Patrick Depailler vs Ronnie Peterson

1977·

Patrick Depailler edged Ronnie Peterson 11–6 in the races and 9–8 in qualifying at Tyrrell in 1977. Patrick Depailler scored 20 points to 7.

Patrick DepaillerRonnie Peterson

9Qualifying8

17 shared races

11Race day6

17 shared races

20Points7

in shared races, as awarded at the time

76Points (today’s rules)39

in shared races, rescored 25-18-15…

Wins: 0/0
Podiums: 3/1
Poles: 0/0
Retirements: 9/10
Best finish: P2/P3
Avg. grid: 9.5/10.8

Race by race

Round-by-round comparison of Patrick Depailler and Ronnie Peterson
R	Grand Prix	Grid	Patrick Depailler	Ronnie Peterson	Points
1	1Argentine Grand Prix	3/14	Overheating	Spun off	0 / 0
2	2Brazilian Grand Prix	6/8	Accident	Accident	0 / 0
3	3South African Grand Prix	4/7	P3	Fuel system	4 / 0
4	4United States Grand Prix West	12/10	P4	Fuel system	3 / 0
5	5Spanish Grand Prix	10/15	Engine	P8	0 / 0
6	6Monaco Grand Prix	8/4	Gearbox	Brakes	0 / 0
7	7Belgian Grand Prix	5/8	P8	P3▲	0 / 4
8	8Swedish Grand Prix	6/10	P4	Ignition	3 / 0
9	9French Grand Prix	12/17	Accident	P12	0 / 0
10	10British Grand Prix	18/16	Brakes	Engine	0 / 0
11	11German Grand Prix	15/14	Engine	P9	0 / 0
12	12Austrian Grand Prix	10/15	P13▼	P5	0 / 2
13	13Dutch Grand Prix	11/7	Engine	Ignition	0 / 0
14	14Italian Grand Prix	13/12	Engine	P6	0 / 1
15	15United States Grand Prix	8/5	P14▼	P16▼	0 / 0
16	16Canadian Grand Prix	6/3	P2▲	Fuel leak	6 / 0
17	17Japanese Grand Prix	15/18	P3	Accident	4 / 0
	Average finish		P6.4	P8.4

How to read this table

The driver ahead in a round is shown in bold, the other in grey. Grid shows Patrick Depailler / Ronnie Peterson.
P1 a win,P3 a podium,DNF a retirement.
▲ a finish at least 4 places better than that driver’s own average finish this season (see the average row), ▼ at least 4places worse. Retirements are not counted in the average.

Patrick Depailler’s career Ronnie Peterson’s career Tyrrell 1977 season All teammate battles

How these numbers are calculated

Only races both drivers started are counted. Entries that did not qualify, did not pre-qualify or were withdrawn are excluded, as are cars that never left the grid or the garage, and the Indianapolis 500 of 1950–1960.
Until the mid-1960s drivers could share a car during a race. Each driver is compared from the car they started (which sets their grid position), with the best result of any car they drove and the points from all of them, as officially credited.
Qualifying is compared on grid position rather than session times. Session-by-session qualifying data only exists from 1994, while grid position is recorded for over 99% of entries right back to 1950 — including every race of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
On race day the driver classified ahead takes the round. If neither was classified, the one who completed more laps is credited; if both retired on the same lap it is scored as a tie and excluded from the tally.
Points are those awarded at the time and include sprint races from 2021. Where the season used an older system, a second points row rescores every round under the current system so seasons from different eras can be compared.
These are points scored in the races both drivers started, not their season totals: races either missed, or contested alongside a different teammate, are left out. Up to 1990 even full-season totals differ from the championship standings, because only a driver’s best results counted towards the title. In 1988 Alain Prost outscored Ayrton Senna 105 to 94 and still lost the championship. Theseason page has the final standings.