Memories of Carlos Reutemann by Peter Windsor 

It's ironic that Reutemann outscored Gilles Villeneuve at Ferrari in 1978, 1978 world champion Mario Andretti at Lotus in 1979 and 1980 world champion Alan Jones at Williams in 1981 but was himself never champion. It was clear he could race with the best and beat them through smart and smooth driving.

Peter, for me, you are in the tradition of the great motorsport journalists like Denis Jenkinson in the UK, or Richard von Frankenberg in Germany, in the 60s...so much respect for the drivers and knowledge of the sport. Unbelievable today. For both of us Jim Clark plays a key role in our live. But now to Carlos Reutemann and your wonderful tribute oft this brillant driver - in my opinion you forgot his greatest drive ever: He won the 1975 German Grand Prix on the legendary old Nürburgring Curcuit, 22,8 km long. The summer of `75 was incredible hot and they sold tap water in cups for 1 D-Mark...in these conditions Carlos won in great style....for me he is forever in this wonderful white Branbham BT 44, especially a shot of him at full speed at the "Pflanzgarten", all four wheels in the air....Lauda drove in practice the fastet lap ever on the Nordschleife; 6.58 min (Bellof drove in 1985 in a Porsche prototyp 6.11 mit, but the curciut was then two kilometers shorter) and Carlos drove about 7.00....he was fast and smooth, in the best Clark sense. I hear now again, how my italian mother spoke about Carlos in german: "Reutemann ist ein Beau" He was a ladys man. So far my memories of a terrific racer and a gentleman of great class and style. Once again a hero of my teen years died - it hurts so much.

I rated Denny Hulme. There's not enough written or said about him. Very smooth, fast and precise driver. Very sad to see Carlos pass Peter and can see how much he meant to you. God's speed Carlos.

Carlos Reutemann, one of the best F1 drivers; had very bad luck indeed but one of the unrecognized best

Rest in peace, Lole Reutemann!! He was one of the smoothest drivers I've ever seen!! He always had such beautiful softness with brutal cars. Brilliant driver. Thank you, Peter Windsor, for such a wonderful tribute to your friend!!

Rest in Peace Carlos. Beautiful tribute. Thank you Peter Windsor for sharing this tribute with us. I met Carlos during the Belgium Grand Prix in 1981 when I was a part of the Saudia team. Carlos was a gentieman and very good driver !

The third year in a row F1 had lost legendary drivers. Niki Lauda 2019. Sterling Moss 2020 & finally Carlos Reutemann 2021.

Thank you Peter. I will always get the 1981 Southafrican GP scored. Lole, my childood´s hero. History shows his real value. Thanks again Peter.

My favorite Ferrari Driver of that Era, handsome Carlos Reutemann.....You really knew him, Mr.Windsor! That was the most Beautiful, Heartfelt Narrative about One of the Best Formula Drivers of All Time...Thank you, Sir!

What a lovely, impeccably well informed, insightful tribute to, what sounds like a wonderful, humble, and great man.

Thanks for all the kind comments. I was a bit unsure about doing this video but your warmth means a lot.

RIP Carlos. Thanks, Peter.

A splendid tribute to one of the most naturally gifted drivers of all time.

Carlos had the inner discipline and make up of a good sportsman. He was also a good person, which completed the personality that gained him so much admiration and respect.

Thanks Peter! A very moving tribute of Lole with a point of view displaying aspects of him almost unknown here in Argentina (his fondness for tennis, downhill ski slalom, Walter Rohrl, jogging before the race, agricultural shows, golf...). Carlos, not only a very good racing driver but a gentleman. (As well as his friend, journalist Germán Sopeña)

Beautifully done, Peter. I fondly remember Carlos winning the troubled SAGP in 1974 (arriving at the circuit we didn't know if the race would actually take place); but it is his stellar drive in the normally aspirated Williams in 1982 to second place that stands out in my mind. He was on a different planet that day and could very well have won the race if Prost did not make it out after his puncture. Carlos was only 15 seconds behind Prost at the finish, even though the turbo Renaults were three seconds a lap faster than the DFV Ford powered Williams. Legendary! RIP Carlos.

