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#236 1974 Argentine Grand Prix

2022-08-31 01:00

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#1974, Fulvio Conti,

#236 1974 Argentine Grand Prix

On Sunday, January 13, 1974, in Argentina, the Formula 1 Grand Prix season opens. This World Championship, in its twenty-fifth edition, represents the

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On Sunday, January 13, 1974, in Argentina, the Formula 1 Grand Prix season opens. This World Championship, in its twenty-fifth edition, represents the pinnacle of motor racing: the most spectacular races, the most famous drivers, and the most significant economic and advertising interests are part of the circus. And, still excessively, risk is also part of it. The 1974 season opens with two questions. How will the energy crisis be resolved, and to what extent will it affect the championship? Who will succeed Jackie Stewart, who decided to retire after winning his third world title last year? The throne is vacant, and many are the contenders, but will they have the material possibility to compete for the place of the Scotsman, or will they be sidelined due to a lack of fuel? The energy crisis has already claimed a victim: the South African Grand Prix scheduled for March will not take place. And the Brazilian race has been given the green light after many difficulties. The problem, however, is more a matter of perception than substance. It has been calculated that a jumbo jet flying from Europe to America consumes ten times more fuel than the cars involved in practice and the race of a Grand Prix (in Argentina, the 24 competitors will have 10.000 liters of fuel available). The waste is relative, also because the World Championship is not only a sports-spectacle but an activity that provides employment for thousands of people, directly or indirectly. But can it be accepted that fuel is allocated to such an activity while ordinary motorists must make sacrifices to obtain it for everyday use? In doubt that the authorities of various countries will make more emotional than technical choices, the circus has devised a very valid defensive line. Technicians have thought of resorting to a substitute fuel for gasoline, namely methyl alcohol. Probably, in Spain, at the end of April, the single-seaters will take to the track with engines powered in this way. The remedy, therefore, exists, although, of course, everyone hopes that the situation will undergo a positive evolution in these three months. The technical complications to adapt Formula 1 engines to methyl alcohol are quite contained, but there could be other problems, as the consumption is much higher. It might be necessary, perhaps, to divide each Grand Prix into two heats to allow refueling of the cars in the interval. 

 

In this still uncertain situation, a very balanced World Championship begins. Stewart's retirement takes away Formula 1's number one of recent years: not only a driver of the highest value but also a character with a lively human charge. Combative, controversial, a safety advocate but too attentive to the interests of friends, a skillful businessman, the Scotsman had represented to the public the figure of the champion. Undoubtedly, the Circus will suffer a bit in popularity, however, the fight to replace the abdicated king promises to be so electrifying as to bring new points of interest. The contenders are numerous. In the forefront are the Lotus duo, the former Ferrari driver Jacky Ickx from Belgium and the Swede Ronnie Peterson, and the McLaren duo, namely Emerson Fittipaldi, the World Champion in 1972, and Denny Hulme. Then, the men of Ferrari, the Austrian Niki Lauda and, above all, the Swiss Clay Regazzoni, who have the challenging task of bringing the Maranello team back to the path of victory. The South American races will probably better define the possibilities of the renewed 312-B3 and the team, which has managed to find harmony and commitment in the long tests of the last months. Behind these squads, it is easy to identify the outsiders. In particular, the South African Jody Scheckter, a revelation in 1973 with McLaren, is awaited with curiosity, now called to succeed Stewart in Tyrrell. It is a calculated risk that Ken Tyrrell faces because Scheckter combines natural talent with a certain inexperience, accompanied by a dangerous (for him and others) impetuosity. And again, the Englishman James Hunt, a young man who worked wonders last year with a March. His protector, Lord Hesketh, burdened with a substantial bank account, has provided him with a team and had a car built for him. Then, Revson, Reutemann, Pace. We will see what Arturo Merzario, released from the role of Ickx's sidekick and now the leading driver for Iso, can do. Probably, Merzario will be the only Italian engaged in Formula 1 continuously, since de Adamich has so far not found a sufficiently competitive single-seater. The technical theme proposed by this upcoming World Championship is offered by the comparison between Goodyear and Firestone in the important tire sector and between eight and twelve cylinders in the field of engines. In 1973, Goodyear and Ford-Cosworth dominated; will the same happen this year, or will there be a greater balance? The outcome of this battle could also determine the outcome of the great title challenge. 

