[Driver] The GOAT - Round Two - Clark vs Andretti.M

[crmalcolm]

The first match-up in Round Two sees Clark vs Andretti.M.

Clark was victorious 12-0 in the first round, whilst Andretti took a 10-1 victory.

So who do you vote for as the greater driver?

Jim Clark
Clark initially took a couple of seasons to really find his feet, but after that, he was practically unstoppable. It is worth noting that Clark was still working on the family farm at the age that Max Verstappen debuted in F1. Clark did not begin his first race until 1956, when he started in amateur hillclimb events. Four years later, he was debuting at the pinnacle of motorsports. By 1962, the model sees Clark as the strongest performing driver on the grid.

Clark’s streak from 1963 to 1965 was a demonstration of his complete superiority over the competition. Of the 29 championship races he started in this period, he either experienced mechanical issues (13 races), in some cases causing a DNF, or he won (16 races). In the 16 races that he won, his average lead over 2nd place at the checkered flag was 58 seconds. He amassed a total of 159 points to his works-team teammates’ collective 28 points.

If we look at win streaks in F1 only including counting races (i.e., excluding any intervening mechanical DNFs), Jim Clark has the longest in history at 11 consecutive counting races. Of course, this was enabled by a combination of Clark’s driving skills and often dominant machinery. In the words of John Surtees, “Jimmy was good—very good—but a lot of the time also had the best car.”

Mario Andretti
Just like Carlos Reutemann, Mario Andretti made an impressive debut, taking pole position for Lotus at the 1968 US GP. He continued to make occasional appearances in F1 over the following years, while racing in IndyCar, including a victory for Ferrari in only his eleventh start. It wasn’t until 1975 that Andretti committed to a full F1 season.

After an unsuccessful season racing as the sole entrant for Parnelli in 1975, Andretti moved to Lotus. From 1976-1977, he was paired with newcomer Gunnar Nilsson, whom he beat 7-5 in counting races, 25-4 in qualifying, 68-31 in points.

Lotus had become a seriously competitive team again in 1977, with Andretti taking four wins and 3rd in the championship. In 1978, Lotus introduced the dominant ground-effect Lotus 79 model, which proved the year’s best car. Lotus also had a superb driver line-up, with Andretti alongside Ronnie Peterson. Peterson was considered the quicker driver by many, yet Andretti came out ahead 8-2 in counting races, 11-3 in qualifying, and 64-51 in points, although Peterson twice appeared to obey team orders by not challenging Andretti for the lead.