1974 Formula One season

The 1974 Formula One season was the 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series which commenced on 13 January and ended on 6 October. The season also included three non-championship races.
Defending champion Jackie Stewart did not drive in 1974, having announced his retirement at the end of the previous season. Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni went into the last race of the championship with equal number of points, but Regazzoni dropped down the field with handling problems and Fittipaldi's fourth place gave him his second championship. This was also the first title for McLaren and the first of many titles for a team sponsored by the Marlboro cigarette brand.
Two F1 drivers died over the course of the season: Peter Revson during practice for the South African Grand Prix and Helmut Koinigg during the United States Grand Prix.

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers contested the 1974 World Championship.

Entrant

Constructor

Chassis

Engine

Tyre

Driver

Rounds

Goodyear

Team and driver changes

A relatively large number of driver changes had happened over the winter:

After winning the championship but then struggling in the second half of, Emerson Fittipaldi left Lotus for McLaren. Mike Hailwood moved up from Surtees to partner him. Fittipaldi's seat at Lotus was taken up by Jacky Ickx from Ferrari.
New Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo signed both 1973 BRM drivers, Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda. Ex-Ferrari driver Arturo Merzario found a seat at Williams, while BRM hired Henri Pescarolo and François Migault next to Jean-Pierre Beltoise who had stayed.
After François Cevert had died and Jackie Stewart retired, Tyrrell signed Jody Scheckter from McLaren and Formula Two driver Patrick Depailler.
Ex-McLaren driver Peter Revson found a seat at Shadow next to Jean-Pierre Jarier, coming from March. After having driven part-time for them in 1973, Jochen Mass drove a full season for Surtees.
Wilson Fittipaldi had left Brabham to prepare and set up his own F1 team for 1974. Richard Robarts paid to take up the seat at the British team.
March promoted their F2 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck to their F1 team, next to Howden Ganley from Williams.
Graham Hill's Embassy Racing entered a Lola chassis after running a Shadow in 1973. The Hesketh team entered its self-made chassis after running a privatised March last year.
Mid-season changes

During the season, five teams debuted with their self-made chassis:

In the Spanish Grand Prix, Chris Amon debuted with his first own chassis, but later, gave up the effort for a drive at BRM.
In the same race, Trojan-Tauranac Racing hired Tim Schenken to drive their car that was a development from their Formula 5000 chassis.
Token Racing made their debut at the Belgian Grand Prix with Tom Pryce at the wheel.
Famous America racing team Penske entered the Canadian and United States GP's with their own chassis. Mark Donohue was hired to drive.
In the same two races, Parnelli Jones entered a car inspired by the Lotus 72, financially supported by Firestone, and future champion Mario Andretti at the wheel.

These are some of the mid-season driver changes:

After two races, March replaced Howden Ganley with Formula Two driver Vittorio Brambilla.
Peter Revson was killed during practice for the South African Grand Prix when his Shadow suffered suspension failure and crashed into the armco barrier. Shadow subsequently hired F5000 driver Brian Redman, F2 driver Bertil Roos, and Tom Pryce, who had made his debut with Token earlier in the year.
Richard Robarts was let go by Brabham when a better-funded Rikky von Opel came in. Carlos Pace moved up from Surtees to finish the season at Brabham.
Mike Hailwood left F1 after heavily crashing his McLaren at the German Grand Prix. David Hobbs returned to F1 after three years to take over, before Jochen Mass moved up from Surtees.
Helmut Koinigg was killed during the United States Grand Prix in an accident reminiscent of Cevert's accident at the same track the year before. When his car hit the barrier, it split on impact, and Koinigg was decapitated. Surtees decreased their operations to one car for the next season.
Calendar

Calendar changes

The Spanish Grand Prix was moved from Montjuïc to Jarama, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. Likewise, the Belgian Grand Prix was moved from Circuit Zolder to Nivelles-Baulers, and the British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch.
The Dutch Grand Prix was moved up from late July to mid June.
The French Grand Prix was moved from Charade to the newly built Dijon-Prenois circuit.
Regulation changes

Technical regulations

Selfseal breakaway fuel couplings were mandated to reduce the chance of a fire in accidents.

