The prevented F1 world champion Carlos Reutemann (obituary)
Argentine Grand Prix driver Carlos Reutemann, born on April 12, 1942 in Santa Fé (Argentina), has died at the age of 79 after a long and serious illness. With his head for character, the son of Swiss immigrants (Rüttimann) could probably have made a career in Hollywood.
The 1981 Formula 1 runner-up was admitted to hospital in Santa Fé on May 30, 2021 with anemia and dehydration. He had been in intensive care since June 21. However, his body, which had been ravaged by liver cancer, never recovered. Reutemann's death is a great loss for the Argentinian motorsport world. After Juan Manuel Fangio and José Froilán Gonzalez, he was the third successful local hero in the premier class.
Formula 1 career
Between 1972 and 82, Reutemann drove for Brabham, Ferrari, Lotus and Williams. The Argentinean hit Formula 1 like a bolt of lightning. When Reutemann finally made the leap into the premier class with Brabham, he was almost 30 years old. Right at his Grand Prix debut in Buenos Aires, he drove to pole position, something only four drivers have achieved to date. However, it was not until the penultimate race of the 1972 season that he scored his first world championship points, finishing fourth in the Canadian GP. His first podium came in France in 1973. And his first victory in 1974 at the South African GP. He won a total of twelve races in his 146 appearances in the premier class.
His two biggest victories came in 1975 at the Nürburgring in a Brabham-Ford and in 1980 in Monaco in a Williams. He finished third in the world championship three times, in 1975 with Brabham, 1978 with Ferrari and 1980 with Williams. Reutemann stood on the podium a total of 46 times, took six pole positions, started from the front row 22 times and set six fastest race laps. He finished in the points (sixth or better) in 66 races, collecting 310 championship points in just over ten years.
Missing out on the title
In 1981, Lole, as he was also known, narrowly missed out on the World Championship title. The Argentinian even started the final race in Las Vegas from pole position as the world championship leader. However, he fell back in the race and ultimately missed out on the title by a single point, finishing eighth with no points. Nelson Piquet finished fifth, stealing the title from him.
The frustration ran deep and Reutemann only took part in two races in 1982 (second place in South Africa and a collision in Brazil). Five days later, he informed Frank Williams that he was retiring. At the end of the season, his team-mate Rosberg became world champion.
Impressive demo laps
In 1995, Reutemann attended the third edition of the Argentinian GP in Buenos Aires as a guest politician and didn't miss out on the fun of a few demo laps in the 94 Ferrari 412 T1. He was surprisingly fast, very fast in fact. He only lost a few seconds to his much younger, faster colleagues.
Political career
After Reutemann hung up his helmet, he embarked on a successful career as a politician. He served two legislative terms (1991 to '95 and from 1999 to 2003) as governor of his main province of Santa Fé and later remained loyal to his province as a senator until his death. In 2003, he could even have stood for election as President of Argentina, but he declined.
On July 7, 2021, Carlos Reutemann left the earthly paddock forever.
