1974 Argentine Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Denny Hulme won the 1974 Argentine Grand Prix after Reutemann’s commanding home performance ended in late disappointment. Lauda and Regazzoni completed the podium on their Ferrari debuts, providing an encouraging start for the Italian team’s new line-up.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus
Pole time	1:50.78
Fastest lap	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:52.100 on lap 38
First	Denny Hulme	McLaren
Second	Niki Lauda	Ferrari
Third	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
11 January 1974	Friday first timed practice	15:00; end unconfirmed
11 January 1974	Friday second timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
12 January 1974	Saturday first timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
12 January 1974	Saturday final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
13 January 1974	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
13 January 1974	Race	15:00

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

Championship background

Jackie Stewart’s retirement and François Cevert’s death left Tyrrell with an entirely new driver pairing. Major transfers also reshaped Lotus, McLaren, Ferrari and Shadow, making the opening race an unusually revealing test of the winter’s changes. Buenos Aires used its longer No. 15 layout for Formula One for the first time.

Race entries

Fittipaldi joined Hulme at McLaren, with Hailwood driving its separately sponsored third car. Ickx moved to Lotus; Lauda and Regazzoni joined Ferrari; Revson and Jarier formed Shadow’s pairing. Tyrrell recruited Scheckter and Depailler. Robarts, Stuck and Edwards made their championship debuts with Brabham, March and Hill’s Lola team respectively, while Hunt retained the modified March pending Hesketh’s own car.

Friday first timed practice

Fittipaldi led the opening running as he settled into the McLaren. Hunt was competitive despite much of Firestone’s tyre shipment being held at customs, while Lauda immediately showed promise for Ferrari. Lotus struggled to adapt to Goodyear’s larger tyres, and Tyrrell’s new drivers faced the additional task of judging unfamiliar suspension settings.

Friday second timed practice

Regazzoni moved decisively ahead after Ferrari adjusted his car. Revson enjoyed the new Shadow’s stable handling, but Peterson’s oversteer persisted and Hunt had limited usable tyres. Robarts had already needed the spare Brabham after a fuel blockage. March restricted Stuck’s running while Ganley worked through handling problems with the new car.

Saturday first timed practice

Intense heat reduced the prospect of beating Friday’s leading times. Hunt headed this session, with Lauda close behind and Peterson showing some improvement. Many teams held back their softer qualifying tyres for the cooler final period, making the afternoon as much about preparing for that opportunity as pursuing an immediate grid gain.

Saturday final qualifying

Fittipaldi and Hunt improved, but Peterson delivered a late sequence of quick laps to take pole from Regazzoni. Reutemann’s final attempt was spoiled by a sticking fuel-metering valve, while Revson accidentally triggered his fire extinguisher. Both Tyrrells qualified outside the top ten as the team adjusted to life with its new pairing.

Qualifying Classification

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

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	1	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus	1:50.78
2	11	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	1:50.960
3	5	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren	1:51.060
4	16	Peter Revson	Shadow	1:51.300
5	24	James Hunt	March	1:51.520
6	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	1:51.550
7	2	Jacky Ickx	Lotus	1:51.700
8	12	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	1:51.810
9	33	Mike Hailwood	McLaren	1:51.860
10	6	Denny Hulme	McLaren	1:52.060
11	18	Carlos Pace	Surtees	1:52.200
12	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell	1:52.470
13	20	Arturo Merzario	Iso-Marlboro	1:53.140
14	14	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	1:53.180
15	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell	1:53.270
16	17	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Shadow	1:53.660
17	26	Graham Hill	Lola	1:53.900
18	19	Jochen Mass	Surtees	1:53.900
19	10	Howden Ganley	March	1:54.210
20	28	John Watson	Brabham	1:54.390
21	15	Henri Pescarolo	BRM	1:54.670
22	8	Richard Robarts	Brabham	1:54.730
23	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	March	1:55.190
24	37	François Migault	BRM	1:55.430
25	27	Guy Edwards	Lola	1:56.430
26	22	Rikky von Opel	Ensign	1:57.860

Sunday warm-up

Lotus chose not to run in the unofficial pre-race session. Scheckter’s Tyrrell reverted to conventional rear suspension, while Ganley’s March suffered a small electrical fire around its rear warning light. The damage was repairable, allowing the team to continue its preparations.

What happened in the 1974 Argentine Grand Prix?

Peterson led away, but first-corner contact sent Regazzoni and Revson spinning and damaged several other cars. Hunt also spun on the opening lap. Reutemann emerged in second and soon passed Peterson, while Fittipaldi stopped to have an ignition lead reattached.

