The 1964 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on October 25, 1964. It was the final round of the 1964 Formula One season.
It was possibly the most dramatic finale in the history of the Formula One World Championship. Championship points could only be scored by the first six place finishers (9-6-4-3-2-1). Arriving to the race, three drivers had a chance of winning the title. Graham Hill (BRM) with 39 points, John Surtees (Ferrari) with 34 points and Jim Clark (Lotus-Climax) with 32 points. In order to win the title Clark had to win the race and hope that Graham Hill would not finish higher than third (Hill had already scored points in six races and only the best six scores counted; if he finished fifth or higher he would have to drop two points for his weakest finish). Neither Clark nor Surtees had scored in six races thus far. Hill only had to finish as high as third to clinch the title regardless of where Surtees finished unless Clark won, in which case Hill would have to finish second. If Clark won it would be irrelevant where Surtees finished. Surtees could only win the title by finishing second or higher, unless Hill won or finished as high as third. The race began with Clark leading from pole position with Dan Gurney running second in the Brabham-Climax (Gurney had only ten points going into this race having won the French Grand Prix and scored a sixth place). Hill and Lorenzo Bandini, Surtees' teammate at Ferrari, were duelling for third place with Surtees running a distant fifth, seemingly with no chance at winning the title. If the positions remained the same, Clark would be champion with four victories to Hill's two victories, although they would be tied on points at 41. Then Bandini ran into the back of Hill's car causing him to spin and lose a few places. Thereafter Hill's car ran with a crimped exhaust pipe causing him to lose power. The championship was now firmly in Clark's grasp. Then on the penultimate lap, Clark's engine seized and the positions were now Gurney-Bandini-Surtees. The title was back in Hill's grasp. Realizing that Surtees could win the title by finishing second, the Ferrari team manager frantically signalled Bandini to slow down as he passed the pits to enter the last lap so as to let Surtees through. Bandini dutifully did so and Surtees finished second, thus winning the World Championship by one point over Hill (40 to 39).
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