Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Reutemann (1942-2021) was an Argentine racing driver who raced in Formula One from 1972 to 1982, and later became a politician in his native province of Santa Fe and governor of Santa Fe, Argentina.

Adored by millions in Argentina and all over the world, Carlos Reutemann, nicknamed “Lole”, was among Formula One leading protagonists all through his career and raced for Brabham, Ferrari, Lotus and Williams. He scored 12 Grand Prix wins, 45 podiums, 6 pole positions and 310 championship points.

In 1981, while driving for Williams, he finished second in the World Drivers’ Championship by one point, having been overtaken in the last race of the season by Nelson Piquet. Very consistent at the top, Reutemann also finished third overall three times for three separate teams – 1975 for Brabham, 1978 for Ferrari and 1980 for Williams (picture below, winner at the 1980 Monaco Grand Prix).

Interesting: Reutemann became the second Formula One driver, after Leo Kinnunen, to finish on the podium of a World Rally Championship event, when he finished third in the 1980 and 1985 editions of the Rallye Argentina.