STORY OF THE DAY: Baghetti Begins 1962 with Fourth Place

Giancarlo Baghetti finished fourth in the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, driving the number 2 Ferrari 156 F1/120. Graham Hill claimed his first World Championship victory for BRM, while Baghetti followed Ferrari teammate and reigning champion Phil Hill home to score three points in the season opener.

Ferrari arrived as defending champion but faced renewed British opposition and could not reproduce its 1961 superiority. Baghetti nevertheless delivered a disciplined race on Zandvoort’s demanding sequence of dunes and fast corners, earning what would become his best World Championship result of the season.

The Ferrari 156 retained its rear-engined tubular chassis and 1.5-litre V6, with the 120-degree engine configuration allowing a low centre of gravity. Although dominant a year earlier, the car received limited development amid internal upheaval and was increasingly challenged by newer monocoque and lightweight British designs.

Milanese Giancarlo Baghetti rose from production cars and Formula Junior before making history by winning the 1961 French Grand Prix on his World Championship debut in a Ferrari. Promoted to the works team for 1962, he mattered at Zandvoort as a young race winner attempting to sustain Ferrari’s challenge during a difficult transition.