Carlos Reutemann

Racing career

Reutemann began racing in 1965 with a Fiat saloon car. After competing in touring cars and Formula 2 in Argentina, he moved to Europe in 1970 to drive a Brabham for the Automobile Club of Argentina Team in the European Formula 2 series. In his first race at Hockenheim, he eliminated Jochen Rindt on the first lap but finished fourth. The following season, he placed second in the series behind Ronnie Peterson.

Bernie Ecclestone signed Reutemann for Brabham in 1972 alongside Graham Hill. At his first Grand Prix in Buenos Aires, Reutemann qualified on pole position, a feat previously achieved only by Mario Andretti and later matched by Jacques Villeneuve; he finished seventh after a tyre change. In 1973, with Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior as teammate, he scored two podiums and finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship. For 1974, the Gordon Murray-designed BT44 brought Reutemann his first three Formula One victories, at South Africa, Austria, and the United States.

He might have won the Argentine opener but ran out of fuel while leading due to a fuelling error. Although he matched champion Emerson Fittipaldi's win total, inconsistent results left him sixth in the standings.

Political career

After retiring from racing, Reutemann was invited by the Justicialist Party of Santa Fe to run for governor. He won and served a four-year term from 1991 to 1995. The provincial constitution barred immediate re-election, but he ran again and won the governorship for 1999–2003. During his second term, Argentina faced a recession that culminated in the 2001 socioeconomic crash.

Reutemann implemented conservative fiscal policies, including discounts and freezes on public workers' salaries and pensions via an Economic Emergency Law. Santa Fe was among the few provinces that did not issue government bonds as quasi-currency, avoiding high debt. After the 2001 crash and Fernando de la Rúa's resignation, Reutemann declined several opportunities to run for president. He instead won a Senate seat in the 2003 general election.

In the 2005 legislative elections, he took a low profile, and after the Justicialist Party lost to the Socialist Party in Santa Fe, some party members were reportedly unhappy. He declined to run for governor again in 2007. In July 2008, he presented an alternative agricultural project in the Senate, which did not pass. In February 2009, he left the Bloque Parliamentario del Frente para la Victoria to form his own faction, "Santa Fe Federal.

He was re-elected to the Senate in 2009 and 2015, supporting Mauricio Macri as part of the Cambiemos alliance. He died in office, and María Alejandra Vucasovich replaced him.

Death

In May 2021, Reutemann was hospitalized after an intestinal hemorrhage. His health declined, bringing on anemia, dehydration, low albumin levels, unstable blood pressure, and rapid weight loss. He passed away on July 7 at age 79, with his daughter sharing the news online. Condolences came from Argentine presidents Mauricio Macri, Alberto Fernández, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, plus many politicians from both major parties, via Twitter.