John Watson (racing driver)
Watson at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix
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| Born |
4 May 1946 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |
 British |
| Active years | 1973–1983, 1985 |
| Teams | Brabham, Surtees, Lotus, Penske, McLaren |
| Entries | 154 (152 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 20 |
| Career points | 169 |
| Pole positions | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 5 |
| First entry | 1973 British Grand Prix |
| First win | 1976 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1983 United States Grand Prix West |
| Last entry | 1985 European Grand Prix |
John Marshall Watson, MBE (born 4 May 1946) is a British former racing driver and current commentator from Northern Ireland. He competed in Formula One, winning five Grands Prix and was third in the 1982 championship. He also competed in the World Sportscar Championship finishing second in the 1987 championship. After his retirement from motorsport, he became a commentator for Eurosport's coverage of Formula One from 1990 to 1996. He currently commentates on the Blancpain GT Series.
John Watson was born in Belfast and educated in Rockport School, Northern Ireland. Watson's Formula One career began in 1972, driving a customer March-Cosworth 721 for Goldie Hexagon Racing in a non-Championship event: the World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch. Watson's first World Championship events came in the 1973 season, in which he raced in the British Grand Prix in a customer Brabham-Ford BT37, and the US Grand Prix, where he drove the third works Brabham BT42. Neither was particularly successful, as in the British race he ran out of fuel on the 36th lap and his engine failed after only seven laps in the United States event.
Watson scored his first championship point in Monte Carlo the following year, for Goldie Hexagon Racing. He went on to score a total of six points that season, driving a customer Brabham BT42-Ford modified by the team. He failed to score points the following year, driving for Team Surtees, Team Lotus and Penske Cars. At the Spanish Grand Prix he had the chance to score his first win. He was in 2nd position behind Mario Andretti until he had a problem with his car because it suffered vibrations and had to enter the pit lane (Andretti retired later on). He still finished 8th which was his best result in 1975.
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