Clay Regazzoni is a racing driver from Switzerland who last raced in Formula 1 for Ensign. Regazzoni has recorded 5 wins and 28 podiums from 131 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 5,253 ranks Regazzoni 239th of 15,348 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the low five figures. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 1980-03-30 | Long Beach | DNF | −11 |
| 1980-03-01 | Kyalami | P9 | +38 |
| 1980-01-27 | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | DNF | −131 |
| 1980-01-13 | Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez | DNF | +13 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | ▸Formula 1 | Ensign | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | P22 | −91 | 5,705 |
| 1979 | ▸Formula 1 | Williams | 15 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 32 | P5 | +316 | 5,796 |
| 1978 | ▸Formula 1 | Shadow | 11 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | P16 | −200 | 5,480 |
| 1977 | ▸Formula 1 | Ensign | 14 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | P17 | −723 | 5,680 |
| 1976 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 15 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 31 | P5 | +168 | 6,404 |
| 1975 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 14 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 25 | P5 | −21 | 6,236 |
| 1974 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 15 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 52 | P2 | +895 | 6,257 |
| 1973 | ▸Formula 1 | BRM | 14 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | P17 | −11 | 5,363 |
| 1972 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 10 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 15 | P6 | +101 | 5,374 |
| 1971 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 11 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 13 | P7 | −279 | 5,273 |
| 1970 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 33 | P3 | +752 | 5,552 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇷 Emerson Fittipaldi | 3,999 | 50 | 25 | 25 | 50% |
| 🇦🇷 Carlos Reutemann | 5,765 | 45 | 20 | 25 | 44% |
| 🇿🇦 Jody Scheckter | 5,599 | 41 | 18 | 23 | 44% |
| 🇦🇹 Niki Lauda | 5,364 | 41 | 13 | 28 | 32% |
| 🇸🇪 Ronnie Peterson | 5,168 | 41 | 23 | 18 | 56% |
| 🇬🇧 John Watson | 5,367 | 35 | 23 | 12 | 66% |
| 🇧🇪 Jacky Ickx | 4,915 | 35 | 16 | 19 | 46% |
| 🇩🇪 Jochen Mass | 5,075 | 33 | 15 | 18 | 45% |
| 🇫🇷 Patrick Depailler | 5,068 | 33 | 17 | 16 | 52% |
| 🇬🇧 James Hunt | 4,930 | 31 | 7 | 24 | 23% |
Clay Regazzoni competed in Formula 1 across eleven seasons between 1970 and 1980, accumulating 131 starts, five wins, and 28 podium finishes. His career peaked in 1974 when he finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship while driving for Ferrari, the team that fielded him for the majority of his 73 starts in the series. His Racer Rating of 5,253 places him within the tier of professional drivers who formed the core of Formula 1 competition during the 1970s.[1]
Regazzoni's record against his most frequent rivals reveals a driver of moderate standing within that era's grid. Against Emerson Fittipaldi, a two-time champion, Regazzoni split their head-to-head encounters evenly across 50 shared races, each finishing ahead of the other 25 times. His record against Niki Lauda, a three-time champion, tilted decisively in Lauda's favour; Regazzoni finished ahead only 13 times against 28 instances of finishing behind across 41 races. Against Carlos Reutemann and Jody Scheckter, both drivers rated substantially higher, Regazzoni held losing records. However, he regularly finished ahead of Jackie Stewart, the three-time champion, on the four occasions they raced together. His average finishing position of sixth across classified starts reflects a driver typically in the midfield among the frontrunners rather than consistently competitive for victories, though his five wins and sustained presence at the podium across a full decade of racing demonstrates genuine professional competence rather than peripheral participation.[2]