John Marshall Watson MBE (born 4 May 1946) is a British former racing driver and broadcaster from Northern Ireland, who competed in Formula One from 1973 to 1985. Watson won five Formula One Grands Prix across 12 seasons.
John Watson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Watson at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix | |
| Born | John Marshall Watson 4 May 1946 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1973–1983, 1985 |
| Teams | Hexagon, Brabham, Surtees, Lotus, Penske, McLaren |
| Entries | 154 (152 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 20 |
| Career points | 169 |
| Pole positions | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 5 |
| First entry | 1973 British Grand Prix |
| First win | 1976 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1983 United States Grand Prix West |
| Last entry | 1985 European Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1973, 1984–1985, 1987–1990 |
| Teams | Gulf, Jaguar, Porsche, Toyota, RLR |
| Best finish | 11th (1990) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Watson competed in Formula One for Brabham, Surtees, Lotus, Penske and McLaren. He finished third in the 1982 World Drivers' Championship with McLaren. Watson also competed in the World Sportscar Championship, finishing runner-up in 1987 with Jaguar.
Upon his retirement from motor racing, Watson became a commentator for Eurosport from 1989 until 1996. Since 2022, he has served as the lead commentator for GT World Challenge Europe, and also commentated on the 2022 Miami Grand Prix for F1TV.
Early Formula One career
edit
John Watson was born in Belfast and educated at Rockport School, Northern Ireland. Watson's Formula One career began in 1972, driving a customer March-Cosworth 721 for Goldie Hexagon Racing in a non-Championship event: the World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch.[1] Watson's first World Championship events came in the 1973 season, in which he raced in the British Grand Prix in a customer Brabham-Ford BT37, and the US Grand Prix, where he drove the third works Brabham BT42. Neither was particularly successful, as in the British race he ran out of fuel on the 36th lap and his engine failed after only seven laps in the United States event.
Watson scored his first World Championship point in the 1974 Monaco Grand Prix, while driving for Goldie Hexagon Racing. He went on to score a total of six points that season, driving a customer Brabham BT42-Ford modified by the team.[2] He failed to score Championship points the following year, driving for Team Surtees, Team Lotus and Penske Cars. At the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix he had the chance to score his first win. He was in second position, behind Mario Andretti, until he had to stop in the pits for checks after his car started to suffer vibrations. Andretti retired later, and after rejoining the race Watson finished in eighth, his best Championship result in 1975. In non-Championship races he fared somewhat better, taking second place in the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, and fourth at the International Trophy race at Silverstone.
Rise to prominence
editHe secured his first World Championship podium with third place at the 1976 French Grand Prix. Later that season came his first victory, driving for Penske in the Austrian Grand Prix having qualified second on the grid. After the race he shaved off his beard, the result of a bet with team owner Roger Penske. In a June 2023 interview with F1Weekly podcast Watson said the team flew to London Sunday evening after the race, and Penske did not recognize him in the hotel lobby Monday morning.
In the third race of the 1977 Formula One season, the South African Grand Prix, he managed to complete the race distance, scored a point, and took his first ever fastest lap. His achievements were overshadowed, however, by the deaths of driver Tom Pryce and a track marshal, Frederik Jansen van Vuuren. His Brabham-Alfa Romeo let him down throughout the season but, despite this, he gained his first pole position in the Monaco Grand Prix and qualified in the top ten no fewer than 14 times, often in the first two rows. Problems with the car, accidents, and a disqualification meant that he raced the full distance in only five of the 17 races. The closest he came to victory was during the French Grand Prix, where he dominated the race from the start only to be let down by a fuel metering problem on the last lap which relegated him to second place behind eventual winner Mario Andretti.
In 1978, Watson managed a more successful season in terms of race finishes, even out-qualifying and out-racing his teammate Niki Lauda on occasion. He managed three podiums and a pole, and notched up 25 points to earn the highest championship placing of his career to that point.
Move to McLaren and championship challenge
edit
For 1979, Watson moved to McLaren where he gave them their first victory in over three years by winning the 1981 British Grand Prix[3] and also securing the first victory for a carbon fibre composite monocoque F1 car, the McLaren MP4/1. Later in the 1981 season, the strength of the McLaren's carbon fibre monocoque (designed by John Barnard) was demonstrated when he had a fiery crash at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix. Watson lost the car coming out of the high speed Lesmo bends and crashed backwards into the barriers. Similar accidents had previously proven fatal, but Watson was uninjured in an accident he later recalled as looking far worse than it actually was.[4] After James Hunt's abrupt retirement after the Monaco Grand Prix in 1979, Watson was the only full-time competitive British F1 driver up until the end of his career.