A very nice tribute Peter, Carlos always fascinated me because of his intelligence and his calm demeanor.

A tribute with depth and sincerity. You've lost a friend but not your memories.

Thank you Peter for sharing these anecdotes with “Lole”. Being from Argentina I grew up listening to the races on the radio in the days when Fangio was racing. As an adult I always follow Formula One, and In ‘74 I traveled to Watkins Glen for the US Gran Prix. Walking in the garage I asked Gordon Murray how did it go, and he said, “We got the pole”. Carlos won that race in the #7 Bradham-Ford BT44.

A true gentleman, a wonderful racing driver, and no doubt a family man whose mannerisms and class passed down to his daughters. Thank you for the wonderful memories and of course my deepest and sincerest condolences to his family and friends. Thank you Peter Windsor for that most heartfelt tribute.

Beautiful and heartfelt tribute to one of the Great ones. Carlos was my teenage idol: I followed him since around '75 until he quit F1 in 82. I feel that he was an underrated driver, criticized by lots of his own country people and media. Thank you for a great video!

Thanks Peter. There's so much BS about his character and why he "lost" the '81 title, etc. etc. I think people tend to overlook how many brilliant drivers in very good cars were in Reutemann's time and how difficult was to achieve a good result then. I hope that, someday, you'll write a book about him and your days together. Thanks again. And keep the good work!

Thank you Peter for your insight into Carlos Reutemann. The very tan Argentine Legend!

Great tribute. One of the heroes of F1 back in the era when it was a sport for brave men. A romantic figure whose name always had an evocative sound to me. Plus he was a handsome devil and ladies mustn't have stood a chance.

He was an Awesome F1 driver. I was a massive Nelson Piquet fan as a kid in Australia (even though Alan Jones was an Aussie!) but had a lot of respect for Carlos. As a fan I also met Denny Hulme at Bathurst when he was racing for BMW - with Tony Longhurst team (I think)… Thanks for the tribute - great memories.

I rarely leave comments on any RU-vid page, especially when there are already so many to make it almost irrelevant, but this is such a heart felt, personal account I feel Peter deserves a huge "Thank You" for sharing what must be a difficult and emotional time for him. I always thought Carlos was vastly under-rated and very much appreciate these memories. Bloody marvelous -

I was a friend of another F1 driver, Francois Migault (Connew, BRM, Embassy Hill, Williams) who happened to be horse riding once in Argentina with Carlos Reutemann. It was on a steep hill-side road meandering down through a succession of sesses aimed at reducing the slope angle. Carlos Reutemann decided to cut it staight down, following the steepest line. Francois questioned why he did that and Carlos answered : "because it is just more difficult".

One of the greats of F1. Rest in peace Carlos!

Made us realy sorry for his loss, Peter.. Carlos looks as one of the GOAT..realy strong person, certainly more deserved for 1981 championship than N.P. not just as a driver, but as a gentlman and a sportsman.

Carlos Reutemann, underrated pilot. A mix of male taciturn energy without show-off, and amazing elegance in talent.

As an Argentinian i want to thank you for taking your time to do this. We lost the last true F1 legend of our country. At least he is now Racing In Paradise up there with Fangio and Froilan. Greetings from Argentina, thanks Peter!

Thank you Peter. A wonderful film about a wonderful driver. Another hero gone. RIP Carlos.

What a great tribute Peter. Clearly Carlos was a close friend as well as being a great racing driver. RIP.

