January 13, 1974 dawned bright, clear, and unseasonably hot, even for Argentina. In the early hours of the day, crews worked through the crescendo of heat to complete the final preparation of the cars whose engines would shortly shatter the silence. The first race of the Formula 1 season promised to be as sizzling hot as the blazing sun that beat down on the Autodromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires and teams and fans alike were ready and waiting.
The off season had been a chaotic one with drivers switching teams left and right. Only four drivers stayed with their teams, all others swapping teams and sponsors here, there, and everywhere. Denny Hulme, Ronnie Peterson, James Hunt, and Carlos Reutemann had remained with their teams. Big money sponsors Marlboro and Texaco had joined McLaren racing and Tyrell had a whole new line up altogether due to the death of Francois Cervert and Jackie Stewart’s surprise retirement. In addition, Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni, while remaining teammates, had moved to Ferrari. A young, dynamic Luca di Montezemolo had taken over Ferrari and, in his eagerness to return the iconic team to their former glory, had hired the two drivers to lead their charge for a championship.
The day before, Ronnie Peterson had placed his John Player Team Lotus squarely on the pole with an average speed of 120.5. Ferrari proved it had, indeed, made great strides over the off season, placing the car of Regazzoni in the front row next to Peterson. Peter Revson and Emerson Fittipaldi sat behind them in the second row, eager for the competition to begin.
When the flag dropped, Peterson leapt into the lead. In the first corner a major collision occurred that collected James Hunt, Clay Regazzoni, Mike Hailwood, and Peter Revson. Reutemann capitalized on the misfortune of Hunt and ploughed into second place, bringing several drivers, including Denny Hulme and Jackie Ickx, with him. Fittipaldi experienced trouble with his leads and had to pit, shifting everyone forward on the leaderboard once again. Hulme and Ickx loomed behind him, even as he was promoted a place, and Hailwood pushed his car to the limit in an effort to keep them behind him. Peterson, who had also been in front of Hulme and Ickx, suddenly found himself with brake trouble that forced him to retire into the pits. Behind Hulme and Ickx, Lauda and his Ferrari had caught up and began to put unceasing pressure on the two in front of him.
Lap 27 found Ickx in possession of a puncture and he limped his way to the pits clearing the way for Lauda to move forward. Reutemann, Hulme, and now Lauda, rounded out the top third in a race with as many swaps of leads as the off season before it. Reutemann began to experience a misfire in the car, however, and Hulme quickly capitalized on the situation and took the lead. On the very last lap, Reutemann’s car came to a dead stop as Hulme took the checkered flag, the last time in his Formula 1 career he would do so, with the Ferraris of Lauda and Regazzoni following closely on his heels for an impressive two-three finish.
In a time when racing was embarking on a new era, a new season dawned in the heat and humidity of Argentina. Amidst the shifts of teams, sponsors, and drivers, the Argentine Grand Prix set the stage for one of the most exciting seasons in Formula 1 History. As the cars roared to life, reverberating throughout Buenos Aires, one of the most unpredictable and breathtaking races in Formula 1 history unfolded, giving a young Luca di Montezemolo, a look into the future of Ferrari and the legendary Denny Hulme his last victory. As Formula 1 embarked upon the 1974 Argentine Grand Prix, as well as the 1974 season, it also embarked on a new era of racing in which a shift in generations of drivers had occurred, the old guard beginning to slip away as the next generation of drivers charged forward.
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