Michael Schumacher vs Nelson Piquet
Michael Schumacher out-qualified Nelson Piquet 4–1 at Benetton in 1991, but Nelson Piquet won the races 3–2. Grid slots, finishes, points and retirements compared.
Michael SchumacherNelson Piquet
4Qualifying1
5 shared races
2Race day3
5 shared races
4Points4.5
in shared races, as awarded at the time
26Points (today’s rules)36
in shared races, rescored 25-18-15…
- Wins
- 0/0
- Podiums
- 0/0
- Poles
- 0/0
- Retirements
- 2/0
- Best finish
- P5/P4
- Avg. grid
- 7.4/8.8
| Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | Nelson Piquet |
|---|---|---|
| 12Italian Grand Prix | P5 | P6 |
| 13Portuguese Grand Prix | P6 | P5 |
| 14Spanish Grand Prix | P6 | P11▼ |
| 15Japanese Grand Prix | Engine | P7 |
| 16Australian Grand Prix | Spun off | P4 |
| Average finish | P5.7 | P6.6 |
How to read this table
- The driver ahead in a round is shown in bold, the other in grey. Grid shows Michael Schumacher / Nelson Piquet.
- 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.
| Matchup | Race |
|---|---|
| Roberto Moreno vs Nelson Piquet | 5–6 |
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 Entries that did not qualify, did not pre-qualify or were withdrawn are excluded, as are cars that never left the grid or the garage, and the Indianapolis 500 of 1950–1960.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.