Team and driver changes

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

• After winning the 1972 championship but then struggling in the second half of 1973, 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 (entered as Iso-Marlboro), while BRM hired Henri Pescarolo and Francois Migault next to Jean-Pierre Beltoise who had stayed.
• After Francois 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.

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.^[2]

Technical regulations

Selfseal breakaway fuel couplings were mandated to reduce the chance of a fire in accidents.^[3][4]

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.^[5] 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 made 1974 an anomaly, as there was no World Champion, since Jackie Stewart had retired. Ronnie Peterson took the number 1 as he was team leader at Constructors' Champion Lotus; when the situation arose again in 1993 and 1994, the number 0 was used). 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 12 m (39 ft) between each row of two cars.^[3][4]

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.

Race 7: Sweden

The Tyrrells were dominant in qualifying, with Patrick Depailler taking the pole from Jody Scheckter, with the Ferraris of Lauda and Regazzoni on the second row. Scheckter passed his teammate to take the lead at the start, with Peterson gaining three places to jump up to second. It was all to no avail, because he retired in the opening laps with a driveshaft failure. The Tyrrells were now up front, with the Ferraris behind them. The gearboxes of both Ferraris failed and both retired, promoting James Hunt in the Hesketh to third. Scheckter duly won, with Depailler completing a dominant 1–2 for Tyrrell, with Hunt third.

Race 8: Netherlands

The Netherlands was host to the eighth round, and Lauda took his fourth pole of the year, with teammate Regazzoni alongside, and the McLarens of Fittipaldi and Hailwood next up. Lauda led from the start, will Hailwood jumping up to second. But Regazzoni took only two laps to regain second, and Hailwood was soon passed by Depailler and Fittipaldi. Depailler held third until he struggled with oversteer, and so Fittipaldi was through. Lauda won, with Regazzoni making it a 1–2 for Ferrari, with Fittipaldi getting third.

Race 9: France

Lauda took pole again in France, with Peterson in second, and Tom Pryce in the Shadow a surprising third. Lauda and Peterson maintained their positions at the start, whereas Pryce collided with Hunt and Carlos Reutemann, with all three retiring as Regazzoni took third. Lauda and Peterson battled it out in the early stages, but soon Lauda began to suffer from a vibration and Peterson was able to pass him and pull away. Peterson went on to win, with Lauda managing second, and Regazzoni third.

Race 10: Great Britain

Great Britain was host to the tenth round of the championship, and Lauda surprised no one by taking pole, with Peterson again alongside and Scheckter third. At the start, Lauda led, whereas Peterson dropped behind Scheckter and Regazzoni. The order of Lauda, Scheckter, Regazzoni and Peterson remained unchanged for the first half of the race until Regazzoni and Peterson had to pit for new tyres after running over debris. Late in the race, leader Lauda suffered a puncture, and the lead went to Scheckter. Scheckter duly won, with Fittipaldi getting second and Jacky Ickx third.

As a result, with exactly two-thirds of the championship gone, the championship was an extremely close four-way battle. Lauda led with 38 points, but he was only a point ahead of Fittipaldi, with Regazzoni and Scheckter lurking three points behind.

Race 11: Germany

The third part of the championship started in Germany at the 14.2 mile (22.8 km) Nürburgring circuit, and Lauda took pole as usual, and Regazzoni ensured that Ferrari locked out the front row, with other contenders Fittipaldi third and Scheckter fourth. Regazzoni took the lead at the start, whereas Lauda and Scheckter collided on the first lap at the Nord Kurve with the former retiring, and the latter continuing unscathed in second. Fittipaldi suffered a puncture and had to pit. Regazzoni went on to win and take the championship lead, with Scheckter second and Reutemann third.

