In the opinion of many motorsport historians, John Watson was one the most naturally gifted drivers ever to sit in a Formula 1 car. His career began slowly, competing in races in Northern Ireland before he graduated to racing Formula 2 cars for Brian Hart in the UK and Europe. His first competitive Formula 1 drive came in 1972 via a privateer team, Goldie Hexagon, that initially entered a March 721 before purchasing a year-old Brabham BT37.
This was replaced by BT42, a car that Watson enjoyed driving and he rewarded the team by claiming his and the teams first world championship point by finishing sixth in the 1974 Monaco grand prix. This was followed by drives for three other teams before he won his first (of five) grand prix in Austria in 1976 at the wheel of a Penske. John was known for his impressive beard but team owner Roger Penske disliked beards, preferring a clean-cut all-American image. He made a bet with Watson that he would shave off the beard if he won in a Penske so the race cost him his beard (which never returned). In 1979 he signed for the McLaren team where he partnered both Niki Lauda and Alain Prost but his next victory arrived at the British grand prix in 1981. But he will be best remembered for two races; Detroit in 1981 and the US GP at Long Beach in 1982. In both races he struggled to qualify but at Detroit he mastered the tight twisty track to come from 17th place to win. At Long Beach, he and Lauda qualified 22nd and 23rd respectively but on race day, Watson stunned his critics to overtake the entire field to secure a famous victory. Lauda tried to emulate Watson’s tactics but crashed. John also competed in world sportscar races including seven Le Mans before he retired in 1989 and began a new career as an F1 television commentator with Eurosport. The photograph shows John Watson driving the Goldie Hexagon Brabham BT42 during the 1974 British grand prix at Brands Hatch where he qualified in thirteenth place and finished eleventh.
From the book ‘Moments in Motorsport’ by Trevor Legate