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For the third consecutive year, the World Championship series starts in sun-soaked Argentina, all the regular Grand Prix teams air-freighting their cars out to this event and then keeping them in South America until after the two Brazilian Formula One races. Although the first race of the new season is taking place barely three months after the last race of the old, there were a good number of fresh and revised Grand Prix cars to look at, while scarcely a single driver seemed to have stayed in his 1973 berth. Of the three teams who did the Grand Prix winning in 1973, Team Lotus looked much the same as  for the past season. The Swede, Ronnie Peterson, remains with Colin Chapman’s organisation, continuing in the position of number one which he developed in the latter part of last season by the simple expedient of driving consistently quicker than his joint number one Emerson Fittipaldi. As the Brazilian didn’t manage to retain his World Championship title last year, and obviously thought that Chapman had been a little ungentlemanly in not allowing him to win at Monza instead of Peterson, Fittipaldi decided to go elsewhere. Thus Chapman replaced him with the former Ferrari team leader Jacky Ickx, who finally had become fed up with the lack of results in his 12-cylinder car. Still sporting their black and gold sponsorship livery front the John Player cigarette company, an arrangement which is entering its third year, two Lotus 72s had been brought to South America. Peterson’s car was 72/R8, the one he used as a spare during 1973, while Ickx was equipped with a brand new machine carrying the chassis plate of 72/R5, the car written off by Fittipaldi during practice for last year’s Dutch Grand Prix. New regulations formulated over the winter demand that rear wings be placed a maximum of 100 centimetres behind the centre line of the rear wheels, so the complicated assembly which hung far out on the back of the Lotus last year supporting wing and oil tank had to be abandoned, the wing taking a slightly more conventional position with the oil tank straddling the gearbox. Otherwise the two Lotuses were identical in specification to last year’s cars, but no spare chassis was available. Anticipating Chapman’s forthcoming new Formula One car, two Lotus 72s were sold to South Africa. Now the new Formula One Lotus is not ready yet, while South Africa’s ban on motor racing means that the sold cars now sit in crates, unwanted and unused. 

 

Having lost Cevert in the accident at Watkins Glen, and Stewart taking the decision to retire, Elf Team Tyrrell are starting again virtually from scratch. South Africa’s Jody Scheckter, who spent a good proportion of 1973 crashing works McLaren M23s, has been snapped up by Tyrrell as a likely lad for the future, whilst French Formula Two driver Patrick DepaiIler joined the team as number two. Incidentally, Tyrrell reaffirmed that his choice of Depailler was his own, not a decision thrust upon him by Elf’s vested interest in the team. Unfortunately, Depailler broke his leg very badly on a scrambles motorcycle last September, and still limps badly, so this could hardly help things in the heat of Argentina. Stewart’s regular chassis 006/2 is reserved for Scheckter, Derek Gardner having fixed up torsion-bar rear suspension in recent testing, in an effort to make the car more controllable over bumpy surfaces. Depailler is driving 005, the car which was used by Amon in Canada and the United States at the end of last year, although it remains in front-radiator guise. Big sponsorship changes meant that three McLaren M23s are here in Buenos Aires, two painted in bright red and white colours as a result of a new arrangement with Marlboro and Texaco, while the third carried the familiar Yardley colours. A certain amount of legal strife has been going on between Yardley and McLaren Racing’s directors, but it seems to have been reconciled in time for Mike Hailwood to take his place behind the wheel of M23/1. Emerson Fittipaldi joined Hulme in the Marlboro part of the operation, this pair using M23/5 and M23/6 respectively. Gordon Coppuck has increased the wheelbase and widened the rear track of all three cars, the former by means of a spacer just in front of the gearbox, in order to improve their traction out of slow corners. The crowds at Buenos Aires obviously cheer for Carlos Reutemann, their local hero, and for the third consecutive season the swarthy South American has stayed with the Ecclestone Brabham team. This year they have new cars, developments by designer Gordon Murray of last season’s BT42s, and the team’s number two driver is a Formula Three competitor, Richard Robarts. The cars show no indication of outside sponsorship, so it is not known precisely how the inexperienced Essex driver secured a place in this works team. Another team without a major sponsor is B.R.M., and to judge by some of the comments made recently by the Chairman of their Board of Directors, they probably won’t find one again. 

