Niki Lauda vs John Watson

Niki Lauda and John Watson finished level 7–7 on race day at McLaren in 1983. Niki Lauda took qualifying 11–3. John Watson scored 22 points to 12.

Niki LaudaJohn Watson

11Qualifying3

14 shared races

7Race day7

14 shared races

12Points22

as awarded at the time

52Points (today’s rules)87

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	Brazilian Grand Prix	9/16	P2	Engine	4 / 0
2	United States Grand Prix West	23/22	P2	P1	6 / 9
3	French Grand Prix	12/14	Wheel bearing	Engine	0 / 0
4	San Marino Grand Prix	18/24	Spun off	P5	0 / 2
6	Belgian Grand Prix	15/20	Gearbox	Collision	0 / 0
7	Detroit Grand Prix	18/21	P13	P3	0 / 4
8	Canadian Grand Prix	19/20	Spun off	P6	0 / 1
9	British Grand Prix	15/24	P6	P9	1 / 0
10	German Grand Prix	18/23	Disqualified	P5	0 / 2
11	Austrian Grand Prix	14/17	P6	P9	1 / 0
12	Dutch Grand Prix	19/15	Brakes	P3	0 / 4
13	Italian Grand Prix	13/15	Electrical	Electrical	0 / 0
14	European Grand Prix	13/10	Engine	Spun off	0 / 0
15	South African Grand Prix	12/15	P11	Disqualified	0 / 0

Other seasons in which Niki Lauda and John Watson were teammates
Season	Team	Matchup	Quali	Race	Points
1982	McLaren	Niki Lauda vs John Watson	10–4	8–6	30–39
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 Entries that did not qualify, did not pre-qualify or were withdrawn are excluded, as is the Indianapolis 500 of 1950–1960.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.