Imagine if every F1 world champion was banned from competing in the sport after winning a world championship and their results after winning their first title were erased.
Now imagine if the entire history of F1 was run backwards with the aforementioned rule in mind. Who would be the champions in this scenario?
Under this system, the drivers that never competed in 1982 season were Alboreto, Arnoux, Lauda, Mansell, Patrese, Piquet, Prost and Rosberg. From those drivers, Watson inherited 24 points whereas Pironi only inherited 14, making Watson the champion.