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Marlboro finally got fed up with the lack of results and general interference from this same Chairman and decided to take their bag of dollars to an eager McLaren Racing. Both Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda decided they were not prepared to stay with the Bourne team, so they went off to form a fresh Ferrari twosome, which left B.R.M. apparently high and dry. They are still using the same cars as for the past three seasons, and while this is merely a compliment to the designer when considering a race winner like Chapman’s 72, with B.R.M. it seems a matter of economic necessity. Watching the three BRMs starting the 1974 season painted in their old familiar green colour as they loaded them onto the plane at Gatwick, patriotic hearts stirred, but this virtue was no thicker than the paint on the car’s flanks when decals for the French Motul Oil concern sprouted on the British cars. When it appeared that Jean-Pierre Beitoise was to drive P160/09, Henri Pescarolo P160/10. and Francois Migault P160/05, it became clear that the cars had been sold to their third sponsor in four years. Completely unchanged, except for oil tanks now mounted on the right-hand side of the engine, the cars have undergone no development since they last raced. Another patriotic team which has avoided commercial sponsorship, though no doubt it could attract it if need be, is the Ferrari outfit. Fortunately a Ferrari always seems to remain a Ferrari, they are one of motor racing’s constants, and the whole team seems to have been re-invigorated by the return to the team of Regazzoni. The mechanics are very loyal to the determined Swiss, who is close enough to pure Italian to satisfy the Monza crowds, which is all that really matters. An intensive development campaign has been carried out with the 312B3s, and here in Argentina we have two revised machines. Regazzoni handled #11 and Lauda #12, both cars had their driving positions moved farther forward and slight changes to the rear suspension geometry as well as sporting the currently fashionable tall, slim airbox, a trend pioneered by Hesketh designer Harvey Postlethwaite. March Engineering produced a brand new Formula One car, designated the 741, with many detail similarities to last year’s chassis. It has a wide monocoque which tapers forward to be narrower at the front end, while conventional wishbone suspension at the front and parallel links plus radius arm and top link at the rear is employed. 

 

The rear wing is a huge affair, with massive sideplates shrouding the oil coolers on each side and a long nose similar to that seen on Hesketh’s March in practice at Austria last year. Unfortunately, Robin Herd hadn’t done his calculations quite accurately, as the new 741 proved to be a few centimetres too wide when it was scrutineered. Mosley was thus left with the task of obtaining the approval of all the other team managers before it raced. Drivers are Howden Ganley in 741/2 and the young German, Hans-Joachim Stuck, son of the pre-war Auto Union ace, in 741/1. BMW Competitions Director Jochen Neerpasch is watching Stuck closely, but many people read too much significance into the fact that this March sported the colourful BMW streak across its nose. Having got sick and tired of waiting for McLaren and Yardley to patch up their differences, Peter Revson left to join the UOP Shadow team managed by Alan Rees, and had the first of the 1974 Shadows, DN3/1A, to drive in Argentina. Jean-Pierre Jarier suddenly decided he didn’t like March Engineering after they didn't gave him the equipment to win the 1973 European F2 Championship, and chose to buy himself out of the balance of his four-year contract with Max Mosley. By the satisfied expression on Mosley’s face, we concluded that privilege must have swallowed most of his retainer from UOP. Jarier will use Oliver’s car from Watkins Glen, DN1/6A, in Argentina, as the second 1974 Shadow will not be ready until the European races. Frank Williams arrived with a single car, IR/03, for his new recruit, Arturo Merzario, with larger radiators and a selection of nose sections to choose from, while Surtees is starting with a fresh sheet of paper and is looking for better luck with his TS16 which has certain family resemblances to his Formula Two chassis. Brazil’s Carlos Pace had TS16/02 with the up-and-coming German, Jochen Mass, in TS16/03. Privateers using production cars included James Hunt in March 731/3, the highly developed Hesketh Racing machine which shamed the factory team last year, the private team waiting for the new Hesketh car which will probably be practised in Brazil, while North London car dealers, Hexagon of Highgate, have bought the ex-works Brabham BT42/2 for John Watson. This car has been rebuilt by Alan McCall with slight revisions including a different nose section, new rear wing and bigger brake cooling ducts. Rikky von Opel continues with a fresh Ensign chassis similar to last year’s example, but with different rear suspension geometry and numbered MN02. 

