As teammates — same car
Race finishesahead
Qualifyingahead
John Watson · Niki Lauda
Qualifying compares starting grid position, which covers every era — it includes any grid penalties.
Race H2H
46
—
71
117 shared
Qualifying H2H
23
—
93
116 shared
Championship record
0
World titles
3
0
Runner-up
1
1
Top-3 finishes
4
P3
Best championship
P1
Finished ahead in the standings:
3 · 4
1974
P4
1976
P2
1977
P1
1978
P4
1979
P9
1982
P3
1983
P6
Teammate battle by season
7
9
1978
6
8
1982
7
7
1983
Career totals
John Watson
Niki Lauda
Championships
0
3
Wins
5
25
Poles
2
24
Podiums
20
54
Fastest laps
0
0
Career points
169
420.5
Starts
152
173
Rate-adjusted · per start
John Watson
Niki Lauda
Win rate
3.3%
14.5%
Podium rate
13.2%
31.2%
Pole rate
1.3%
13.9%
Points / start
1.1
2.4
Avg grid
P11.9
P8.4
Avg finish
P11.5
P10.8
Finish rate
61.2%
56.1%
Rates reward peak form; totals reward longevity. Avg grid/finish: lower is better.
Why they retired
John Watson
Niki Lauda
Mechanical retirements
43
54
Crash retirements
13
19
Classified from the finishing status. Mechanical covers car failures, crash covers accidents, collisions and damage — fewer is better on both.
Retirements with an unclear cause: 3 · 3
Milestones & racecraft
1973
Debut season
1971
1976 · aged 30
First win
1974 · aged 25
1977
First pole
1974
—
First title
1975 · aged 26
P1
Best finish
P1
+0.4
Avg places gained
-2.3
Season points trajectory
John Watson
Niki Lauda
Final points each season — scoring systems changed over the eras.
Track by track
| Circuit | John Watson | Niki Lauda |
|---|---|---|
| W · Pod · Best | W · Pod · Best | |
| W · Pod · Best W · Pod · Best | ||
| Circuit Park Zandvoort | 0 · 1 · P3 | 3 · 6 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 1 · P3 3 · 6 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Brands Hatch | 0 · 2 · P3 | 3 · 4 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 2 · P3 3 · 4 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Kyalami | 0 · 1 · P3 | 3 · 3 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 1 · P3 3 · 3 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Zolder | 1 · 1 · P1 | 2 · 3 · P1 |
| John Watson 1 · 1 · P1 2 · 3 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | 0 · 1 · P2 | 2 · 4 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 1 · P2 2 · 4 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Long Beach | 1 · 1 · P1 | 1 · 4 · P1 |
| John Watson 1 · 1 · P1 1 · 4 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Circuit de Monaco | 0 · 0 · P4 | 2 · 4 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P4 2 · 4 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Red Bull Ring | 1 · 1 · P1 | 1 · 2 · P1 |
| John Watson 1 · 1 · P1 1 · 2 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Scandinavian Raceway | 0 · 0 · P5 | 2 · 3 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P5 2 · 3 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Dijon-Prenois | 0 · 2 · P2 | 1 · 3 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 2 · P2 1 · 3 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Jarama | 0 · 1 · P3 | 1 · 2 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 1 · P3 1 · 2 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Watkins Glen | 0 · 0 · P5 | 1 · 2 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P5 1 · 2 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Circuit Paul Ricard | 0 · 1 · P3 | 1 · 1 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 1 · P3 1 · 1 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Silverstone Circuit | 1 · 1 · P1 | 0 · 1 · P2 |
| John Watson 1 · 1 · P1 0 · 1 · P2 Niki Lauda | ||
| Autódromo José Carlos Pace | 0 · 0 · P8 | 1 · 2 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P8 1 · 2 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Hockenheimring | 0 · 0 · P5 | 1 · 2 · P1 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P5 1 · 2 · P1 Niki Lauda | ||
| Detroit Street Circuit | 1 · 2 · P1 | 0 · 0 · P13 |
| John Watson 1 · 2 · P1 0 · 0 · P13 Niki Lauda | ||
| Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez | 0 · 1 · P3 | 0 · 2 · P2 |
| John Watson 0 · 1 · P3 0 · 2 · P2 Niki Lauda | ||
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | 0 · 2 · P2 | 0 · 1 · P2 |
| John Watson 0 · 2 · P2 0 · 1 · P2 Niki Lauda | ||
| Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet | 0 · 1 · P2 | 0 · 2 · P2 |
| John Watson 0 · 1 · P2 0 · 2 · P2 Niki Lauda | ||
| Nürburgring | 0 · 0 · P7 | 0 · 1 · P3 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P7 0 · 1 · P3 Niki Lauda | ||
| Nivelles-Baulers | 0 · 0 · P11 | 0 · 1 · P2 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P11 0 · 1 · P2 Niki Lauda | ||
| Las Vegas Street Circuit | 0 · 1 · P2 | 0 · 0 · — |
| John Watson 0 · 1 · P2 0 · 0 · — Niki Lauda | ||
| Mosport International Raceway | 0 · 0 · P10 | 0 · 0 · P8 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P10 0 · 0 · P8 Niki Lauda | ||
| Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 0 · 0 · P5 | 0 · 0 · P4 |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P5 0 · 0 · P4 Niki Lauda | ||
| Montjuïc | 0 · 0 · P8 | 0 · 0 · — |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · P8 0 · 0 · — Niki Lauda | ||
| Fuji Speedway | 0 · 0 · — | 0 · 0 · — |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · — 0 · 0 · — Niki Lauda | ||
| Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 0 · 0 · — | 0 · 0 · — |
| John Watson 0 · 0 · — 0 · 0 · — Niki Lauda | ||
Team history
John Watson
Brabham 1973–1974Team Lotus 1975Surtees 1975Penske 1975–1976Brabham 1977–1978McLaren 1979–1983McLaren 1985
Niki Lauda
March-Ford 1971March 1972BRM 1973Ferrari 1974–1977Brabham 1978Brabham-Ford 1979Brabham-Alfa Romeo 1979McLaren 1982–1985
19711985
Basis
Head-to-head counts races where both drivers were classified, compared by final position (post-penalty). Teammate section counts only seasons in the same car. Career totals mirror the source data. Data: Jolpica-F1 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).