Mario Andretti vs Carlos Reutemann

1979·

Carlos Reutemann beat Mario Andretti 8–7 at Team Lotus in 1979, helped by 9 retirements for Mario Andretti. Race-by-race qualifying, finishing and points record.

Mario AndrettiCarlos Reutemann

8Qualifying7

15 shared races

7Race day8

15 shared races

14Points25

in shared races, as awarded at the time

60Points (today’s rules)98

in shared races, rescored 25-18-15…

Wins: 0/0
Podiums: 1/4
Poles: 0/0
Retirements: 9/6
Best finish: P3/P2
Avg. grid: 9.9/9.5

Race by race

Round-by-round comparison of Mario Andretti and Carlos Reutemann
R	Grand Prix	Grid	Mario Andretti	Carlos Reutemann	Points
1	1Argentine Grand Prix	7/3	P5	P2	2 / 6
2	2Brazilian Grand Prix	4/3	Fuel leak	P3	0 / 4
3	3South African Grand Prix	8/11	P4	P5	3 / 2
4	4United States Grand Prix West	6/2	P4	Transmission	3 / 0
5	5Spanish Grand Prix	4/8	P3	P2	4 / 6
6	6Belgian Grand Prix	5/10	Brakes	P4	0 / 3
7	7Monaco Grand Prix	13/11	Suspension	P3	0 / 4
8	8French Grand Prix	12/13	Brakes	P13▼	0 / 0
9	9British Grand Prix	9/8	Wheel	P8	0 / 0
10	10German Grand Prix	11/13	Transmission	Accident	0 / 0
11	11Austrian Grand Prix	15/17	Clutch	Handling	0 / 0
12	12Dutch Grand Prix	17/13	Suspension	Suspension	0 / 0
13	13Italian Grand Prix	10/13	P5	P7	2 / 0
14	14Canadian Grand Prix	10/11	P10▼	Suspension	0 / 0
15	15United States Grand Prix	17/6	Gearbox	Spun off	0 / 0
	Average finish		P5.2	P5.2

How to read this table

The driver ahead in a round is shown in bold, the other in grey. Grid shows Mario Andretti / Carlos Reutemann.
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.

Other Team Lotus battles in 1979

Other Team Lotus teammate battles in 1979
Matchup	Quali	Race	Points
Mario Andretti vs Hector Rebaque	9–0	5–4	12–0
Hector Rebaque vs Carlos Reutemann	0–9	4–5	0–17

Mario Andretti’s career Carlos Reutemann’s career Team Lotus 1979 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 Entries that did not qualify, did not pre-qualify or were withdrawn are excluded, as are cars that never left the grid or the garage, and the Indianapolis 500 of 1950–1960.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.