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Finally, Eric Broadley’s Lola firm is once more represented on the Grand Prix grids, having been absent in works-supported form since 1962. Graham Hill’s links with Embassy called for a fresh chassis after the unsuccessful spell last season with Shadow, so Lola came up with the brand new T370 after being Commissioned to build it. Graham Hill handled 370/HU2 and the second car, 370/HU3, was entrusted to F5000 driver Guy Edwards, who had some success with a Lola T330 last season. A conventional, rather heavy car, it was too new to have anything great expected of it in Buenos Aires. The 2.12-mile number nine circuit combination in the Parc Almirante Brown, used for the past two Grands Prix, has been eschewed in favour of the longer 3.8-mile number 15 complex. This was last used for the 1972 Buenos Aires 1.000-km. sports-car race, so the only yardstick of performance for 3-litre cars was the 1'58"39 lap record established by Wisell in a Lola T280-Cosworth V8 prototype. Practice are split into four sessions, two on Friday and two on Saturday, the earliest session starting at 3:00 p.m. Emerson Fittipaldi, who won last year’s race in his Lotus, is setting the pace from the start with 1'53"92, but the new McLaren team leader is just settling into the car, so there is obviously plenty to be shaved off this. Despite the fact that most of Firestone’s consignment of tyres for Argentina were lying, impounded by the Customs, at Buenos Aires airport, with the result that the fastest rubber wasn’t available until the second day, Hunt took his March round just 0.2 sec. slower and Niki Lauda is up there trying like mad with his Ferrari on 1'54"15. The Lotus duo is having some difficulty adapting to the lastest, even larger diameter, offerings from Goodyear, both Peterson and Ickx having to throw away all pretence towards style and hurl their cars around in great opposite-lock slides. Peterson’s efforts resulted in 1'54"25, while Mike Hailwood is absolutely revelling in a car which went exactly where he placed it, being close behind the Swedish Lotus driver on 1'54"68. The inexperience of the two Tyrrell drivers is showing up, Scheckter trying as hard as he knew, but only being able to record 1'54"83, not being at all sure whether the new suspension arrangement was an improvement or not as he don't the experience to judge. 

 

