The first three races of the season 1974 – Argentina, Brazil and South Africa – had awarded Ferrari and McLaren. Denny Hulme in Argentina and Emerson Fittipaldi in Brazil had shared the first two races of the year, with Carlos Reutemann’s Brabham in the role of triumphant outsider at Kyalami.
However, Clay Regazzoni is leading the World Championship, with a third and a second place strength: the Swiss leads with 10 points, compared to 9 of the three winners and 6 of his teammate Niki Lauda, second on his debut in Argentina. Lotus was also struggling with a new 76 far below expectations, so much so that Jacky Ickx and Ronnie Peterson decided to return to 72 at the end of the Spanish race.
Ronnie Peterson stands out on the first day of practice in Jarama, but on Saturday he wins the pole position Lauda, by just three hundredths of an advantage over Lotus number 1. Third Regazzoni with the other Ferrari, fourth Fittipaldi with the first McLaren at 8 tenths. Followed by Ickx, Reutemann, Merzario, Hulme, Brambilla and Scheckter. Sunday is an atypical rainy day in Spain: Peterson takes the lead in front of Lauda and Regazzoni, Scheckter overtakes Merzario. The group does not shell out and Peterson, Lauda, Regazzoni and Ickx remain enclosed in a matter of seconds. On lap 10 it stops raining: the Swede has only two seconds ahead of Lauda, a little further back are Regazzoni and Ickx, more detached Fittipaldi is closely followed by Scheckter, Merzario and Hulme, with the South African passing him over the course of a ride. on the 13th Reutemann, who slipped in the center of the group, had to retire. With the track drying up, Lauda makes up ground on the leader, while Regazzoni and Fittipaldi anticipate the pit stop to mount dry tires. Peterson returns for the same operation on passage 20 and takes advantage of it for a quick check of the Ford engine which shows the premium signs of overheating.
Lauda, leading the group ahead of Ickx and Merzario, stops on lap 24: 35 seconds for the break and the Austrian returns second behind Ickx: it is not a day for Lotus and the Belgian also has to retire in 24th for an oil leak. Lauda inherits the first position and a double is looming for Ferrari, given that Regazzoni is second and Stuck third with March. The Austrian has about twenty seconds on his teammate. Although there are still almost 50 laps to go, the race does not offer any great surprises: Lauda continues to ride with confidence in front of Regazzoni, while the race behind them is more heated, with Stuck having to keep Merzario, Fittipaldi, Scheckter, Mass. Merzario at bay he went off the track on lap 38, causing some injuries among the photographers on the track. Meanwhile Fittipaldi is on a comeback on Stuck and on the 60th lap he crowns the chase in 3rd place. Lauda continues to dominate, with 30 ”on Clay and a lap on Fittipaldi. Hulme at 69th passes Hunt and enters the points area. From that moment on, the race hasn’t changed, even if the 90 laps are not completed.
After 84 turns, Niki Lauda crosses the finish line for the first time in his career as a winner. Scheckter also celebrates for the first time, with fifth place which means the first two points with the Tyrrell 007. In the standings, Regazzoni remains in the lead with only one length over Lauda. Fittipaldi is third with 13 points, Hulme fourth with 10. Among the Constructors, McLaren remains in the lead at 26 points, ahead of Ferrari by 5 points. Lauda will win only one more race that season, in Holland: they are the first two of the 25 victories in races valid for the World Cup. Regazzoni will win only in Germany but will be able to fight for the title until the last race.
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