Andrea de Cesaris vs John Watson
John Watson beat Andrea de Cesaris 11–3 at McLaren in 1981, helped by 8 retirements for Andrea de Cesaris. Race-by-race qualifying, finishing and points record.
Andrea de CesarisJohn Watson
1Qualifying13
14 shared races
3Race day11
14 shared races
1Points27
as awarded at the time
18Points (today’s rules)109
rescored 25-18-15…
- Wins
- 0/1
- Podiums
- 0/4
- Poles
- 0/0
- Retirements
- 8/4
- Best finish
- P6/P1
- Avg. grid
- 14.6/8.9
| R | Grand Prix | Andrea de Cesaris | John Watson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States Grand Prix West | Collision | Brakes |
| 2 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Engine | P8 |
| 3 | Argentine Grand Prix | P11 | Transmission |
| 4 | San Marino Grand Prix | P6 | P10 |
| 5 | Belgian Grand Prix | Gearbox | P7 |
| 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Collision | Engine |
| 7 | Spanish Grand Prix | Accident | P3 |
| 8 | French Grand Prix | P11 | P2 |
| 9 | British Grand Prix | Spun off | P1 |
| 10 | German Grand Prix | Collision | P6 |
| 11 | Austrian Grand Prix | P8 | P6 |
| 13 | Italian Grand Prix | P7 | Accident |
| 14 | Canadian Grand Prix | Spun off | P2 |
| 15 | Caesars Palace Grand Prix | P12 | P7 |
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 Entries that did not qualify, did not pre-qualify or were withdrawn are excluded, as is the Indianapolis 500 of 1950–1960.
- 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. The second points row rescores every round under the current system so seasons from different eras can be compared.
- These are points scored across the season, which up to 1990 is not the same as the championship total: 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.