Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Reutemann (born the April 12th 1942 with Santa Fe (Argentinian) is an Argentinian automobile old driver. Major figure of the championship of the world of Formula 1 between 1972 and 1982, it was reconverted into the policy after the stop of its sporting career. Member of the Justicialist Party, it currently exercises a mandate of senator after having been twice governor of the Province of Santa Fe.

Biography

Sporting career

Carlos Reutemann begins his career at the end of the years 1960 in Argentina, initially in races of private cars, then in the single-seater. In 1970, it leaves for Europe to dispute there the championship of Europe of Formule 2, at the wheel of a Brabham engaged by the Car Club of Argentina. Quickly, he affirms himself like one of the sure values of the championship, of which he finishes second in 1971 behind the Swede Ronnie Peterson.

In 1972, it is engaged by Bernie Ecclestone in the official stable Brabham Formulates 1 of them. As of its first Grand Prix, in Argentina, it creates sensation by taking down the pole-position. Before him, only Mario Andretti in 1968 (which before its pole with Watkins Glen, counted a participation fallen through in the GP of Italy) had carried out this performance, and it will be necessary to await Jacques Villeneuve in 1996 to see republished similar exploit. The performance of Reutemann is all the more remarkable as contrary to Andretti (and later Villeneuve), it is far from profiting from the most powerful single-seater of the plate. He knows less success in race, where a premature wear of its tires relegates it in seventh position, out of the points. If one excludes a victory with GP of Brazil (then disputed out-championship), this pole position remains its only feat of arms marking of the season. It must even await the GP of Canada at the end of the year to register its first points, thanks to a fourth place. With the discharge of Reutemann, and limited potential of Brabham signs, its fellow-member Graham Hill] hardly obtained more results. In 1973, the level of competitiveness of Brabham improves, and Reutemann takes down its first podiums (in France, then with Watkins Glen) and finishes the championship in seventh position.

The first successes arrive in 1974. At the wheel of remarkable Brabham BT44, work of Gordon Murray, it gains the Grands Prix of South Africa, Austria and the United States. But it pays the unreliability of its mounting by finishing only sixth of the championship, without never being itself involved in the fight for the world title. Scenario reverses in 1975, where it gains only one race (on the " vieux" Nurburgring in Germany) and shown a remarkable regularity by multiplying the places of honor. These results enable him to finish third of the championship, but remotely sizeable of Niki Lauda, the new world champion.

In 1976, the progression of Brabham in the hierarchy is stopped by the decision of Bernie Ecclestone to give up the traditional engine V8 Cosworth with the profit of a new Flat 12 Alfa Romeo. Promising on paper, new association is especially the source of multiple engineering problems. With the right in the middle of the summer 1976, wearied by a series of ascribable abandonments to its mounting, Reutemann leaves Brabham to answer the call of the foot of the Scuderia Ferrari, which seeks a substitute with Niki Lauda, seriously wounded at the time of the GP of Germany. Reutemann carries out its beginnings for its new team at the time of the GP of Italy. Contrary to what was envisaged, it controls one 3rd car of Scuderia, since Lauda anticipated its return to the competition. For the end of the season, it must be satisfied besides with a role of pilot tester, but with the insurance to be established for the following season in the place of Clay Regazzoni.

Reutemann approaches the season 1977 with high ambitions and a heavy statute to carry. Not only it as envisaged replaced Regazzoni at Ferrari, but because of the doubts which surround the level of competitiveness of Niki Lauda (which lost the confidence of Enzo Ferrari while giving up as of the first turns of the GP of Japan 1976, decisive for the attribution of the world title), it has the appearance of a first pilot within Scuderia Ferrari, and thus logically of favorite for the world title. A third place in Argentina, followed by a victory to Brazil seem to consolidate this statute, but the continuation of the season is more difficult. In spite of a delicate position within Scuderia (it maintains the reports/ratios very tended with Enzo Ferrari and its sport director) Niki Lauda affirms its superiority on Reutemann, which loses foot gradually, beaten on the track but also out-track in the psychological combat. And while Lauda takes down its second world title, Reutemann must be satisfied with disappointing a fourth final place. If nobody thinks of calling into question the talent of Reutemann, which remains regarded as one of the most brilliant pilots of the plate, its mental force and its capacity to answer present when it is awaited, make debate.

Removed from Niki Lauda which has snap as soon as the door of Scuderia its second acquired title, Reutemann finds the bent frank ones at Ferrari in 1978. Of return to its best level, it easily takes the ascending one on its initial fellow-member Gilles Villeneuve, gains four victories, and is affirmed like one of the rare pilots of the plate able to compete with punctually frightening the Lotus 79 with ground effect of Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson. It finishes third of the championship, while having drawn best from the material it had.

