John Watson (racing driver)
John Marshall Watson, is a British former racing driver and current commentator from Northern Ireland. He competed in Formula One, winning five Grands Prix and was third in the 1982 championship. He also competed in the World Sportscar Championship finishing second in the 1987 championship. After his retirement from motorsport, he became a commentator for Eurosport's coverage of Formula One from 1990 to 1996. He currently commentates on the GT World Challenge Europe.
Early Formula One career
John Watson was born in Belfast and educated in 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. 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. 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
He 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 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, 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, Watson managed a more successful season in terms of race finishes, even out-qualifying and out-racing his illustrious 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
For, Watson moved to McLaren where he gave them their first victory in over three years by winning the 1981 British Grand Prix and also securing the first victory for a carbon fibre composite monocoque F1 car, the McLaren MP4/1. Later in the season, the strength of the McLaren's carbon fibre monocoque 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. 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 last ever F1 race.
His most successful year was, 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, 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. 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, he repeated the feat of winning from the back of the grid at the final ever 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 nothing. He did return for one further race two years later, driving for McLaren in place of an injured Niki Lauda at the 1985 European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, in which he qualified 21st and placed seventh in the race. Watson raced with Lauda's race number of "1". This was only the second occasion since 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
In 1984 Watson turned to sports cars 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 956's and Lancia LC2's 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.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. 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
After 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.From 1990 to 1996 he worked as a Formula One commentator for Eurosport alongside Richard Nicholls, Allard Kalff and Ben Edwards. 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, John 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.
Formula 1 pundit making regular appearances on BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio 4, Sky and the live Sky Sports F1 show on Friday evenings.
Watson currently provides expert commentary on the Blancpain GT Series alongside regular Blancpain television commentator David Addison.
Legacy
In 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.Racing record
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pts | |
| Team Ireland | Lotus 48 | Cosworth FVA | THR Ret | HOC | NÜR | JAR | TUL | PER | VAL | NC | 0 | |||||||||||
| John Watson | Brabham BT30 | Cosworth FVA | THR Ret | HOC DNQ | BAR Ret | ROU DNS | PER | TUL | IMO | HOC | NC | 0 | ||||||||||
| John Watson | Brabham BT30 | Cosworth FVA | HOC Ret | THR DNS | NÜR 12 | JAR 11 | PAL | ROU | MAN 5 | TUL 5 | ALB | VAL 6 | VAL | 15th | 5 | |||||||
| Allan McCall Team Tui | Leda-Tui AM29 | Ford BDA | MAL | THR | HOC | PAU | PAL Ret | HOC 10 | 23rd | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Allan McCall Team Tui | Leda-Tui BH2 | Ford BDA | ROU | ÖST 8 | IMO | MAN Ret | PER | SAL | ALB | HOC | 23rd | 4 | ||||||||||
| 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 | Ford BDA | MAN 3 | KAR | PER | SAL | NOR | ALB 10 | VAL | 20th | 4 | |||||||||||
| Bang & Olufsen Team Surtees | Surtees TS15 | Ford BDA | BAR | HOC 2 | 11th | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| Bang & Olufsen Team Surtees | Surtees TS15A | BMW M12 | PAU Ret | SAL 10 | HOC | MUG Ret | KAR | PER Ret | HOC | VAL | 11th | 6 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pts | |
| 1973 | Hexagon of Highgate | Brabham BT37 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA | GBR Ret | NED | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | NC | 0 | |||
| 1973 | Motor Racing Developments | Brabham BT42 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | USA Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1974 | Goldie Hexagon Racing | Brabham BT42 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG 12 | BRA Ret | RSA Ret | ESP 11 | BEL 11 | MON 6 | SWE 11 | NED 7 | FRA 16 | GBR 11 | 15th | 6 | |||||||