With Depailler getting a bit breathless in his efforts to keep up, the Tyrrell organisation is feeling the loss of Stewart and Cevert very keenly from the point of view of experience. Regazzoni spent some time in the pits having his Ferrari adjusted to his liking, and in the second session turned on the power, roaring a round in 1'50"96, to be the only person under the 1'51"0 barrier on the first day. Revson, delighted with the fast and stable handling of the new Shadow, recorded 1'51"30, while Reutemann is demonstrating confidence on his home circuit setting a 1'55"5. Although, his team-mate Robarts, was just getting used to his BT44 after a fuel blockage in the first session resulted in his having to use the team’s spare BT42/3. Both the Lotus drivers are well down in the second session. Peterson now quite convinced that something is wrong because the car over-steered far too much for his ease, while Hunt fell away during this session as well with only one set of tyres to rely on. Things really didn’t look at all promising for B.R.M., as Beltoise is scratching around in the middle of the field, expending a lot of effort for very little result, while Pescarolo and Migault are even further down. Ganley complained that the March wobbled about the road too much, so the bib spoiler beneath the nose section was removed, and Stuck is just sitting in the pits while the New Zealander sorted the bugs out and has only completed seven laps right at the end. John Watson’s Hexagon Brabham BT42 displayed far too much under-steer, while Jarier’s best of 1'56"08 wasn’t had in the old and uncompetitive 1973 Shadow which Follmer and Oliver had complained about, hearing in mind that the engine was only firing most of the time on six or seven cylinders. Hill is completing a lot of laps to acclimatise himself to the Lola, while his novice team-mate Edwards just concentrated on keeping the car pointing in the right direction and getting used to his new environment. With the heat on Saturday even more stifling than it had been on Friday, it seems that few people would be likely to challenge Regazzoni’s best, as times are probably going to be appreciably slower, Hunt being quickest in the third session with 1'52"74, while Lauda did 1'52"92 and Peterson demonstrated that his car was now slightly better with a 1'53"00 lap. Most of the teams are waiting for the cool of the evening to bring out their sticky qualifying tyres and have a last crack at improving their times, and , as we're entering the last hour , a great flurry of wheel changing is taking place with everyone darting in and out of the pits. 

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Regazzoni and Lauda both went out together in an effort to improve their times, for Emerson Fittipaldi had shot right into the picture with a lap in 1'51"06 and Hunt is in amongst the heroes with an energetic 1'51"52. The Lotus team are leaving their challenge until right to the end of the session, and in the closing fifteen minutes Reutemann fired up his Brabham BT44 in the pits only to find that it wouldn’t run smoothly between 7.500 and 9.000 RPM; a valve is sticking in the metering unit, so any change of improving his time is now gone. Revson inavertently triggered the fire extinguisher, just as he was about to make a final effort, so it was left to Peterson to take three quick laps in the dying moment of official practice and trim Regazzoni’s time by 0.2 sec., leaving pole position on 1'50"78. Thus most of the acknowledged aces were in the top ten. Hunt and Lauda pushing in as two rising stars, while Pace’s Surtees is just outside although he’d been trying extremely hard in his new car. Scheckter and Depailler both qualified outside the select places, it is a very unusual sight to have both Tyrrells out of the top ten places while Jarier mechanincs are changing his engine in order to properly prepare the car for the race but that left the hard-charging young Frenchman a long way down the grid. This year, Ferrari has arrived in South America for the Temporada with the intention not only of securing valuable points for the Formula 1 World Championship in Argentina and Brazil but also of winning the races in Buenos Aires and Interlagos. This intention becomes a real possibility, given the Friday practices at the Argentine capital's autodrome, where the best time was set by Clay Regazzoni. The Austrian Niki Lauda also demonstrated, with his fourth time, that the performance of the Ferraris is in line with expectations, indicating a resurgence. There is a sense of great satisfaction in the cohesive Maranello team, one of the best-organized teams. The former World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio, who still holds a special place in his heart for the Maranello team, congratulated drivers Regazzoni and Lauda, as well as the sports director, Luca Montezemolo, for Ferrari's performances on the initial day. Fangio had particular words of praise for Lauda, predicting a brilliant future for him. As for Regazzoni, it was no surprise. Clay, during his stint with B.R.M. last year, was one of the most admired figures in the Argentine Grand Prix, setting the fastest time in practice and leading the race in its early stages after a blistering start. 