Race 12: Austria

Lauda took his eighth pole position of the championship, and fifth consecutive, in his home round in Austria with Reutemann and Fittipaldi second and third on the grid. Reutemann got the better of Lauda at the start, with Regazzoni fourth behind the second Brabham of Carlos Pace, and Fittipaldi down to seventh behind Scheckter. Scheckter retired with a blown engine, whereas Regazzoni soon passed Pace. Lauda soon dropped down the order with a misfiring engine and soon retired. Regazzoni was second, and Fittipaldi was third after passing Pace. However. Fittipaldi's engine also blew up, and Regazzoni dropped back and ultimately had to bit with a slow puncture. Reutemann took the victory, with Denny Hulme second and James Hunt third. Regazzoni recovered to finish fifth and get two points, whereas his other rivals scored none.

Race 13: Italy

The Ferrari fans were happy to see Lauda take pole for the Italian GP, with the Brabhams of Reutemann and Pace following him on the grid. The start did not change the positions, with Lauda leading Reutemann and Pace. Soon, Regazzoni passed both the Brabhams to and then Reutemann retired with a gearbox failure and Pace had to pit with tyre troubles. This left Lauda leading Regazzoni for the perfect Ferrari 1–2, a long way ahead of third-placed Peterson. That was not to last as Lauda retired with a water leak, handing the lead to Regazzoni but Regazzoni's engine failed 10 laps later. Peterson took the lead and won, holding off Fittipaldi and Scheckter finished third to close up the championship.

Race 14: Canada

The penultimate round of the championship was in Canada, and Fittipaldi took pole, just beating Lauda with Scheckter third. Lauda took Fittipaldi off the line and led, with Regazzoni up to third ahead of Scheckter, but Scheckter retook the position on the second lap. The four contenders were occupying the first four spots – Lauda leading Fittipaldi, Scheckter and Regazzoni. But Scheckter crashed after suffering a brake failure, and then Lauda crashed out late in the race after running over debris, ending his championship hopes. Fittipaldi won the race from Regazzoni, with Peterson completing the podium.

This meant that Fittipaldi and Regazzoni were level on points into the last race, with Scheckter the outsider seven points behind.

Race 15: United States

The championship decider was to be held at the United States. Reutemann took pole with Hunt alongside on the front row, with home hero Mario Andretti third in a Parnelli. Scheckter was sixth, whereas Fittipaldi and Regazzoni were eighth and ninth. Reutemann converted his pole to a lead at the start, with Hunt second and Pace third after Andretti stalled. Behind Lauda was Scheckter, Fittipaldi and Regazzoni running together. The front three quickly pulled away, as Lauda held up Scheckter and Fittipaldi in an attempt to help Regazzoni. However, Regazzoni was struggling with handling problems and dropping back down the field. He pitted for tyres twice but found it to be no avail, and he was two laps down. Lauda and Scheckter both retired in the latter half of the race, promoting Fittipaldi to fourth. Pace took second from Hunt with four laps left, as the Englishman was suffering from fading brakes. The race was won by Reutemann, with Pace ensuring that Brabham cap off the season with a 1–2, and Hunt was third.

Emerson Fittipaldi finished fourth to ensure that he was the World Champion, beating Regazzoni by three points.

The race was marred by the death of young Austrian Helmut Koinigg when his car crashed into the wall after a puncture on the 10th lap. The barrier which the car hit split on impact, and Koinigg was decapitated.

Grands Prix

More information Round, Grand Prix ...

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Tyre	Report
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Ronnie Peterson	Clay Regazzoni	Denny Hulme	McLaren-Ford	G	Report
2	Brazilian Grand Prix	Emerson Fittipaldi	Clay Regazzoni	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren-Ford	G	Report
3	South African Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham-Ford	G	Report
4	Spanish Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Niki Lauda	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	G	Report
5	Belgian Grand Prix	Clay Regazzoni	Denny Hulme	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren-Ford	G	Report
6	Monaco Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Ronnie Peterson	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus-Ford	G	Report
7	Swedish Grand Prix	Patrick Depailler	Patrick Depailler	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell-Ford	G	Report
8	Dutch Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Ronnie Peterson	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	G	Report
9	French Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Jody Scheckter	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus-Ford	G	Report
10	British Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Niki Lauda	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell-Ford	G	Report
11	German Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Jody Scheckter	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	G	Report
12	Austrian Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Clay Regazzoni	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham-Ford	G	Report
13	Italian Grand Prix	Niki Lauda	Carlos Pace	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus-Ford	G	Report
14	Canadian Grand Prix	Emerson Fittipaldi	Niki Lauda	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren-Ford	G	Report
15	United States Grand Prix	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Pace	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham-Ford	G	Report

