F1’S CHANGING RULES AND PHILOSOPHY: 1979-96

Prior to 1979 the waters are muddied by a significantly different points system. A constructor only scored points from its best finisher in each GP. Lotus pair Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson scored four 1-2s during 1978 but each time the team only scored nine points, the reward for victory in that era. Dropped scores – putting emphasis on wins and podiums rather than points accumulation – also had an impact. This meant teams’requirements of a number two were subtly different. Although poorer car reliability meant you’d still ideally have a good number two, teams could get away with focusing on one car/driver. For example, had all scores from both drivers counted, BRM would have won the constructors’title in 1965 with its balanced line-up of experienced Graham Hill and star rookie Jackie Stewart. As it was, Lotus won the title, with all its points contributed by that year’s world champion, Jim Clark.

That change in the early 1980s, along with the unreliability of the new turbocharged engine technology, perhaps helps to explain why there were several championships in which the drivers’champion did not race for the team that won the constructors’title.

Williams took 1981 laurels as Hector Rebaque failed to back up

Piquet enough at Brabham, scoring just 22% of the champion’s total.

The reverse happened the following year, Derek Daly only scoring 18% of title-winning Williams team-mate Keke Roberg’s tally, while Ferrari won the constructors’championship with four different drivers.

Ferrari’s Rene Arnoux and Patrick Tambay were closely matched in 1983, resulting in a 55/45 split, much more even than the 82/18 split at Brabham, where Riccardo Patrese scored just 22% of champion Piquet’s total. Patrese was a fine number two at times, but his 1983 Brabham score and struggles alongside Mansell in 1992 hurt him in this debate.

After that, leading teams generally became more balanced, though Williams was too even in 1986. It won the constructors’title by miles, but the share between Mansell and Piquet was 51/49, enough for Prost to steal the drivers’crown as he scored a whopping 77% of Mclaren’s points.