STORY OF THE DAY: Gurney Reaches the Podium in Lisbon

Dan Gurney finished third in the 1959 Portuguese Grand Prix at Monsanto Park, driving the number 16 Ferrari 246 F1. Stirling Moss dominated for Rob Walker’s Cooper, with Masten Gregory second, while Gurney’s podium gave Ferrari a strong result in the seventh round of the World Championship.

The Monsanto street circuit combined public roads, tramlines, changing surfaces and fast sections through parkland, demanding both confidence and mechanical restraint. Gurney adapted impressively in only his fourth World Championship start, earning the second podium of his short first season with Ferrari.

The Dino 246 F1 placed its 2.4-litre V6 ahead of the driver in a tubular chassis. It remained powerful and dependable, but Monsanto emphasized the agility of the rear-engined Cooper T51s that finished first and second and were rapidly establishing the future direction of Formula One design.

Dan Gurney was a tall American driver whose versatility later brought victories in Formula One, Indy cars, NASCAR and major sports-car races. Ferrari introduced him to World Championship racing in 1959, and his Monsanto podium confirmed his international stature before he became a successful constructor and team owner with All American Racers.