Complete calendar with 9 races
The 1966 Formula 1 season marked a revolutionary new era as the regulations changed from 1.5-liter to 3.0-liter engines, doubling the engine capacity and fundamentally altering the competitive landscape. Jack Brabham capitalized on the upheaval to claim his third World Championship, becoming the first and only driver to win a title in a car bearing his own name. At age 40, Brabham's championship demonstrated that experience and engineering acumen could triumph over raw speed, as his Brabham-Repco combination proved more reliable than the more powerful but troubled alternatives.
Brabham's success came from astute technical decision-making rather than having the fastest car. While others struggled with complex and unreliable new engines, Brabham chose the simple, reliable Repco V8 derived from an Oldsmobile block. The Australian company's engine produced less power than Ferrari or BRM units, but its bulletproof reliability and good fuel economy allowed Brabham to win four races and consistently finish in the points. His victories at Reims, Brands Hatch, Zandvoort, and the Nürburgring showcased both his driving skill and the Repco's underrated competitiveness.
The new 3.0-liter formula caught many teams unprepared, creating one of Formula 1's most chaotic seasons. Lotus struggled with their complex BRM H16 engine, Ferrari's new V12 showed promise but suffered reliability issues, and BRM's own H16 proved a spectacular failure. The engine crisis meant that several top teams started the season with interim solutions, using enlarged versions of old 2.0-liter engines or adapting sports car powerplants. This technical confusion allowed Brabham's conservative approach to dominate a field handicapped by unreliability and insufficient development time.
John Surtees won the opening race at Monaco for Ferrari before departing the team mid-season following a bitter dispute with team manager Eugenio Dragoni. The reigning champion's acrimonious exit highlighted the political tensions that plagued Ferrari throughout the 1960s, with Surtees joining Cooper-Maserati for the remainder of the season. His departure left Ferrari without a proven number one driver and contributed to their disappointing championship campaign despite having one of the most powerful engines in the field.
Jackie Stewart emerged as a race winner, taking his first Grand Prix victory at Monaco for BRM in torrential rain conditions that showcased his exceptional wet-weather skills. Jochen Rindt impressed in his first full season with Cooper-Maserati, finishing third in the championship and establishing himself as a future title contender. The season marked the beginning of a generational shift, with young drivers like Stewart and Rindt demonstrating they could challenge the established stars despite the learning curve presented by the more powerful cars.
The Brabham-Repco combination's constructors' championship victory validated Jack Brabham's vision of building his own cars. The team scored 42 points, with both Brabham and teammate Denny Hulme contributing to a dominant performance that established the team as a serious force in Formula 1. Their success demonstrated that a small, focused operation could compete with and defeat the major manufacturers, inspiring other driver-constructors to follow Brabham's example. Bruce McLaren paid particularly close attention, as he prepared to launch his own constructor team.
Jim Clark won the United States Grand Prix in a Lotus-BRM, but his season was largely frustrating as Lotus struggled to extract performance and reliability from the troublesome BRM H16 engine. The defending champion finished seventh in the standings with just 16 points, a dramatic decline that highlighted how the new regulations had reshuffled the competitive order. Clark's struggles demonstrated that even the greatest driver needed competitive equipment, foreshadowing his eventual switch to the Cosworth DFV engine that would revolutionize Formula 1 in 1967.
Brabham's third championship at age 40 made him Formula 1's oldest World Champion, a record that would stand for decades. His achievement of winning in a car bearing his own name remains unique in the sport's history and represents the pinnacle of driver-constructor success. The 1966 season proved that Formula 1 remained unpredictable, with technical regulations changes capable of completely reordering the competitive hierarchy and creating opportunities for those who made the right decisions at the right time.