 

A repeat performance is possible this year in Buenos Aires, with the hope that the better-tested cars can endure until the end. The new layout of the circuit chosen for this race also suits the performance of the Ferraris, whose 12-cylinder engines can unleash their full power here, favored by the higher number of straights. The only non-classified driver on the first day of practice is Arturo Merzario, who, just before taking to the track in the first session, went straight into a chicane preceding the so-called bio curve. The Italian driver's Iso Rivolta couldn't participate in the second part of the practice, during which all drivers improved their times from the first part. There is much frustration in the Frank Williams camp, where frantic work is being done to fine-tune the Italian driver's car. However, the Iso seems to have stability issues. On Sunday, January 13, 1974, an unofficial session was allowed just before lunch, It is notable that neither of the Lotuses bothered to come out, Peter Warr doubtless feeling that what they hadn’t learned in the five hours of official practice wasn’t going to be found in a quick half-hour blind on race morning. Scheckter’s Tyrrell now had conventional suspension at the back, while Ganley’s March enlivened proceedings by short-circuiting the wiring round its rear warning light and setting the rear end on fire. Lucky that the damage is minimal and repairable. President Peron arrived to watch the race from a special place of honour in the main grandstand, and the massive grandstands echoed to cheers for Reutemann. Peterson’s Lotus dived into the pits at the end of its warming-up lap, looks like his car had developed a misfire at the top end, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it and he duly took up his position on the grid. The cars quickly moved away from the dummy grid and were almost immediately flagged off, Peterson and Hunt making fine getaways from the right-hand side of the grid, while Regazzoni fluffed his start and allowed Revson to nuzzle alongside as they went into the first corner. Regazzoni, trying to hold his line, collided with the Shadow team leader as they went into the corner, both cars spinning wildly. Jarier piled into the confusion, ending up with both of the Shadows out of the race, even though Revson limped round to the end of the first lap to retire, while Merzario, Watson and Scheckter were also involved in the first lap carnage but managed to continue.

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Merzario subsequently stopped to have his damaged nose cowling changed. Hunt is taking the lead halfway round that opening lap, but it isn't for long. As he braked for the first hairpin on the infield  his clutch wasn’t functioning, so chose the long way round on the grass while he sorted the situation out. So it's Peterson leading at the end of the opening lap, with Reutemann, Emerson Fittipaldi, Hailwood, Ickx, Hulme, Pace, Lauda, Beltoise, Depailler, and the rest of the field in hot pursuit. Regazzoni completed the first lap in 20th position, driving the Ferrari with his usual cold determination and hell-bent. It's going to be a long way to get beck to the top for him. Peterson is working hard, but it's just a matter of time before the tenacious Reutemann found a way through. One didn’t have to see the Argentinian take the lead, one knew it in the same way as one knows that a Ferrari has taken the lead at Lesmo while sitting in the main grandstand at Monza. The cheersare deafening as the sleek white Brabham charged through to complete the third lap ahead of Peterson. while Hailwood darted into third place as it look like Fittipaldi’s engine is misfiring , with  the Brazilian dropping to eighth before corning into the pits. It looks like a plug lead had come loose and the mechanics firmly pushed it back into place to sent him back on track. Hulme is taking up the cudgels passing Hailwood, while Lauda slipped his Ferrari in front of Pace, and already this bunch was pulling away from the rest of the field, led at this stage by the tenacious Beltoise, who makes up much of what he lacks in talent by sheer determination. While Reutemann is continuing to pull away from his pursuers, Peterson gradually dropped back through that leading bunch and Hulme assumed second place, while Mass’ Surtees is forced to retire due to engine failure, then Hunt, who is carving his way through the tail-enders with great determination but, with only eleven laps completed, he's forced to stop before anything worse happened to his Cosworth engine, as water temperature was rising too much. Regazzoni tore up through the field into seventh place by lap 15,  becoming sixth 13 laps later as Lotus lost the prospect of another good placing when Ickx, by now just behind Hulme, pulled into the pits with a deflated rear tyre. Tyre is quickly replaced, but, although the Belgian got back into the race, he eventually stopped with transmission trouble after driving for many laps with an inoperative clutch. Another pit stop for Fittipaldi, but the McLaren driver accidentally switched off his ignition. 

