Niki Lauda vs John Watson

Niki Lauda edged John Watson 8–6 in the races and 10–4 in qualifying at McLaren in 1982. John Watson scored 39 points to 30.

Niki LaudaJohn Watson

10Qualifying4

14 shared races

8Race day6

14 shared races

30Points39

as awarded at the time

103Points (today’s rules)133

rescored 25-18-15…

Race by race

Round-by-round comparison of Niki Lauda and John Watson
R	Grand Prix	Grid	Niki Lauda	John Watson	Points
1	South African Grand Prix	13/9	P4	P6	3 / 1
2	Brazilian Grand Prix	5/12	Collision	P2	0 / 6
3	United States Grand Prix West	2/11	P1	P6	9 / 1
5	Belgian Grand Prix	4/10	Disqualified	P1	0 / 9
6	Monaco Grand Prix	12/10	Engine	Electrical	0 / 0
7	Detroit Grand Prix	10/17	Collision	P1	0 / 9
8	Canadian Grand Prix	11/6	Clutch	P3	0 / 4
9	Dutch Grand Prix	5/11	P4	P9	3 / 0
10	British Grand Prix	5/12	P1	Spun off	9 / 0
11	French Grand Prix	9/12	P8	Electrical	0 / 0
13	Austrian Grand Prix	10/18	P5	P9	2 / 0
14	Swiss Grand Prix	4/11	P3	P13	4 / 0
15	Italian Grand Prix	10/12	Brakes	P4	0 / 3
16	Caesars Palace Grand Prix	13/9	Engine	P2	0 / 6

Other seasons in which Niki Lauda and John Watson were teammates
Season	Team	Matchup	Quali	Race	Points
1983	McLaren	Niki Lauda vs John Watson	11–3	7–7	12–22
1978	Brabham	Niki Lauda vs John Watson	11–5	9–7	44–25

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 Entries that did not qualify, did not pre-qualify or were withdrawn are excluded, as is the Indianapolis 500 of 1950–1960.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.