The stage in Portugal was Arganil. Which was 40kms long. The legend says Rohl had the visual distance between the corners in the notes. With all the fog he drove like a maniac, finished the stage picked up a stop watch an waited for Markku Allen. Allen was the expert in rally of Portugal which ended up winning 5 times. He gave 4 minutes to Allen, and when he arrived he went to him and told him, if I would loose 4min to a guy with the same car I would retire from rallying immediately. 😂

If I had been a Hollywood Producer Casting for a Racing Driver, Lole would be it. RIP

Thanks for sharing Peter. Lole was my childhood hero! RIP Carlos 🙏

Thanks Peter. A great great driver. I was hoping he’d pull through. It would be great if you wrote a book about him.

RIP Carlos. Lovely tribute to his memory.

A beautiful and heartfelt tribute, I loved Carlos and thought his driving was sublime, a hero of motor racing who will never be forgotten. I am so sorry you have lost a dear friend Peter.

It'll be hard to find a better tribute than this one. Peter, you did it with class. So thank you very much for this.

Thank you Peter for sharing this. I was a teenager in the LOLE years. I had two posters of him in my bedroom. One with the BT44 And one with the Ferrari. He was an awesome driver

Great tribute Peter. We all the fans of Lole say to you THANKS MATE

Very heartfelt, warm, touching. Good friends are such a blessing.

I missed this news so thank you very much, Peter. Carlos was a big part of the 70's racing scene, a classic classy person. PS, I like your Monza hat :)

Thank you, Mr windsor. I crying. Lole is my inspiration .... thank you so much.

Had me in tears, a lovely tribute. Way waaay before my time but I feel like I know him a bit more now. Bravo

A superb tribute Peter. Carlos was such a classy driver and a classy guy. I am so grateful that we as fans get the privilege of hearing your wonderful memories of people such as Carlos along with some very well chosen images. Thank you.

Thank you Peter. Great memories. Wonderful friendship. Always fan of Carlos

Thanks Peter, great video. Lole was my father idol. RIP Lole.

Carlos is doing laps with Senna and Gil on that great track in the sky

Rest in Peace Carlos "Lole" Reutemann

Wow! very moving tribute, so warm and delightful evocations got me completely absorbed. Thanks so beautiful words Mr. Windsor

Rip so sad hearing the news, definitely one of the sports biggest legends

Thank you so much for this, Peter. I’m near my own end of life, and relishing these memories. Of Carlos, of F1 in the 70’s and 80’s…very special to hear and see this. Thank you.

That’s how to talk about a great driver. Thank you Peter.

Thank you for this Peter. Lole was one of my favorites growing up in the 70s.

A wonderful tribute peter,thank you.

You have such an amazing memory of the sport. This was not just a memorial for Carlos but a mini documentary. I wish you did these short docs (you don't have to wait for someone to pass to do it) every week or month on F1 drivers, teams and events to preserve the history. You have such a wealth of knowledge of F1, it needs to be preserved and shared for posterity.

Ahhh I've been waiting for this Peter.. Carlos was my first F1 hero and I know how close you were to him.. thank you 😊

Thank you for this video. My late dad became a big fan of Mr. Reuteman after meeting him a few times and told me that him and Arnoux (whom he had worked with at Conrero) were true gentlemen and humble and compassionate people.

Beautiful tribute, Mr. Windsor. I love the journalistic perspective mixed perfectly with emotion and the personal experiences of the time shared with your friend. R.I.P. Carlos Reutemann. P. S.: I know it's been a while, but I really miss the days of you reporting live "from the paddock" on the Speedvision F1 broadcast team.

Met Carlos on the hotel elevator at the Long Beach Grand Prix, 1977. What a genuine nice guy...very charismatic.

Very respectful yes a real important driver I too remember when I was first getting into f1 thank you so much

Lole is the moral 1981 World Champion in my view. Fastest car all year and lost it to lucky Piquet right at the death.

Excellent tribute. Thank you.

Beautiful & insightful tribute Peter. Thank you.

