Former F1 driver Carlos Reutemann passes away aged 79
Jul.7 - Today former Formula 1 driver Carlos Reutemann has passed away at the age of 79, in Santa Fe, Argentina.
Reutemann's F1 career started in 1972 at Brabham. He scored 12 podiums and 4 victories with his first team, where he drove almost 5 season's. In his last season with Brabham he had 9 DNF's and was asked by Ferrari after Niki Lauda’s terrible accident at the Nürburgring for the drive the next race, the Italian Grand Prix.
Lauda’s recovery was so quick that Ferrari ended up running three cars for the first time since 1972. The put number 35 for the first time on Carlos’ car. He returned to the team for 1977 behind the wheel of the 312 T2 and won in Brazil. It was only the third race for the team. In 1978 he drove alongside the young Gilles Villeneuve and the Argentinian duly won four times, (Jacarepagua, Brazil, Long Beach, United States West, Brands Hatch, Great Britain and at Watkins Glen, United States East). He finished third in the championship behind the Lotus pair of Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson.
In 1979, Reutemann left Ferrari for Team Lotus. With Lotus Reutemann won 4 podiums, but no victory. The next season he moved to Williams and drove 3 season for the British team where he scored no less than 16 and 3 victories. He should have won the 1981 F1 championship title but ended up second because the race at Kyalami, where he won had not been added up as official F1 GP. He ended up only 1 point behind driver Nelson Piquet who drove at his old team Brabham.
After his F1 career Reutemann started a career in politics in his hometown Santa Fe. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2017, Reutemann continued his political career until he was to ill and was hospitalised.
In December 2004, Carlos drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car again, when he completed around 20 laps of Fiorano in Rubens Barrichello’s F2004.
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