Sporting regulations

The 1974 season was the first in which teams had permanent racing numbers from race to race, after the system had been instituted in the 1973 Belgian Grand Prix. The numbers were based on the teams' finishing positions in the 1973 Constructors' Championship. From this point, each team only changed numbers if they had the driver who had won the World Drivers' Championship – the winning driver taking the number 1 and his teammate the number 2, and the team that had previously had those numbers switching to the newly vacated ones.. This system meant that, for example, Tyrrell – who never again won either title – maintained the numbers 3 and 4 right through until the system was changed in 1996.
For the first time, it was mandated precisely how drivers should line up on the grid before the start of the race: in a two-by-two staggered pattern, with 12 between each row of two cars.
Season report

Race 1: Argentina

In qualifying for the opening round in Argentina, Ronnie Peterson took pole in his Lotus ahead of Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari and Emerson Fittipaldi's McLaren. Peterson led at the start, whereas fellow front-row starter Regazzoni spun, causing chaos. Fittipaldi was hit by teammate Mike Hailwood and lost two laps while repairing his car, and James Hunt inherited second whereas Peter Revson, who started fourth, retired in the chaos. Hunt spun before the first lap was over, and second place went to Carlos Reutemann's Brabham.
Reutemann passed Peterson on the third lap, and soon the Swede began to fade badly with brake problems. As a result, Mike Hailwood and Denny Hulme in their McLarens were second and third, ahead of Jacky Ickx and Niki Lauda in the second Lotus and Ferrari. Hulme, Ickx and Lauda all passed Hailwood and then Ickx suffered a puncture mid-race and had to pit. Regazzoni was recovering from his spin, and passed Hailwood soon after. Reutemann continued to lead until his engine began to misfire, with Hulme closing in and taking the lead on the penultimate lap. Hulme went on to win, with Lauda and Regazzoni completing the podium after Reutemann ran out of fuel on the last lap.

Race 2: Brazil

Fittipaldi took a popular home pole in Brazil, beating Reutemann and Lauda. Reutemann, eager to make up after his bad luck in Argentina, took the lead at the start, with Peterson up to second. Reutemann led early on, but was passed by both Peterson and Fittipaldi on lap 4. Peterson battled with former Lotus teammate Fittipaldi for the next 12 laps, until he suffered a slow puncture. Fittipaldi passed him and took the lead, whereas Peterson dropped backwards. Fittipaldi went on to take a home victory, with Regazzoni getting second and Ickx third.

Race 3: South Africa

The field went to South Africa after a two-month break. Lauda took pole position, with Carlos Pace's Surtees also on the front row. Arturo Merzario in the Iso-Marlboro team was an amazing third on the grid. At the start, Lauda took the lead, whereas surprise packages Pace and Merzario were soon swamped by the field. Reutemann was up to second, and he took the lead from Lauda on the tenth lap, and he would remain ahead for the rest of the afternoon. Regazzoni was third ahead of Fittipaldi and Hailwood, but soon Jean-Pierre Beltoise's BRM soon passed the two McLarens, as Fittipaldi began to drop back. Lauda and Regazzoni both retired very late in the race when their engines blew up, and thus Beltoise and Hailwood completed the podium behind Reutemann.

Race 4: Spain

The first European round of the championship was in Spain, and it was Lauda who took pole ahead of Peterson and Regazzoni. On race day, the track was wet but drying, and Peterson was able to beat Lauda off the line. Regazzoni and Ickx followed. The Lotuses and the Ferraris battled until Peterson's engine failed and Ickx lost a wheel which was not fastened properly after the stop for slicks. This left Lauda to take his first career win, and Regazzoni to complete a Ferrari 1–2, with Fittipaldi third.

Race 5: Belgium

The next race was in Belgium, and Regazzoni continued Ferrari's streak of poles, and Jody Scheckter's Tyrrell taking second with Lauda third. Regazzoni led in the early stages, with Fittipaldi climbing up to second in the first lap. Later, Lauda passed Scheckter for third, and this became second when Regazzoni went to the grass after an incident with a backmarker. Fittipaldi thus won the race, from Lauda, with Scheckter third after Regazzoni suffered fuel feed problems on the last lap.

Race 6: Monaco

In the streets of Monaco, Lauda and Regazzoni took the front row for Ferrari, with Peterson's Lotus behind them in third. The Ferraris motored away, with Regazzoni leading after beating his teammate off the line, with Peterson down in sixth. Regazzoni led until he made a mistake and spun off, rejoining fifth. Lauda was now leading Jean-Pierre Jarier's Shadow, Peterson and Scheckter. Peterson disposed of Jarier, and took the lead when Lauda's engine blew up. Peterson went on to win, with Scheckter taking second from Jarier.