Nice thoughts, Peter. Carlos was one of my heroes back in the late 70s. Great driver and character. Thanks

Great tribute he was and still is MAGIC, wonderful racing STAR! thanks, PETER! sorry for your loss too- not just us and the world! it's obvious you were close and he was a true friend!

Thanks Peter . A great great driver . I was hoping he’d pull through. Be great if you could write a book about him .

Beautiful memories! Thanks You Peter for your friendship and sharing great Moments. I have always been his fan when I was a little kid from argentina

Thank you Peter. Someone had to say it. Lole deserved to go out with a Championship. Bernie E, ick.

Lovely story, Pete. Thanks for telling

Thank you Peter !!! This is a nice trip to my youngers years. I´m 70 old now, almost the same Lole´s generation. RIP Lole !!!. Regards from Argentina

R.I.P Carlos. I know you’re a big fan of his, PW. Much respect for the stuff you’ve written about him and his driving style.

Thank you so much, for sharing your memories with Carlos over those golden years of F1. I would love to hear more.

Peter, thank you for sharing these stories with us... You don't get this anywhere else... I had no idea about the Kyalami race and later being stripped of points after it was deemed to not be a championship event... RIP Carlos.

So insightful, emotional and apparently unscripted. Great respect to you, Peter 🌞

Very obviously a close personal friend, thanks for the memories Peter . R.I.P Carlos

Bravo and ciao Carlos. You were a great racer amigo.

Great Tribute Peter. I started my passion for F1 in the early 70’s and sad to hear of his passing. He was one of the few that made it past that era of many deaths in racing.

This was a wonderful tribute. Thank you for your recollections, they are a treasure for the history of the man and F1.

Before my time, but this very touching tribute makes me wish I could have seen the era he drove in. Thank you.

Beautiful words and memories. Thank you.

I enjoyed this video tremendously, one of your very best.

Thanks Peter for your words about Carlos. He was an exemplary athlete. When I was a teenager, on Sundays we expected to see Lole racing the F1 grands prix. Greetings from Argentina!!!

So well done Peter! Thanks for sharing so many wonderful memories and I'm sorry you've lost yet another good friend!

A fitting tribute. Thank you Peter.

nice words about Carlos. My father used to wake me up at 8:00 am to watch the GPs when I was only 6 years old, so at that age, for me, Lole was like a superhero.

Lovely Peter; he'd be very happy with that .

Spectacular video, thank you very much Peter. Greetings from Argentina.

Thanks for this heartfelt remembrance and tribute to a great Grand Prix driver. Your reminiscing will live longer with me than any written obituary.

This is pure gold. Thank you so much.

Thanks Peter. A nice tribute to a driver to who finished almost a third of the GP who started on the podium. There weren´t so much with such a record in F1´s history. Drive In Peace Lole!

Thank you for this Peter, my condolences to the loss of a friend, this was a beautiful tribute to his legacy

Thanks Peter. That was very enjoyable, also as you gave me many insights and other angles that I didn't know. Now I have a better informed understanding of the man & racer that was Carlos R. I always liked the smooth way he raced, but losing the title at Las Vegas had always totally baffled me. Anyway, from what you told us, it makes more sense. I felt, rightly or wrongly, that he was a very sensitive guy, with a perhaps more than a touch of insecurity. You tell me if I was wrong. Thanks again, a great story. My condolences to you.

from Patagonia Argentina, thanks Peter

RIP Carlos, another sad losss.

Thanks for that Peter. Wonderful.

Wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing Peter.

I was lucky enough to be at the Croix en Ternois circuit, in northern France during the eighties for a practice session the Williams team was doing in preparation for the Monaco race. At this time, some formula one team were coming to this circuit to prepare Monaco because it was a short twisty circuit. Carlos was the driver and we were able to be 10 meters from him and the car the entire time. A very different time where it was possible to enjoy racing in a very different way. He was simple, the team had no problem with us being close, it was great ! Another of those great driver who is leaving us, from a great area of racing.