The 1974 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on 27 January 1974. It was race 2 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 32-lap race was won by McLaren driver Emerson Fittipaldi after he started from pole position. Clay Regazzoni finished second for the Ferrari team and Lotus driver Jacky Ickx finished in third place.
Qualifying
Qualifying classification Pos.DriverConstructorTimeNo1 Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren-Ford2:32.9712 Carlos Reutemann Brabham-Ford2:33.2123 Niki Lauda Ferrari2:33.7734 Ronnie Peterson Lotus-Ford2:33.8245 Jacky Ickx Lotus-Ford2:34.6456 Peter Revson Shadow-Ford2:34.6667 Mike Hailwood McLaren-Ford2:34.9578 Clay Regazzoni Ferrari2:35.0589 Arturo Merzario Iso-Marlboro-Ford2:35.15910 Jochen Mass Surtees-Ford2:35.431011 Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford2:35.541112 Carlos Pace Surtees-Ford2:35.631213 Hans Joachim Stuck March-Ford2:35.641314 Jody Scheckter Tyrrell-Ford2:35.781415 John Watson Brabham-Ford2:36.061516 Patrick Depailler Tyrrell-Ford2:36.211617 Jean-Pierre Beltoise BRM2:36.491718 James Hunt March-Ford2:37.241819 Jean-Pierre Jarier Shadow-Ford2:37.631920 Howden Ganley March-Ford2:37.652021 Graham Hill Lola-Ford2:38.622122 Henri Pescarolo BRM2:38.802223 François Migault BRM2:39.202324 Richard Robarts Brabham-Ford2:39.852425 Guy Edwards Lola-Ford2:42.1525
Race
Race summary Emerson Fittipaldi took pole position for his home race from Carlos Reutemann. The start of the race was delayed as the track had to be swept clear of broken glass from over-exuberant spectators' celebrations and then Arturo Merzario's engine failed. When it did start, the flag caught some of the field unawares. Reutemann and Ronnie Peterson took advantage of the confusion to sweep into the lead, but by lap 4, Reutemann's tyres were going off. The race developed into a classic duel between Fittipaldi and Peterson, the Brazilian taking the lead on lap 16 and the Swede soon having to pit with a puncture (believed to be caused by some glass still left on the track).
Fittipaldi thus led Clay Regazzoni and Jacky Ickx until on lap 31 the heavens opened. With the track awash and the conditions dangerous, the race was red-flagged after 32 of the scheduled 40 laps. It was McLaren's second win of the year, but it was Ferrari who, with Regazzoni, topped the drivers' table - for the first time since March 1971.
Classification Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 5 Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren-Ford 32 1:24:37.06 1 9 2 11 Clay Regazzoni Ferrari 32 + 13.57 8 6 3 2 Jacky Ickx Lotus-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 5 4 4 18 Carlos Pace Surtees-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 12 3 5 33 Mike Hailwood McLaren-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 7 2 6 1 Ronnie Peterson Lotus-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 4 1 7 7 Carlos Reutemann Brabham-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 2 8 4 Patrick Depailler Tyrrell-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 16 9 24 James Hunt March-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 18 10 14 Jean-Pierre Beltoise BRM 31 + 1 Lap 17 11 26 Graham Hill Lola-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 21 12 6 Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 11 13 3 Jody Scheckter Tyrrell-Ford 31 + 1 Lap 14 14 15 Henri Pescarolo BRM 30 + 2 Laps 22 15 8 Richard Robarts Brabham-Ford 30 + 2 Laps 24 16 37 François Migault BRM 30 + 2 Laps 23 17 19 Jochen Mass Surtees-Ford 30 + 2 Laps 10 28 John Watson Brabham-Ford 27 Clutch 15 9 Hans Joachim Stuck March-Ford 24 Transmission 13 17 Jean-Pierre Jarier Shadow-Ford 21 Brakes 19 20 Arturo Merzario Iso-Marlboro-Ford 20 Throttle 9 16 Peter Revson Shadow-Ford 10 Overheating 6 10 Howden Ganley March-Ford 8 Ignition 20 12 Niki Lauda Ferrari 2 Engine 3 27 Guy Edwards Lola-Ford 2 Chassis 25
Notes
This was the 5th pole position and the 10th Grand Prix win for a Brazilian driver. This was the 10th Grand Prix win for McLaren. This was the 59th fastest lap set by a Ferrari-powered car, breaking the previous record by Ford at the 1973 United States Grand Prix.
Championship standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 2 1 Clay Regazzoni 10 8 2 Emerson Fittipaldi 9 2 3 Denny Hulme 9 2 4 Niki Lauda 6 1 5 Mike Hailwood 5Source:
Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 McLaren-Ford 18 2 Ferrari 12 2 3 Lotus-Ford 4 7 4 Surtees-Ford 3 2 5 BRM 2Source:
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References