Hulme advanced as Peterson’s brakes deteriorated and Ickx lost time with a puncture. Reutemann appeared comfortably in control until his Brabham began to falter near the finish. Hulme closed rapidly and passed on the penultimate lap; Reutemann stopped before completing the distance and was classified seventh.

Hulme earned the final victory of his Formula One career, with Lauda second and Regazzoni recovering from the opening incident to finish third. Hailwood, Beltoise and Depailler completed the points. Ferrari’s double podium offered immediate evidence that its extensive winter development and new drivers could produce a much stronger season.

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

1974 Argentine Grand Prix race results

The 1974 Argentine Grand Prix was held on 13 January 1974, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	6	Denny Hulme	McLaren	53	1:41:02.01	9
2	12	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	53	+ 9.27	6
3	11	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	53	+ 20.41	4
4	33	Mike Hailwood	McLaren	53	+ 31.79	3
5	14	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	53	+ 51.84	2
6	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell	53	+ 1:52.48	1
7	7	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	52	Out of fuel	0
8	10	Howden Ganley	March	52	Out of fuel	0
9	15	Henri Pescarolo	BRM	52	+ 1 Lap	0
10	5	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren	51	+ 1 Lap	0
11	27	Guy Edwards	Lola	50	+ 2 Laps	0
12	28	John Watson	Brabham	49	+ 4 Laps	0
13	1	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus	48	+ 5 Laps	0
Ret	26	Graham Hill	Lola	45	Engine	0
Ret	2	Jacky Ickx	Lotus	35	Clutch	0
Ret	8	Richard Robarts	Brabham	35	Gearbox	0
Ret	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	March	31	Clutch	0
Ret	37	François Migault	BRM	31	Water leak	0
Ret	3	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell	25	Engine	0
Ret	18	Carlos Pace	Surtees	21	Suspension	0
Ret	20	Arturo Merzario	Iso-Marlboro	19	Overheating	0
Ret	24	James Hunt	March	11	Overheating	0
Ret	19	Jochen Mass	Surtees	10	Engine	0
Ret	16	Peter Revson	Shadow	1	Accident	0
Ret	17	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Shadow	0	Accident	0
DNS	22	Rikky von Opel	Ensign		Handling	0

1974 Argentine Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	11	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	38	1:52.100

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

1974 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1974 Argentine Grand Prix.

1974 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	McLaren	9
2	Niki Lauda	Austrian	Ferrari	6
3	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	Ferrari	4
4	Mike Hailwood	British	McLaren	3
5	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	French	BRM	2
6	Patrick Depailler	French	Tyrrell	1
–	Carlos Reutemann	Argentine	Brabham	0
–	Howden Ganley	New Zealander	March	0
–	Henri Pescarolo	French	BRM	0
–	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	McLaren	0
–	Guy Edwards	British	Lola	0
–	John Watson	British	Brabham	0
–	Ronnie Peterson	Swedish	Lotus	0
–	Graham Hill	British	Lola	0
–	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Lotus	0
–	Richard Robarts	British	Brabham	0
–	Hans-Joachim Stuck	German	March	0
–	François Migault	French	BRM	0
–	Jody Scheckter	South African	Tyrrell	0
–	Carlos Pace	Brazilian	Surtees	0
–	Arturo Merzario	Italian	Iso-Marlboro	0
–	James Hunt	British	March	0
–	Jochen Mass	German	Surtees	0
–	Peter Revson	American	Shadow	0
–	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	Shadow	0

1974 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren – Ford	9
2	Ferrari	6
3	BRM	2
4	Tyrrell – Ford	1
—	Brabham – Ford	0
—	March – Ford	0
—	Lola – Ford	0
—	Lotus – Ford	0
—	Surtees – Ford	0
—	Iso-Marlboro – Ford	0
—	Shadow – Ford	0
—	Ensign – Ford	0

Drivers counted their best 7 results from rounds 1–8 and their best 6 from rounds 9–15. Only the highest-placed car for each constructor could score constructor points, with the same dropped-results limits applying.

1974 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1974 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	13 January
2	1974 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo de Interlagos, São Paulo	27 January
3	1974 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	30 March
4	1974 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito del Jarama, San Sebastián de los Reyes	28 April
5	1974 Belgian Grand Prix	Nivelles-Baulers, Nivelles	12 May
6	1974 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	26 May
7	1974 Swedish Grand Prix	Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp	9 June
8	1974 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	23 June
9	1974 French Grand Prix	Dijon-Prenois, Dijon	7 July
10	1974 British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown	20 July
11	1974 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	4 August
12	1974 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	18 August
13	1974 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	8 September
14	1974 Canadian Grand Prix	Mosport Park, Bowmanville	22 September
15	1974 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	6 October