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World Drivers' Championship standings

Points towards the World Championship of F1 Drivers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six finishers in each race.^[6] For classification, only the 7 best results from the first 8 races and the best 6 results from the remaining 7 races could be retained.^[7]

More information Pos, Driver ...

Pos Driver ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA Pts 1 Emerson Fittipaldi 10 1 7 3 1 5 4 3 Ret 2 Ret Ret 2 1 4 55 2 Clay Regazzoni 3 2 Ret 2 4 4 Ret 2 3 4 1 5 Ret 2 11 52 3 Jody Scheckter Ret 13 8 5 3 2 1 5 4 1 2 Ret 3 Ret Ret 45 4 Niki Lauda 2 Ret 16 1 2 Ret Ret 1 2 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 38 5 Ronnie Peterson 13 6 Ret Ret Ret 1 Ret 8 1 10 4 Ret 1 3 Ret 35 6 Carlos Reutemann 7 7 1 Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret 6 3 1 Ret 9 1 32 7 Denny Hulme 1 12 9 6 6 Ret Ret Ret 6 7 DSQ 2 6 6 Ret 20 8 James Hunt Ret 9 Ret 10 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 4 3 15 9 Patrick Depailler 6 8 4 8 Ret 9 2 6 8 Ret Ret Ret 11 5 6 14 10 Mike Hailwood 4 5 3 9 7 Ret Ret 4 7 Ret 15 12 = Jacky Ickx Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 5 3 5 Ret Ret 13 Ret 12 12 Carlos Pace Ret 4 11 13 Ret Ret Ret DNQ 9 12 Ret 5 8 2 11 13 Jean-Pierre Beltoise 5 10 2 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 12 Ret Ret Ret NC DNQ 10 14 Jean-Pierre Jarier Ret Ret Ret 13 3 5 Ret 12 Ret 8 8 Ret Ret 10 6 = John Watson 12 Ret Ret 11 11 6 11 7 16 11 Ret 4 7 Ret 5 6 16 Hans-Joachim Stuck Ret Ret 5 4 Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret 7 11 Ret Ret DNQ 5 17 Arturo Merzario Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret Ret 4 18 Vittorio Brambilla 10 DNS 9 Ret 10 10 11 Ret 13 6 Ret DNQ Ret 1 = Graham Hill Ret 11 12 Ret 8 7 6 Ret 13 13 9 12 8 14 8 1 = Tom Pryce Ret Ret Ret 8 6 Ret 10 Ret NC 1 — Guy Edwards 11 Ret DNQ 12 8 7 Ret 15 DNQ DNQ 0 — David Hobbs 7 9 0 — Jochen Mass Ret 17 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 14 Ret 16 7 0 — Brian Redman 7 18 Ret 0 — Mario Andretti 7 DSQ 0 — Howden Ganley 8 Ret DNQ DNQ 0 — Tom Belsø Ret DNQ 8 DNQ 0 — Rikky von Opel DNS Ret Ret DNQ 9 9 DNQ 0 — Henri Pescarolo 9 14 18 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 Ret 0 — Chris Amon Ret DNS DNQ DNQ NC 9 0 — Dieter Quester 9 0 — Tim Schenken 14 10 Ret DNQ Ret DNQ 10 Ret DSQ 0 — Helmuth Koinigg DNQ 10 Ret 0 — Rolf Stommelen Ret Ret 11 12 0 — Derek Bell DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 — Mark Donohue 12 Ret 0 — Ian Scheckter 13 DNQ 0 — François Migault Ret 16 15 Ret 16 Ret Ret 14 NC DNQ Ret 0 — Ian Ashley 14 NC DNQ DNQ 0 — Gijs van Lennep 14 DNQ 0 — Eddie Keizan 14 0 — Richard Robarts Ret 15 17 DNS 0 — Vern Schuppan 15 Ret DSQ DSQ DNQ DNQ Ret 0 — Jacques Laffite Ret NC Ret 15 Ret 0 — Teddy Pilette 17 0 — Dave Charlton 19 0 — Peter Revson Ret Ret 0 — Leo Kinnunen DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 — Mike Wilds DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ NC 0 — Gérard Larrousse Ret DNQ 0 — Paddy Driver Ret 0 — Reine Wisell Ret 0 — Bertil Roos Ret 0 — Peter Gethin Ret 0 — Eppie Wietzes Ret 0 — José Dolhem DNQ DNQ Ret 0 — Jean-Pierre Jabouille DNQ DNQ 0 — David Purley DNQ 0 — Lella Lombardi DNQ 0 — John Nicholson DNQ 0 — Larry Perkins DNQ 0 — Carlo Facetti DNQ 0 Pos Driver ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA Pts

