He later parted company with Ferrari, but returned to the team in 1960, finishing fourth in the Portuguese Grand Prix. The next year, he won in Holland and Britain and started the Italian Grand Prix on September 10, 1961, with the world title within his grasp. Enzo Ferrari told Von Trips and his teammate Peter Hill that if either of them won at Monza and secured the title, the team would not make the expensive trip to the United States. Hill qualified second-slowest of the five Ferraris and complained about his car. Enzo Ferrari countered that the problem was with Hill. Stung by this criticism, Hill took the lead. Behind him, Von Trips attempted to overtake Jim Clark on a bend during the second lap. The cars touched and the German’s Ferrari was catapulted into the air, crashing into a barrier. He was thrown from the cockpit and died, while his vehicle careered into the crowd, killing 13 racegoers.
It wasn’t the first time spectators had lost their lives at Monza — 33 years earlier, 28 people died in a similar accident — but this time the sport knew it had to act. Tyre walls and run-off areas were introduced and safety barriers improved, to ensure that cars were brought to a halt before they reached the crowd.
Drivers continued to lose their lives, until the death of Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994 shook F1 to its foundations, but for spectators the hard work had already been done.
In a sport where cars travel in excess of 200mph, safety can never be guaranteed, but at least the deaths of Von Trips and those 13 spectators at Monza, 45 years ago today, helped to make F1 safer
Then and now
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In 1961 cars had a top speed of about 175mph and the chassis was made from tubular steel that buckled on impact. Drivers had no seat belts and were regularly thrown from the cockpit during accidents. Cars were fitted with disc brakes and callipers. They weighed about 420kg
In 2006 cars reach 225mph, the chassis is made of near- indestructible carbon-fibre composite, drivers are secured with a state-of-the-art harness and cars have carbon-fibre disc brakes all round. Today’s Ferrari weighs 605kg and is far more stable than its predecessors