1972 Argentine Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jackie Stewart opened the 1972 season with victory in the Argentine Grand Prix, but debutant Carlos Reutemann captured the home crowd’s imagination with pole position. Denny Hulme and Jacky Ickx completed the podium after Reutemann’s tyre problems ended his challenge.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham
Pole time	1:12.46
Fastest lap	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell
Fastest-lap time	1:13.660 on lap 25
First	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell
Second	Denny Hulme	McLaren
Third	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
20 January 1972	Familiarisation testing	Start time unconfirmed
21 January 1972	Friday first timed practice	15:00 scheduled; delayed
21 January 1972	Friday second timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
22 January 1972	Saturday first timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
22 January 1972	Saturday final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
23 January 1972	Race	16:30

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

The World Championship returned to Argentina for the first time since 1960. Stewart arrived as reigning champion with Tyrrell, while Ferrari sought a stronger season and Lotus adopted its new black-and-gold colours. The shorter No. 9 circuit offered a different challenge from the venue’s faster layouts.

Race entries

Reutemann joined Hill at Brabham under the team’s new management. Revson partnered Hulme at McLaren, Walker joined Fittipaldi at Lotus and Lauda became Peterson’s team-mate at March. Surtees fielded Schenken and de Adamich, while BRM brought five cars. Beltoise did not attend, with Wisell among the BRM drivers instead. Ferrari retained Ickx, Regazzoni and Andretti.

Thursday familiarisation

Thursday’s unofficial running helped drivers learn the layout and select gearing. Amon needed engine work, and Stewart’s ignition problems prompted an engine change. The McLarens and Ferraris looked competitive, while Walker and Wisell sat out the session.

Friday first timed practice

McLaren showed strongly during the opening running, with Stewart and Reutemann close behind. Ferrari initially concentrated on full-tank work. Peterson, suffering from a glandular infection, managed only limited laps against medical advice, while BRM struggled to support five drivers and Gethin damaged an overheating engine.

Friday second timed practice

The cooler closing hour brought faster laps, with Ickx ending the day narrowly ahead of Hulme. Stewart and Andretti also broke 1:14, while Schenken was encouraged by his first experience of the Surtees. Revson’s engine failed late on, adding an overnight replacement to McLaren’s work list.

Saturday first timed practice

Amon stopped with gearbox trouble, causing an interruption for recovery. Stewart led the session without beating Ickx’s Friday time after Tyrrell swapped its drivers’ engines overnight. Fittipaldi improved and Peterson felt better, but Schenken missed the period because an engine change was not completed in time.

Saturday final qualifying

Reutemann produced a composed 1:12.46 late in the session to claim pole on his championship debut. Stewart came close on his last lap, with Revson and Hulme next. Ferrari encountered problems that prevented a full response, Peterson had brake trouble and Amon suffered another gearbox failure. The home crowd celebrated an exceptional start to Reutemann’s career.

Qualifying Classification

Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	2	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	1:12.46
2	21	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	1:12.68
3	18	Peter Revson	McLaren	1:12.74
4	17	Denny Hulme	McLaren	1:12.99
5	11	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	1:13.28
6	9	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	1:13.28
7	22	François Cevert	Tyrrell	1:13.39
8	8	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	1:13.50
9	10	Mario Andretti	Ferrari	1:13.61
10	14	Ronnie Peterson	March	1:14.06
11	19	Tim Schenken	Surtees	1:14.17
12	16	Chris Amon	Matra	1:14.28
13	3	Howden Ganley	BRM	1:14.28
14	20	Andrea de Adamich	Surtees	1:14.34
15	23	Henri Pescarolo	March	1:14.49
16	1	Graham Hill	Brabham	1:14.52
17	4	Reine Wisell	BRM	1:14.52
18	5	Peter Gethin	BRM	1:15.11
19	7	Helmut Marko	BRM	1:15.53
20	12	David Walker	Lotus	1:15.55
21	6	Alex Soler-Roig	BRM	1:15.66
22	15	Niki Lauda	March	1:15.92

What happened in the 1972 Argentine Grand Prix?

Stewart beat Reutemann into the first corner, although the Brabham initially stayed close. Fittipaldi and Hulme passed as Reutemann’s soft tyres began to fade. Amon could not start because of gearbox trouble, and Walker was later disqualified after repairing his stranded Lotus with tools brought from the pits.

