Jim Rathmann is a racing driver from United States who last raced in Formula 1 for Watson. Rathmann has recorded 1 win and 4 podiums from 10 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 5,075 ranks Rathmann 296th 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.
| 1960-05-30 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | P1 | +134 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | ▸Formula 1 | Watson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | P8 | +134 | 5,351 |
| 1959 | ▸Formula 1 | Watson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | P11 | +130 | 5,216 |
| 1958 | ▸Formula 1 | Epperly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | P21 | +106 | 5,086 |
| 1957 | ▸Formula 1 | Epperly | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | P10 | +139 | 4,981 |
| 1956 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P28 | −31 | 4,842 |
| 1955 | ▸Formula 1 | Epperly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P26 | +28 | 4,873 |
| 1954 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P27 | −64 | 4,846 |
| 1953 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P20 | +38 | 4,910 |
| 1952 | ▸Formula 1 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | P10 | +144 | 4,871 |
| 1950 | ▸Formula 1 | Wetteroth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P23 | −73 | 4,727 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Tony Bettenhausen | 4,934 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% |
| 🇺🇸 Duane Carter | 5,054 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% |
| 🇺🇸 Paul Russo | 4,921 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% |
| 🇺🇸 Eddie Johnson | 4,920 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% |
| 🇺🇸 Jimmy Bryan | 4,903 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% |
| 🇺🇸 Gene Hartley | 4,824 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% |
| 🇺🇸 Johnnie Parsons | 4,887 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75% |
| 🇺🇸 Johnny Thomson | 4,876 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75% |
| 🇺🇸 Johnny Boyd | 4,812 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75% |
| 🇺🇸 Sam Hanks | 4,988 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
Jim Rathmann was an American racing driver whose career in Formula 1 spanned from 1950 to 1960, though his ten starts in the series were sporadic rather than sustained. Competing for Watson, he secured one victory and four podium finishes across that decade, averaging a finishing position of seventh. His single-seater record in Europe was respectable against a professional field of drivers of broadly comparable standing; he held winning head-to-head records against Tony Bettenhausen and Jimmy Bryan, both drivers rated in the upper-professional range, and finished ahead of Duane Carter on three occasions, though Carter held a marginally superior overall rating.[1]
Rathmann's Racer Rating of 5,075 places him in the upper-professional tier. His limited starts in Formula 1 meant his international presence was modest by comparison to his standing in American racing, where his championship car career yielded far greater prominence. The Indianapolis 500 victory in 1960, achieved in a legendary battle with Rodger Ward, remains his signature achievement and is recognized as one of the greatest performances in the race's history. His career reflects the era when many top American drivers competed selectively in European Formula 1 while maintaining their primary focus on domestic single-seater racing. He retired from active competition after 1960.[2]