JOHN WATSON: HOW THE HOMETOWN HERO LIT UP SILVERSTONE

It’s July 18, 1981 and it’s the British Grand Prix. Then as now, it is Britain’s showpiece event, although the one quirk 40 years ago was that the race ran on a Saturday for live BBC television.

In recent years, fans have gone to Silverstone expecting a British winner, largely thanks to Lewis Hamilton’s prodigious talent and the pace and advantage of Mercedes. Forty years ago, it was very different. Silverstone was a power circuit and the turbo Renaults and Ferraris were expected to dominate.

However, Gilles Villeneuve triggered a multi-car shunt at Woodcote on lap four and eliminatedAlan Jones (Williams FW07) andAndrea de Cesaris (McLaren MP4). Through the melee came John Watson who was ninth at the end of that lap.

Then Nelson Piquet (Brabham) had a tyre failure at Becketts and went off, Alain Prost retired with engine dramas and ReneArnoux’s sister car went the same way. John Watson would win the British Grand Prix.

Forty years on, Wattie sat down with MN to look back on the key elements of his day of days.

Third, second…

 “I’d finished