[1] Phil Hill, running second in the championship, was in the stands with a camera around his neck; a metalworkers' strike in Italy meant that Ferrari could not take part.

This left Graham Hill the fastest on track, taking the lead at the start and also setting a new lap record.

The leading pack also included John Surtees (Lola), Jim Clark (Lotus), and Bruce McLaren (Cooper).

[1] All of a sudden Gurney found himself in the lead, he made no mistakes and gained what was to be Porsche's only Grand Prix victory with their own car.

Trevor Taylor had not been able to practice and was taking it comparatively easy when his throttle return spring broke, leaving it fully open.

[2] A rather confusing race ended even worse - Surtees was trying to eke his crippled car into the pits but was hindered by a wall of gendarmes, who were refusing to move.