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F1'S GREATEST DRIVERS - AUTOSPORT persuaded 217 world championship Formula 1 heroes to vote for the all-time greates driver
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Given that Carlos Reutemann went on to serve as governor of the Argentine state of Santa Fe, it should come as little surprise that his Formula 1 career was defined by politics.
Today, his name is immediately associated with a bitter fight with Williams team-mate Alan Jones during the 1981 season - a fallout that began when Reutemann ignored team orders in Brazil, and ended with Jones refusing to lend Reutemann his support in the title-deciding final race at Las Vegas, where Reutemann fell to Nelson Piquet by a single point. Bad blood between he and the team prompted him to quit F1 just two rounds into the following season.
But all of the controversy sells his talent short. Exceptionally smooth behind the wheel, Reutemann joins Giuseppe Farina, Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve as one of just four drivers to take pole on debut courtesy of his effort in the year-old Brabham BT34 at Argentina in 1972. Consistency wasn't Reutemann's strong point, but on his day he was sublime. Plenty of drivers have done worse than win races with Brabham, Ferrari and Williams ...
STATISTICS
| Born | 12 Apr 1942 |
| Died | 7 Jul 2021 |
| Active years | 1972 - 1982 |
| Best | 2nd (1981) |
| Starts | 146 |
| Wins | 12 |
| Podiums | 45 |
| Poles | 6 |
| Front row | 22 |
| Fastest laps | 6 |
| Races led | 19 |
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