His most successful year was 1982, when he finished third in the Drivers' Championship, winning two Grands Prix. In several races he achieved high placings despite qualifying towards the back of the grid. At the first ever Detroit Grand Prix in 1982, he overtook three cars in one lap deep into the race on a tight, twisty track that was difficult to pass on; working his way from 17th starting position on the grid, he charged through the field and scored a victory in the process.[5] Watson went into the final race of the season at Caesars Palace in with an outside chance of the title, but he was to finish five points adrift of Keke Rosberg and level on points with Didier Pironi.
A year later in 1983, he repeated the feat of winning from the back of the grid at the final Formula One race in Long Beach; another street circuit, starting from 22nd on the grid, the farthest back from which a modern Grand Prix driver had ever come to win a race. Watson's final victory also included a fight for position with teammate Niki Lauda, who had started the race 23rd, though Watson ultimately finished 27 seconds ahead of his dual World Championship winning teammate.
At the end of the 1983 season however, Watson was dropped by McLaren and subsequently retired from Formula One. Negotiations with team boss Ron Dennis reportedly broke down when Watson asked for more money than dual World Champion Lauda was earning, citing having won a GP in 1983 where Lauda did not. Dennis instead signed Renault refugee Alain Prost for comparatively little (since he was already under contract to Renault but was fired for 1984). He did return for one further race two years later, driving for McLaren in place of an injured Lauda at the 1985 European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, in which he qualified 21st and placed seventh in the race (Lauda had injured his wrist in qualifying for the previous race at Spa, forcing him to miss that race also). Watson raced with Lauda's race number of "1" (the Austrian having won the 1984 World Championship).[6] This was only the second occasion since 1973 that a driver other than the reigning World Champion has raced car number 1 in a World Championship race, the other being Ronnie Peterson when the system first began, as reigning World Champion Jackie Stewart had retired upon the conclusion of the 1973 season.
Sportscar career
editIn 1984 Watson turned to sports car racing, notably partnering Stefan Bellof to victory at the Fuji 1000 km during Bellof's 1984 Championship year. He was also part of the driver lineup for Bob Tullius' Group 44 Jaguar team at the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans driving an IMSA spec Jaguar XJR-5 powered by a 6.0 litre V12 in the IMSA / GTP class. In what was Jaguar's first appearance at Le Mans since 1959, Watson briefly took the lead of the race towards the end of the first hour when the faster Porsche 956s and Lancia LC2s pitted. Driving with American Tony Adamowicz and Frenchman Claude Ballot-Léna, they failed to finish the race due to engine trouble though they were classified in 28th place.[7]
Watson also finished second in the 1987 season alongside Jan Lammers in the TWR Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-8 when they won a total of three championship races (Jarama, Monza and Fuji). Watson competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans seven times over the course of his career between 1973 and 1990, finishing 11th, a career best, in his last start in 1990 driving a Porsche 962C for Richard Lloyd Racing alongside fellow Grand Prix drivers Bruno Giacomelli and Allen Berg.
Other work
editAfter retiring from active racing, he worked as a television commentator, ran a race school at Silverstone and managed a racetrack. He also became the first man to ever test a Jordan Formula One car in 1990.[8]
From 1989 to 1996 he worked as a Formula One commentator for Eurosport alongside Andrew Marriott (1989-1990), Richard Nicholls (1990–1992), Allard Kalff (1992–1994) and Ben Edwards (1995–1996). The last Grand Prix Eurosport broadcast live in the UK was the Japanese GP in 1996. The contracts for Formula One live broadcasts were shifted to private TV stations for 1997. In 1997 Watson worked as a Formula One commentator for ESPN.
From 1998 to 2001 he was Charlie Cox's sidekick in commentating on the British Touring Car Championship for the BBC.
During the 2002 F1 season, Watson co-commentated on Sky Sports' Pay Per View F1+ coverage alongside Ben Edwards. However, this was fairly unpopular and it was axed for the 2003 season.
In 2005–2009, Watson worked as an expert commentator for BSkyb during their broadcasts of the A1 Grand Prix series.
In 2010, Watson commentated on some rounds of the FIA GT1 and GT3 Championship as well as the entire 2014 Blancpain GT Series.
