The1968 Italian Grand Prix was aFormula One motor race held at theMonza Autodrome on 8 September 1968. It was race 9 of 12 in both the1968 World Championship of Drivers and the1968 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 68-lap race was won byMcLaren driverDenny Hulme after he started from seventh position.Johnny Servoz-Gavin finished second for theMatra team andFerrari driverJacky Ickx came in third.

1968 Italian Grand Prix
Race details
Date	8 September 1968
Official name	XXXIXGran Premio d'Italia
Location	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza,Monza,Italy
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	5.750 km (3.573 miles)
Distance	68 laps, 391.000 km (242.956 miles)
Weather	Hot, Dry
Pole position
Driver	John Surtees	Honda
Time	1:26.07
Fastest lap
Driver	Jackie Oliver	Lotus-Ford
Time	1:26.5 on lap 7
Podium
First	Denny Hulme	McLaren-Ford
Second	Johnny Servoz-Gavin	Matra-Ford
Third	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari
Lap leaders

There was a five-week break after the previousGrand Prix in Germany. During the break, theOulton Park Gold Cup attracted some of the top names, withJackie Stewart taking the victory, after his dominant victory at theNürburgring.^[1]

24F1 cars were entered for the event, the biggest field of the season. AmericanMario Andretti entered in a thirdLotus, while hisUnited States Auto Club (USAC) rival,Bobby Unser, replacedRichard Attwood atOwen Racing Organisation (BRM).Scuderia Ferrari ran a third car for rising English star,Derek Bell, whileDavid Hobbs was fielded byHonda Racing.^[2][1]

The early qualifying session saw Andretti and Unser set the pace. Both drivers wanted to fly back toIndianapolis, Indiana for theHoosier Hundred at theIndiana State Fairgrounds, a 100-lap race on the 1609 metre (one mile) dirt track for theUSAC Championship the next day. They then intended to fly back toMilan and race in the Grand Prix. The event organisers announced that if the either driver returned to the US, they would be banned from competing in the Grand Prix, under an ACI ruling which forbade drivers to complete in another event within 24 hours of the start of the Grand Prix. Both drivers flew back to Indiana for the Hoosier Hundred and did return for the Italian Grand Prix, but were not allowed to take part in the race.^[1]

Qualifying resulted inJohn Surtees takingpole for theHonda Racing team, in theirHonda RA301, at an average speed of 150.314 mph. He was joined on the front row byBruce McLaren in his ownMcLaren M7A andChris Amon in aFerrari 312. The second row was occupied by theFerrari ofJacky Ickx and theLotus ofGraham Hill.Jackie Stewart,Denny Hulme andDerek Bell shared the third row.^[2][1]

The race was held over 68 laps of theAutodromo Nazionale di Monza, taking place in sunny conditions, with Surtees leading from the start. McLaren and Surtees fought for the lead, until theFerrari ofChris Amon lost control on oil dropped by one of theHonda RA301s and his car flew over the barriers into the trees at one of the fast Lesmo corners. Surtees also hit the wall trying to avoid the Ferrari. This putJo Siffert into second place, withJackie Stewart third. The Scotsman moved into second and a slipstreaming battle developed for the lead between McLaren, Stewart, Siffert andDenny Hulme.^[1][3]

McLaren'sM7A had to stop for more oil on lap 35 and retired. Stewart retired on lap 43 when hisCosworth engine failed. Hulme was by this stage already leading the race, and when Siffert went out with a rear suspension failure, nine laps from the end, Hulme was left to win. He won in a time of 1hr 40:14.8mins., averaging a speed of 146.284mph. There had been a battle behind him, betweenJohnny Servoz-Gavin,Jacky Ickx andJochen Rindt. TheFerrari of Ickx had emerged ahead, only to stop in the closing lap for more fuel. In the process, he dropped to third behind Servoz-Gavin, while Rindt had to retire with an engine failure.Piers Courage,Jean-Pierre Beltoise, andJo Bonnier rounded out the top six, with no other finishers.^[1][4]

• This was the Formula One World Championship debut for British driver and future Le Mans winnerDerek Bell.
• This was the first pole position forHonda and for aJapanese/Asian constructor and for a Honda-powered car and for a Japanese/Asian engine supplier.

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

• Lang, Mike (1982).Grand Prix! Vol 2. Haynes Publishing Group. pp. 76–77.ISBN 0-85429-321-3.