BRM P48/57

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BRM P57-Climax
Category Formula One
Constructor British Racing Motors
Designer(s) Tony Rudd
Predecessor P48
Successor P57-V8
Technical specifications
Chassis spaceframe
Suspension (front) double wishbones, coil springs over dampers, anti-roll bar
Suspension (rear) double wishbones, coil springs over dampers, anti-roll bar
Engine Coventry Climax FPF 1496cc S4 naturally aspirated Mid-engined, longitudinally mounted
Transmission 5-speed manual ZF differential
Tyres Dunlop
Competition history
Notable entrants Owen Racing Organization
Notable drivers United Kingdom Graham Hill
United Kingdom Tony Brooks
Debut 1961 Monaco Grand Prix
Races Wins Poles F.Laps
8 0 0 0
Constructors' Championships 0
Drivers' Championships 0

The Coventry Climax powered BRM P57 (also called P48/P57) was a Formula One racing car raced in 1961.

Development

Like the other British teams, BRM were caught off-guard by new regulations for the 1961 Formula 1 season that limited engines to 1.5 litres. They had a new 1.5 litre V8 engine on the drawing board, but this was not likely to be ready until late in the season. (In the event, it did not race until the next year). The Coventry Climax 4-cylinder unit used by Cooper and Team Lotus was chosen as a stopgap solution. It was installed in the first BRM spaceframe chassis, based on the 1960 BRM P48 Mark II designed by Tony Rudd. The P48 Mark II had abandoned the single rear disc brake introduced by the P25 in favor of a more conventional 2 disc layout at the rear.

At 450 kg, the new BRM P57 was heavier than its British rivals, and the Climax engine was no match for the V6 in the Ferrari 156. The later V8-powered version of the P57 was originally designated the P578, but both types have since been commonly referred to as the P57.

Racing record

With Joakim Bonnier and Dan Gurney leaving to drive for the new Porsche team, BRM ran only two cars, for Graham Hill and Tony Brooks. The cars proved able to last for the Grand Prix distance, but they were not competitive. Points were not gained until the fourth race of the season, the French Grand Prix at Reims. Brooks scored a remarkable third and Hill a fifth in the final round, the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, but this result was helped by Ferrari's withdrawal after the death of Wolfgang von Trips. BRM finished with only 7 points, good for fifth and last of the regular runners in the constructor's championship.

References

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