Fittipaldi briefly challenged Stewart before gear-selection trouble slowed him, allowing Hulme into second. Reutemann eventually stopped for rear tyres and fell outside the points. Cevert retired with a seized gearbox, while Fittipaldi’s race ended with a broken rear suspension rod.

Stewart won by more than 25 seconds from Hulme. Ickx and Regazzoni brought the Ferraris home third and fourth despite their own difficulties, followed by Schenken and Peterson. Reutemann recovered to seventh, his result less impressive than the pace and assurance he had shown throughout his debut weekend.

After the race, Jackie Stewart headed the drivers’ standings with 9 points, followed by Denny Hulme on 6. Tyrrell – Ford led the constructors’ table on 9, with McLaren – Ford on 6.

1972 Argentine Grand Prix race results

The 1972 Argentine Grand Prix was held on 23 January 1972, with a scheduled start of 16:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	21	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	95	1:57:58.82	9
2	17	Denny Hulme	McLaren	95	+ 25.96	6
3	8	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	95	+ 59.39	4
4	9	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	95	+ 1:06.72	3
5	19	Tim Schenken	Surtees	95	+ 1:09.11	2
6	14	Ronnie Peterson	March	94	+ 1 lap	1
7	2	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	93	+ 2 laps	0
8	23	Henri Pescarolo	March	93	+ 2 laps	0
9	3	Howden Ganley	BRM	93	+ 2 laps	0
10	7	Helmut Marko	BRM	93	+ 2 laps	0
11	15	Niki Lauda	March	93	+ 2 laps	0
Ret	11	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	61	Suspension	0
Ret	22	François Cevert	Tyrrell	59	Gearbox	0
Ret	4	Reine Wisell	BRM	59	Water leak	0
Ret	18	Peter Revson	McLaren	49	Engine	0
Ret	10	Mario Andretti	Ferrari	20	Engine	0
Ret	20	Andrea de Adamich	Surtees	11	Fuel system	0
Ret	1	Graham Hill	Brabham	11	Fuel pump	0
DSQ	12	David Walker	Lotus	8	Received outside assistance	0
Ret	5	Peter Gethin	BRM	1	Oil leak	0
Ret	6	Alex Soler-Roig	BRM	1	Accident	0
DNS	16	Chris Amon	Matra	0	Gearbox on warm-up lap	0

1972 Argentine Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	21	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	25	1:13.660

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1972 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1972 Argentine Grand Prix.

1972 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jackie Stewart	British	Tyrrell	9
2	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	McLaren	6
3	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Ferrari	4
4	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	Ferrari	3
5	Tim Schenken	Australian	Surtees	2
6	Ronnie Peterson	Swedish	March	1
–	Carlos Reutemann	Argentine	Brabham	0
–	Henri Pescarolo	French	March	0
–	Howden Ganley	New Zealander	BRM	0
–	Helmut Marko	Austrian	BRM	0
–	Niki Lauda	Austrian	March	0
–	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Lotus	0
–	François Cevert	French	Tyrrell	0
–	Reine Wisell	Swedish	BRM	0
–	Peter Revson	American	McLaren	0
–	Mario Andretti	American	Ferrari	0
–	Andrea de Adamich	Italian	Surtees	0
–	Graham Hill	British	Brabham	0
–	David Walker	Australian	Lotus	0
–	Peter Gethin	British	BRM	0
–	Alex Soler-Roig	Spanish	BRM	0
–	Chris Amon	New Zealander	Matra	0

1972 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Tyrrell – Ford	9
2	McLaren – Ford	6
3	Ferrari	4
4	Surtees – Ford	2
5	March – Ford	1
—	Brabham – Ford	0
—	BRM	0
—	Lotus – Ford	0
—	Matra	0

Drivers counted their best 5 results from rounds 1–6 and their best 5 from rounds 7–12. Only the highest-placed car for each constructor could score constructor points, with the same dropped-results limits applying.

1972 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1972 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	23 January
2	1972 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	4 March
3	1972 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito del Jarama, San Sebastián de los Reyes	1 May
4	1972 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	14 May
5	1972 Belgian Grand Prix	Nivelles-Baulers, Nivelles	4 June
6	1972 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Charade, Clermont-Ferrand	2 July
7	1972 British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown	15 July
8	1972 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	30 July
9	1972 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	13 August
10	1972 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	10 September
11	1972 Canadian Grand Prix	Mosport Park, Bowmanville	24 September
12	1972 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	8 October