| 1974 | Goldie Hexagon Racing | Brabham BT44 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | GER Ret | AUT 4 | ITA 7 | CAN Ret | USA 5 | 15th | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 1975 | Team Surtees | Surtees TS16 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG DSQ | BRA 10 | RSA Ret | ESP 8 | MON Ret | BEL 10 | SWE 16 | NED Ret | FRA 13 | GBR 11 | AUT 10 | ITA | NC | 0 | |||||
| 1975 | John Player Team Lotus | Lotus 72F | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | GER Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1975 | Penske Cars | Penske PC1 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | USA 9 | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1976 | Citibank Team Penske | Penske PC3 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BRA Ret | RSA 5 | USW NC | ESP Ret | BEL 7 | MON 10 | 7th | 20 | |||||||||||
| 1976 | Citibank Team Penske | Penske PC4 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | SWE Ret | FRA 3 | GBR 3 | GER 7 | AUT 1 | NED Ret | ITA 11 | CAN 10 | USA 6 | JPN Ret | 7th | 20 | |||||||
| 1977 | Martini Racing | Brabham BT45 | Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 | ARG Ret | BRA Ret | RSA 6 | USW DSQ | ESP Ret | MON Ret | BEL Ret | SWE 5 | FRA 2 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | AUT 8 | NED Ret | ITA Ret | USA 12 | CAN Ret | JPN Ret | 13th | 9 |
| 1978 | Parmalat Racing Team | Brabham BT45C | Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 | ARG Ret | BRA 8 | 6th | 25 | |||||||||||||||
| 1978 | Parmalat Racing Team | Brabham BT46 | Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 | RSA 3 | USW Ret | MON 4 | BEL Ret | ESP 5 | FRA 4 | GBR 3 | GER 7 | AUT 7 | NED 4 | ITA 2 | USA Ret | CAN Ret | 6th | 25 | ||||
| 1978 | Parmalat Racing Team | Brabham BT46B | Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 | SWE Ret | 6th | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M28 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG 3 | BRA 8 | RSA Ret | USW Ret | 9th | 15 | |||||||||||||
| 1979 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M28B | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ESP Ret | BEL 6 | 9th | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M28C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | MON 4 | FRA 11 | 9th | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M29 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | GBR 4 | GER 5 | AUT 9 | NED Ret | ITA Ret | CAN 6 | USA 6 | 9th | 15 | ||||||||||
| 1980 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M29B | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG Ret | BRA 11 | RSA 11 | 11th | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| 1980 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M29C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | USW 4 | BEL NC | MON DNQ | FRA 7 | GBR 8 | GER Ret | AUT Ret | NED Ret | ITA Ret | CAN 4 | USA NC | 11th | 6 | ||||||
| 1981 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren M29F | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | USW Ret | BRA 8 | 6th | 27 | |||||||||||||||
| 1981 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG Ret | SMR 10 | BEL 7 | MON Ret | ESP 3 | FRA 2 | GBR 1 | GER 6 | AUT 6 | NED Ret | ITA Ret | CAN 2 | CPL 7 | 6th | 27 | ||||
| 1982 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4B | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA 6 | BRA 2 | USW 6 | SMR | BEL 1 | MON Ret | DET 1 | CAN 3 | NED 9 | GBR Ret | FRA Ret | GER Ret | AUT 9 | SUI 13 | ITA 4 | CPL 2 | 3rd | 39 | |
| 1983 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4/1C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BRA Ret | USW 1 | FRA Ret | 6th | 22 | ||||||||||||||
| 1983 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4/1C | Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 | SMR 5 | MON DNQ | BEL Ret | DET 3 | CAN 6 | GBR 9 | GER 5 | AUT 9 | NED 3 | 6th | 22 | ||||||||
| 1983 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4/1E | TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6t | ITA Ret | EUR Ret | RSA DSQ | 6th | 22 | ||||||||||||||
| 1985 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4/2B | TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6t | BRA | POR | SMR | MON | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | BEL | EUR 7 | RSA | AUS | NC | 0 |
Complete Formula One Non-Championship results
| 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 | Team Surtees | Surtees TS16 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC 2 | INT 4 | SUI 5 | |||
| 1976 | Citibank 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 | McLaren MP4/1C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC Ret |