Once hailed as the new Fangio, he stood on the podium 45 times and showed his brilliance in memorable wins at Kyalami in 1974, the Nürburgring in 1975 and Monaco in 1980, during a decade of racing.
He looked to be on course to win the 1981 World Championship, starting from pole for the final race of the season at Caesar’s Palace. But he tumbled down the order, leaving the door open for Nelson Piquet to take the title.
After retiring two races into the 1981, season, Reutemann turned to politics, becoming governor of his local state of Santa Fe.
Runner-up in the 1971 Formula 2 championship, Reutemann made his F1 debut with Brabham the following year, securing pole in his maiden race in front of a euphoric Buenos Aires crowd. He won the following non-championship race in Brazil.
In 1974, he came close to winning his home race only to run out of fuel with fewer than two laps remaining. Reutemann finally took a World Championship victory at the next race in Kyalami, keeping Niki Lauda at bay.
The following year he survived a race of attrition at the Nürburgring to win by well over a minute. A switch to Ferrari brought him alongside Lauda during his 1977 title-winning year, before he teamed up with Gilles Villeneuve in 1978. He won four times that season but lost out in the championship to the dominant Lotus team.
