Mexican Grand Prix 1964 - Race Schedule and Countdown

The 1964 championship concluded with one of the most dramatic finales in Formula 1 history at Mexico City's high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, as John Surtees snatched the title by a single point in controversial circumstances. Dan Gurney dominated the race for Brabham, leading every lap to claim his second victory of the season with a commanding performance at 7,350 feet above sea level where the thin air challenged both engines and drivers. Lorenzo Bandini completed an all-Ferrari podium in third place behind his teammate Surtees, with the Italian's role in the championship outcome becoming one of the most controversial moments in Formula 1 history. Three drivers - Surtees, Graham Hill, and Jim Clark - arrived in Mexico with mathematical chances of winning the title, creating unprecedented tension as the season reached its climax. The race would be remembered not for Gurney's dominant victory but for the dramatic championship battle that unfolded behind him in the most chaotic and contentious finale the sport had yet witnessed.

Gurney's Brabham-Climax proved perfectly suited to Mexico's unique demands, and the tall Californian controlled the race with authority from start to finish. Behind him, the championship battle unfolded in dramatic fashion, with Hill appearing set for the title as he ran strongly in the points-paying positions through the opening two-thirds of the race. Clark's championship hopes evaporated when his Lotus-Climax suffered an oil leak and eventual retirement, leaving the title fight between Hill and Surtees. The championship swung decisively on lap 63 in one of Formula 1's most controversial moments, when Bandini's Ferrari struck Hill's BRM from behind at the Peraltada corner, spinning the Briton down the order and out of championship contention. Hill fought back valiantly to recover to fifth place, but the damage was done - Surtees now held second position, exactly the result he needed to win the title regardless of Hill's final position.

Surtees crossed the line in second place to claim the World Championship with 40 points to Hill's 39, becoming the only person ever to win World Championships on both two wheels and four wheels - a unique achievement that secured his place in motorsport immortality. Accusations of team orders and deliberate collision swirled around Ferrari immediately after the race, with many believing Bandini had intentionally taken out Hill to help his teammate win the title. Both Ferrari drivers maintained it was a racing incident, while the stewards took no action, leaving the controversy forever unresolved. Hill's heartbreak was palpable as he lost the championship in the final laps through circumstances beyond his control, having led the points standings for much of the season. The 1964 Mexican Grand Prix would stand as one of Formula 1's most dramatic and controversial finales, a championship decided by a single point in circumstances that remain debated to this day, even as Surtees's remarkable achievement of world titles on both motorcycles and cars elevated him to legendary status in motorsport history.