorize the outstanding amount, we will have to charge the full outstanding amount of the transaction at once from your credit card.
Splitit offers you a flexible way of paying for items in instalments, completely interest-free, by reserving the available line of credit on your credit card. Then, each month, according to your payment plan, Splitit collects the instalment amount and reissues the authorisation request for the remaining balance.

It is important to note that payments are still charged on your existing credit card. Splitit simply provides you the method to do this and information about the instalments. Here is an example of how the service works for a customer buying a £2,000 model in 4 instalments of £500 each:

Splitit obtains authorisation from the credit card company for the full purchase amount of £2,000. This is not a charge on the card; it is simply reserving £2,000 from the customer’s line of credit.
- The credit card company then charges the customer £500 for the first payment.
- During the second month, Splitit requests authorisation for the outstanding purchase amount of £1,500, and charges the customer the second installment of £500.
- This authorisation and charge process continues until the full £2,000 is collected - in this case, for 4 months.
No, this is an interest-free payment method with no additional fixed fees, service fees, interest or hidden fees of any kind.
No, your item will be processed after the first initial instalment and delivered as normal upon passing our Quality Control check at Head Office.
- You can pay using Splitit with a valid Mastercard or Visa
Nothing, no credit check is required if you use a Splitit instalment plan and there is no impact on your credit score. All the bank sees is the individual instalment charges each month. If one of your payment authorisations is declined, there is still no affect on your credit rating; it is simply a declined charge. The denial would simply accelerate payment of the remaining balance (unless you provide a different card which was not denied).
You can pay using Splitit with a Mastercard or Visa. Debit cards, American Express and pre-paid cards are not accepted.
The instalments appear on your statement as individual charge items with the name of 'Amalgam Collection'. These payments will appear monthly according to your instalment plan, with the same charge amount each time.
For further information visit: https://www.splitit.com/faq/