When Wattie nearly hooked a world title

While the 21st century Grand Prix drivers prepare for battle on the streets of Abu Dhabi, one of the sport’s great street fighters from the previous century has gone fishing.

Walking along the beach on Hayling Island in Hampshire this week I saw a man who looked remarkably like John Watson sitting by the water’s edge, staring intently out to sea. He was making slight adjustments to a fishing rod. Parked not far away was a very shiny C-class Mercedes-Benz. It was Wattie, the man himself

In 1982 Watson very nearly won the World Championship for himself and McLaren. That year he won the US Grand Prix at Detroit, coming through the field from the ninth row of the grid. He also won in Belgium, was second in Las Vegas and third in Montréal. His deft touch and natural talent made him a hard man to beat on his day. But it was not to be. Keke Rosberg took the title, despite winning only once, and finished just five points ahead of Wattie, who tied with Didier Pironi for the runner-up spot.

This was a dark year, remember, full of drama, tragedy and controversy including a drivers’ strike. Gilles Villeneuve was killed in practice for the race at Zolder, while team-mate Pironi’s crash at Hockenheim ended both his season and his career. Earlier, at Imola, Pironi had disobeyed Ferrari team orders (and a personal agreement between himself and Villeneuve) to steal a victory from under the French Canadian’s nose. Villenueve was justifiably furious and so began a bitter feud between the two men. Less than a month later Gilles was dead.

This was the year of another bitter battle –between FISA and FOCA – over the legality of ‘water-cooled brakes’ used by the Ford-powered teams in an effort to stay on terms with the turbocharged cars of Ferrari, Renault and Brabham-BMW. This braking system was designed to allow the cars to run under the minimum weight limit, carrying large ‘water tanks’ which were empty for the race but filled afterwards before scrutineering. FISA declared the practice illegal and the FOCA teams withdrew from that dramatic race at Imola. And so it continued, Brabham introducing re-fuelling as a tactical race advantage for turbo cars, and the FISA/FOCA war rumbling on.

Sailing through this mayhem came Watson in his McLaren-Ford MP4/1B, regularly quicker than team-mate Niki Lauda and supremely fast, especially on the streets. Had he beaten an on-form Alboreto in Las Vegas at the end of the year, and had better luck at Monza, he would have been World Champion. But, as Rosberg succinctly pointed out, had his aunt been his uncle she would have had balls!

Sitting by the sea, waiting for the bass to bite on a chilly autumn day, Wattie has no regrets. “It was a good year for me, the car was good, especially in Detroit. It just felt like it was my day, I could do no wrong, there was a natural flow. I was on a high. But to win the title you need lots of days like that, for the car to be reliable. We were up against the turbo cars and in Las Vegas I drove as hard as I could, but Michele Alboreto just flew in the Tyrrell and he won by nearly half a minute.” Subsequent allegations that the Tyrrell was running light were never proved.

These days the highly intelligent, and rather soulful, man from Northern Ireland lives by the tide table, not the airport timetable. His days are governed by the sun and the moon, the fish that swim in the sea. He is the TV commentator for A1GP but not even he knows whether there will be any more racing in this series. “Fishing is my passion,” he says, “it gives me time to think, to contemplate and watch how nature works. Never had much time for that in the past.”

John Watson will be our guest for the next Motor Sport podcast on November 3. Try and join us for what should be a lively and interesting debate. He is not, and never has been, afraid to speak his mind, talk off message, as they say. Should be fun.