In 1979, Reutemann leaves Ferrari to join Lotus, where it replaces Ronnie Peterson, which found death at the end of the former season. Reutemann expects to recover a dominating car, but can only fall from top by noting that competition copied (and improved) the principle of the ground effect launched by Lotus. After a correct beginning of the season, Reutemann returns unrelentingly in the row and finishes only sixth of the championship.

For the season 1980, it leaves Lotus to join Williams, the team which made the largest impression at the time of second half of season 1979. This time, the choice of career of Reutemann proves to be judicious, but as in 1977 at Ferrari, it undergoes the pangs of internal competition and is generally made dominate by its Australian fellow-member Alan Jones, which cap the world title. Always at Williams in 1981, Reutemann intends well to take its revenge on Jones, and that in spite of the statute of first pilot from which the Australian one profits, controls historical stable. Obviously more with its ease which the previous year, Reutemann starts the season in waterspout, with in particular a victory in Brazil. But paradoxically, this success attracts the lightnings of its stable to him, which reproaches him for having been unaware of an instruction of race aiming at leaving the victory to Alan Jones. Confirming throughout the season its superiority on Jones, Reutemann therefore is not ensured of the world title since it must undergo the increase with the championship of the young person Brésilien Nelson Piquet, on Brabham. Moreover, environment within the Williams stable remains very tended since l'" affaire" Brazil, and Reutemann is far from profiting from a support without fault on behalf of its employers Frank Williams and Patrick Head. Useless also to count on the support of its fellow-member Alan Jones, who hates it and does not hide any. Jones is indeed the antithesis of Reutemann, whose Hollywood physique goes from pair with a great timidity, that it hides behind of the silent airs.
Reutemann arrives at Las Vegas, ultimate handle of the championship of the world, with a point in advance on Piquet. Qualified in pole position while Piquet missed its tests, it seems to have all the elements in hand to take down the world title after which it has run for several years. But upon the departure, it is made surprise by Jones, then is let lime in the group. In prey with problems of gear box, it slips until in seventh position and is made join with the 17th turn by Piquet, which passes it in its turn without much difficulty. While reaching the sixth places some turns later, Piquet virtually charms the first place of the championship of the world with Reutemann. In end of the road, the fate of the championship seems to have to rock again, Piquet being physically with the sorrow, but he manages to remain in the points, while Reutemann finishes with a sad eighth place.
At the conclusion of the race, Reutemann tries to justify its failure by evoking its concerns for gear box, but cannot prevent good number of observers from estimating that it again cracked mentally.

In spite of the not very charitable attitude of its employer in his connection (at the conclusion of the GP of Las Vegas, Frank Williams east is delighted by the victory of Jones, seeming to ignore the world title lost by its other controls), Reutemann remains at Williams in 1982. But it takes everyone by surprised by brutally announcing the stop of its career at the conclusion of the GP of Brazil, second sleeve of the season.

Political career

Supported by Argentinian President Carlos Menem, Carlos Reutemann carries out his first steps in policy at the end of the years 1980. Under the colors of the Justicialist Left, it is presented successfully to the election for the post of governor of the Province of Santa Fe, which it occupies of 1991 to 1995. The constitution prohibiting to him to aspire to a second consecutive mandate, it must wait until 1999 to arise again, and is again elected. Because of the economic serious attack which touches Argentina, this second mandate proves more difficult than the first. Criticized by some for its preserving fiscal policy, the way in which the police force repressed the demonstrations of December 2001, like for its management of the floods of April 2003, Reutemann did not remain one important figure of the Argentinian political life less about it, at the point to be more once had a presentiment of to stand as a candidate to the presidency, which it systematically declined.

In 2003, at the conclusion of its second mandate of governor, Carlos Reutemann is elected with the Argentinian Senate. It sits within the movement " Frente para Victoria" (a tendency of the Justicialist Party) of current President Nestor Kirchner.

Prize list

Vice-champion of the world in 1981
of 12 GP (more 2 victories except championship).
3rd of championships 1975,1978,1980.
4th in 1977

With controlled for:

Brabham (72-76)
Ferrari (76-78)
Lotus (79)
Williams (80-82)

With controlled in " Endurance" for Ferrari (1973, 2 second places with Schenken, abandonment with the 24:00 of Mans whereas the car is at the head) and Alfa Romeo in 1974 (2 certificates of merit with Stommelen).

Vice-champion of Europe of F2 in 1971 (behind Peterson, another glorious champion without crown).

2 participations in handles of the Championship of the world of the Rallys:

Argentina 1980: on FIAT 131 Abarth (3rd)
Argentina 1985: on Peugeot 205 T16 (3rd)

He is the only pilot to have known podiums in F1 and rally (since the creation of the championship of the world of the rallys).

See too

Pilot of Formula 1: classification by Pilot victories
of Formula 1: classification by better Pilot turns
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot podiums
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot poles position
of Formula 1: classification by hat tricks

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