John Surtees

This would have been the race of my life if I'd won, as I should have, but I lost through inexperience, so it's only a race my life. I'd only done a couple of F2 races early in 1960 when Colin Chapman asked me to try a Formula 1 Lotus at Silverstone. Despite the fact that I stuffed the car into the bank at Becketts, Colin asked me to sign with him for any future Grands Prix which didn't clash with my motorcycle racing obligations.

I agreed and drove my first race for Team Lotus in March - the Daily Express International Trophy. I retired with a leaking oil filter.

Then we went to Monaco for my first Grand Prix, which was not a very enjoyable experience - I hated all the slow corners and the Lotus expired after only 18 laps of the race. I missed the next three Grands Prix, as I was busy racing bikes, but I was back at Silverstone for the British, where I finished second to Jack Brabham in the Cooper, who won his fourth Grand Prix in a row.

A month later we went to Portugal, where I found there were tramlines right down the main straight, just about on the line needed for the corner at the end. But the important thing for me was the fact that there were some long, fast corners round the back of the circuit, which suited me just fine. One of them took us past a sardine-canning factory and you could tell where you were by the smell!

In the first day's practice Dan Gurney was fastest in the BRM with 2m27.8s. My mechanics (led by Dick Scammell of Cosworth fame) were kept busy trying to solve a gear-selector problem in the Lotus 18 and that, coupled with the new circuit, kept my time down to 2m40s.

The next day, however, the car was really on song and - seeing that Gurney was again going very fast - I tucked in behind him for several laps. With the aid of his slipstream I won pole position! This did not go down too well in certain quarters. The top-flight drivers were fine about it, but some of the lesser lights and a few journalists were making snide remarks about my easy entry into Fl.

My second place in the British GP was an affront to these people and now I was on pole in Portugal! I tried to ignore their attitude, but it did make things a little less than pleasant at times.

However, I was confident that I was just about as quick as anybody, but well aware that I had virtually no real four-wheel racing experience and didn't know how to cope with every situation.

So, there I was on the front row of the grid with Dan Gurney and Jack Brabham. I had great respect for both, as they were two of the hardest chargers I ever came across and would always have a go, just as Stirling Moss would.

The start was pretty chaotic and practically the whole field was well on the move by the time the flag dropped. Brabham went straight into the lead, only to be passed by Gurney and Moss got by me, with Graham Hill (BRM) and Phil Hill (Ferrari) behind us. On the next lap Brabham had to take to an escape road, dropping to eighth place and I overtook Stirling.

The Lotus was going really well and I caught Dan, passing him for the lead on lap 11. He then dropped right back, letting Moss into second place and Phil Hill into third. Stirling and I then had a marvellous battle for several laps and I just managed to stay ahead. Then he headed to the pits and I had a lead of 10 seconds over Phil Hill, who was being challenged by Brabham.

Moss had a misfiring engine and after a second stop to change plugs he rejoined the race, right behind me once more, but now two laps in arrears. Being Moss, he was still having a go, so I let him past and on lap 33 I was 22 seconds ahead of Brabham. But I didn't want to ease up, being spurred on by the thought that if I wasn't the fastest man on the circuit there would be more snide remarks afterwards, claiming that I only won the race by default.

Also, at that stage of my career, I wasn't particularly comfortable in company, particularly on the fast section at the back of the circuit and I thought that if I eased off other drivers would catch up with me and also I might lose my rhythm.

So I pressed on, but I had a serious problem in the car. The tubular chassis of those days all flexed like crazy and the Lotus was no exception. This meant that the aluminium fuel tanks often split and this had happened to me. For some time I had been aware that fuel from the tank over my knees had been dripping on to my feet and the pedals.

I coped with this until lap 36 (of 55) when, at the end of the long straight I got my wheels in the tramlines, and this delayed my turn-in for the next left-hander. If I had been more experienced, I would have let the car go down the escape road, turned round and continued, losing only a few seconds. As it was, I tried to make the bend at the last moment with some late braking and my fuel-soaked foot slipped off the brake pedal.

I hit the kerb, damaged the radiator and what should have been a double-first win for me and Team Lotus ended in a cloud of steam. I've kicked myself ever since, but that Portuguese GP proved to me that I had a definite future in Grand Prix racing.