Watson currently provides expert commentary on the GT World Challenge Europe alongside regular Blancpain television commentator David Addison.[9]
Legacy
editIn 2016, in an academic paper that reported a mathematical modelling study that assessed the relative influence of driver and machine, Watson was ranked the 25th best Formula One driver of all time.[10]
Racing record
editCareer summary
editComplete European Formula Two Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Team Ireland | Lotus 48 | Cosworth FVA | THR Ret |
HOC | NÜR | JAR | TUL | PER | VAL | NC | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1970 | John Watson | Brabham BT30 | Cosworth FVA | THR Ret |
HOC DNQ |
BAR Ret |
ROU DNS |
PER | TUL | IMO | HOC | NC | 0 | |||||||||
| 1971 | John Watson | Brabham BT30 | Cosworth FVA | HOC Ret |
THR DNS |
NÜR 12 |
JAR 11 |
PAL DNQ |
ROU DNQ |
MAN 5 |
TUL 5 |
ALB | VAL 6 |
VAL | 15th | 5 | ||||||
| 1972 | Allan McCall Team Tui | Leda-Tui AM29 | Ford BDA | MAL | THR | HOC | PAU | PAL Ret |
HOC 10 |
23rd | 4 | |||||||||||
| Leda-Tui BH2 | ROU 5 |
ÖST 8 |
IMO 8 |
MAN Ret |
PER | SAL | ALB | HOC | ||||||||||||||
| 1973 | Motor Racing Developments | Brabham BT40 | Ford BDA | MAL Ret |
HOC | THR | NÜR | PAU | KIN | NIV | HOC | ROU | MNZ | 20th | 4 | |||||||
| Chevron Racing Team | Chevron B25 | MAN 3 |
KAR | PER | SAL | NOR | ALB 10 |
VAL | ||||||||||||||
| 1974 | Bang & Olufsen Team Surtees | Surtees TS15 | Ford BDA | BAR | HOC 2 |
11th | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Surtees TS15A | BMW M12 | PAU Ret |
SAL 10 |
HOC | MUG Ret |
KAR | PER Ret |
HOC | VAL | |||||||||||||
Source:[12]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Complete Formula One World Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula One non-championship results
edit(key) (races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Goldie Hexagon Racing | March 721 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC | BRA | INT | OUL | REP | VIC 6 |
| 1973 | Motor Racing Developments | Brabham BT42 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC Ret |
INT | ||||
| 1975 | Matchbox Team Surtees | Surtees TS16 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC 2 |
INT 4 |
SUI 5 |
|||
| 1976 | First National City Bank Team Penske | Penske PC3 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC Ret |
INT | ||||
| 1977 | Martini Racing | Brabham BT45 | Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 | ROC 3 |
|||||
| 1979 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M28 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC Ret |
GNM | DIN | |||
| 1980 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M29C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ESP Ret |
|||||
| 1981 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren M29F | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA 5 |
|||||
| 1983 | Marlboro McLaren International Team | McLaren MP4/1C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC Ret |
|||||
Source:[14]
| |||||||||
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Gulf Research Racing
|
Mike Hailwood Vern Schuppan
|
Mirage M6 Ford | S 3.0 | 112 | DNF | DNF |
| 1984 |  Jaguar Group 44
|
Tony Adamowicz Claude Ballot-Léna
|
Jaguar XJR-5 | IMSA / GTP | 212 | DNF | DNF |
| 1985 |  Rothmans Porsche
|
Al Holbert Vern Schuppan
|
Porsche 962C | C1 | 299 | DNF | DNF |
| 1987 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing
|
 Jan Lammers Win Percy
|
Jaguar XJR-8LM | C1 | 158 | DNF | DNF |
| 1988 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing
|
 Raul Boesel Henri Pescarolo
|
Jaguar XJR-9LM | C1 | 129 | DNF | DNF |
| 1989 |  Toyota Team Tom's
|
Geoff Lees Johnny Dumfries
|
Toyota 89C-V | C1 | 58 | DNF | DNF |
| 1990 | Richard Lloyd Racing
|
 Bruno Giacomelli Allen Berg
|
Porsche 962C | C1 | 335 | 11th | 11th |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "1972 Non-World Championship Grands Prix"
- ^ Henry, Alan (1985) "Brabham, the Grand Prix Cars" p. 143 – 145 Osprey ISBN 0-905138-36-8
- ^ Winner's Circle British Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, Revs Digital Library.
- ^ John Watson shunts at Monza 1981
- ^ Winner's Circle United States Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, Revs Digital Library.
- ^ John Watson, Don Morley Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, Revs Digital Library.
- ^ Racing Sports Cars – Le Mans 1984
- ^ Smith, Damien (20 September 2021). "The forgotten F1 comeback that began Jordan's odyssey". Autosport.
- ^ Blancpain GT Series
- ^ Hanlon, Mike (12 May 2016). "The Top 50 F1 drivers of all time, regardless of what they were driving". New Atlas. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ a b c "John Watson Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ a b "John Watson". Motor Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Small, Steve (2000). "John Watson". Grand Prix Who's Who (Third ed.). Reading, Berkshire: Travel Publishing. pp. 599–601. ISBN 978-1-902007-46-5. Retrieved 31 August 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "John Watson – Involvement Non World Championship". StatsF1. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "John Watson". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
External links
edit
Media related to John Watson (racing driver) (category) at Wikimedia Commons