 

He's now well down with the tail-enders although he's keep on lapping consistently. Scheckter’s Tyrrell overheated after 24 laps, while Depailler is tiring quickly, so that Beltoise is getting away. Howden Ganley’s March got the better of Pescarolo’s B.R.M. which is firing intermittently on ten or eleven cylinders, while Pace is dropping out of the leading bunch whit an overheated engine, forcing the brazilian to retire as we are on lap 26 now. Out in front, Reutemann is having apparently no opposition. As we are entering lap 35 he have almost half a minute on Hulme and the Texaco-Marlboro McLaren seem to be making no impression on the Argentinian. The only slightly ominous sign is that the Brabham’s cold airbox was gradually becoming detach from the streamlined rear body section, causing it to fall forward and hang over Reutemann’s head. But it don’t seem to affect him unduly, and he maintained his comfortable advantage. Regazzoni gradually wore down Hailwood, passing him on lap 35. March’s efforts became diluted as Stuck made a stop to replace a flat tyre and he's unable to get going again as the clutch had packed up. Robarts lost 2nd and 5th gears, both needed badly on this circuit with its long straights and tight corners, so he stopped for good on lap 36. Reutemann’s lead is steady and as we are entering lap 43. Most observers are thinking that the Argentinian is just easing up to conserve his car and stroke it home confidently to an overwhelmingly popular win in his home Grand Prix. Only for laps to go and gradually the Brabham’s engine note lost its crisp edge and Hulme is starting to make up ground. It seems a lead had come off the distributor, causing the engine to go rather flat, but it still look like Reutemann can make it. With five laps left, the tension in the stands must be unbearable, as the Brabham is now cutting out on corners, all the symptoms of insufficient fuel getting through its system. Almost unnoticed, Hill’s Lola stopped with its engine overheating on lap 48, but Hulme is now catching Reutemann hand over fist. Going into lap 52, with just 1 lap to go, it looks clear that the new Brabham is not going to make it and Hulme flashed past into his last lap, now in the lead, while Reutemann staggered the very sick car past the pits in second place. Reutemann's car ground to a halt halfway round the last lap, and Lauda, Regazzoni, Hailwood, Beltoise. and Depailler went by before the chequered flag came out, leaving the crowd shocked and disappointed and the Argentinian to a lowly seventh. 

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Eighth is Ganley, who lost two places on the very last lap, when the March ran out of petrol, while Pescarolo’s misfiring B.R.M. kept ahead of Fittipaldi and newcomer Edwards, although the Lola only completed 51 laps of the race. Success for Denny Hulme and McLaren in the Argentine Grand Prix, which opened the Formula 1 World Championship in Buenos Aires, and, above all, an exciting performance by Ferrari. The Austrian Niki Lauda finished second, and the Swiss Clay Regazzoni third. Hulme benefited from the retirement of Reutemann's Brabham, which happened on the last lap due to a lack of fuel. Reutemann and Hulme quickly took the lead. Their race was smooth, while the two Ferrari drivers had to fiercely fight for their positions. Regazzoni, halfway through the race, managed to move from P13 to P7, continuing his climb. The Argentine Grand Prix has dramatically marked Ferrari's return to the Formula 1 scene. After years of setbacks, it seems that Maranello's team's revenge has begun in Buenos Aires. The other big names in the World Championship failed to stand out: neither the Lotus pair nor Fittipaldi, who was involved in a series of off-track incidents in the early stages, fortunately on the grassy fields, in which Merzario with the Iso was also involved. Therefore, the satisfaction within the Ferrari team is great and understandable after the impressive performance in the Argentine Grand Prix. Luca Montezemolo, the lawyer, interviewed at the Sheraton hotel, where the headquarters of various teams are located, says: 

 

"Our joy is joined with that of Commendatore Ferrari, whom I called immediately after the race, who had the great satisfaction, after so much work, to finally see his cars classified among the top three, having been the fastest both in practice and in the race".

 

The sports director emphasizes the consistent performance of the two cars from start to finish, the harmony between Regazzoni and Lauda, and the perfect organization of the entire team. 

