57th, Brabham's Gritty Finish, McLaren's Maiden Triumph: Sebring 1959 Unveiled
Formula 1 visited the United States for the first time in 1959 (if we set aside the Indy 500s that counted towards the championship in years past), settling on Sebring, Florida, for its inaugural Grand Prix.
Already established on the sports car calendar, the venue was new to single-seaters and provided a challenge very different to even other airfield circuits. With punishing bumps and tyre-shredding surface changes it looked to be a race of attrition even before the cars ventured out of the pits.
Cooper’s Jack Brabham arrived in Florida with a five-and-a-half point lead over Stirling Moss in Rob Walker’s T51 and eight points ahead of Ferrari’s Tony Brooks. All he had to do was beat his two rivals and the championship would be his. If only everything were that simple.