 

"What pleases us the most is the realization that these cars this year will be able to speak on the international stage. It is evident that our technicians have finally achieved the stability and aerodynamic balance so sought after".

 

The performance of the Ferraris, which does not go unnoticed by local commentators, despite the dominant reason for their comments being the misfortune of the Argentine Reutemann, is evidently due to perfect organization. The Maranello team was the first to arrive in Buenos Aires. The mechanics managed to clear the cars through customs first, studied the battlefield on-site. Regazzoni, who knew the circuit well, explained all its characteristics to Niki Lauda, who was unfamiliar with it. All of this contrasts with the behavior of other drivers and teams, who practically went straight from the airport to the racetrack for the first official tests upon their arrival, to the point that the scheduled unofficial tests had to be suspended on Thursday. Lawyer Montezemolo also points out the satisfactory performance of Fiat engines in high temperatures, which was somewhat of an uncertainty after tests carried out in Europe during the winter. Regarding the 12-cylinder engines, he says: 

 

"It is clear that they now have power, which was a defect in the past".

 

Regazzoni is also very satisfied with the performance of the Ferrari car's engine. 

 

"This Ferrari is extraordinary. It is a car with great potential for this season. I think with it, Lauda and I can do very well".

 

For his part, Lauda, praised by Fangio, is very happy with his flattering debut with Ferrari. The meticulous manner in which the team works is also demonstrated by the fact that next Thursday, before leaving for Brazil, where on January 27, 1974, the second act of the Formula 1 World Championship will take place at Interlagos, the two drivers will undergo a test session at the Buenos Aires racetrack. 

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Ferrari forcefully returns to the scene, once again occupying a natural role. The cars produced in Maranello are not made to play supporting roles on the track. It is a result - reported by South American accounts - that could have been even better. Regazzoni made a spectacular comeback after being trivially delayed in the early stages of the race, reminiscent of similar feats performed in the past by Clark or Stewart. And, extremely significant, the two fastest laps of the Argentine Grand Prix were precisely completed by the Swiss (and the Austrian). The gap from Hulme is quite contained: 9.27s for Lauda, 20.41s for Regazzoni. Enzo Ferrari, who is always reserved in his statements after a race, whether good or bad, expresses his joy this time. 

 

"I am pleased that this first result of Ferrari's technical and sporting choices has confirmed the expectations of the die-hard fans. I hope, among the many uncertainties of the moment, more satisfactions will come".

 

Without getting too excited about this dazzling opening, it is reasonable to assume that more satisfactions may come soon, perhaps from the next appointment in São Paulo, Brazil. Hope is anchored in solid facts: two cars finishing without any inconvenience; Regazzoni's forcing, which certainly pushed his single-seater to the limit, testing its reliability and performance; the ease with which, in training, the two Maranello drivers set times, a sign of a well-rounded setup. These elements lead to considering the 312-B3 version of 1974 as a competitive car. The long refinement work carried out by Ferrari specialists had provided positive indications in testing, but only races can provide consistent evaluations. And the Argentine Grand Prix has confirmed that this work has been skillfully done. On the one hand, improvements of a technical nature (weight distribution, aerodynamics, suspension, engine), on the other, the reestablishment of a serene environment, free from rivalries and controversies at any level. And credit must be given to Luca Montezemolo for this. The choice of drivers, in light of this first round of the World Championship, also appears very successful. The regularity, wisdom of Lauda, who is a young man, a man who is in a launch phase, and the experience and unwavering determination of Regazzoni, one of those who never give up. A successful combination because Lauda is also a talented tester, and Regazzoni is certainly not a whimsical type like Ickx, who hated training and private tests, boring but essential. The changes made in the Maranello team are thus bearing the first fruits. The result in Buenos Aires is a ray of light, the prelude to a long-awaited season, that of revenge. And there would be a need for it in this year under the sign of austerity, which is severely affecting manufacturers of sports or GT cars. 1974 must remind everyone that Ferrari is always Ferrari and that a company that honors Italian sports and industry worldwide has the right to an honorable existence.


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