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (cell empty) Text formatting Meaning Bold Pole position Italics Fastest lap

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The FIA did not award a championship classification to drivers who did not score championship points^[1] and did not apply a classification tiebreaker system to drivers gaining an equal number of championship points.^[1]

International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings

Points towards the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six places in each race, however only the best placed car of each manufacturer was eligible to score points.^[8] For classification, only the 7 best results from the first 8 races and the best 6 results from the remaining 7 races could be retained.^[8]

More information Pos, Manufacturer ...

Pos	Manufacturer	ARG	BRA	RSA	ESP	BEL	MON	SWE	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	Pts[9]
1	McLaren-Ford	1	1	3	3	1	(5)	4	3	6	2	15	2	2	1	4	73 (75)
2	Ferrari	2	2	16	1	2	4	Ret	1	2	4	1	5	Ret	2	11	65
3	Tyrrell-Ford	6	8	4	5	3	2	1	5	4	1	2	Ret	3	5	6	52
4	Lotus-Ford	13	3	13	Ret	Ret	1	Ret	8	1	3	4	Ret	1	3	Ret	42
5	Brabham-Ford	7	7	1	11	11	6	9	7	16	6	3	1	5	8	1	35
6	Hesketh-Ford			Ret	10	Ret	Ret	3	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	3	Ret	4	3	15
7	BRM	5	10	2	12	5	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	12	10	Ret	Ret	NC	9	10
8	Shadow-Ford	Ret	Ret	WD	7	13	3	5	Ret	12	8	6	8	10	Ret	10	7
9	March-Ford	8	9	5	4	9	Ret	10	10	11	Ret	7	6	Ret	Ret	Ret	6
10	Iso-Marlboro-Ford	Ret	Ret	6	Ret	14	Ret	8	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	NC	4	15	Ret	4
11	Surtees-Ford	Ret	4	11	13	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	14	11	9	DNQ	10	Ret	3
12	Lola-Ford	11	11	12	Ret	8	7	6	Ret	13	13	9	12	8	11	8	1
—	Parnelli-Ford														7	DSQ	0
—	Trojan-Ford				14	10	Ret		DNQ		Ret	DNQ	10	Ret			0
—	Penske-Ford														12	Ret	0
—	Token-Ford					Ret				WD	DNQ	14	NC				0
—	Ensign-Ford	DNS	WD	WD		15	Ret	DSQ	DSQ	DNQ	DNQ	Ret	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	NC	0
—	Amon-Ford				Ret	WD	DNS	WD				DNQ		DNQ			0
—	Maki-Ford						WD				DNQ	DNQ					0
—	Lyncar-Ford					WD					DNQ						0
Pos	Constructor	ARG	BRA	RSA	ESP	BEL	MON	SWE	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	Pts

Close

Race results shown in Bold in the above table indicate that points were awarded and retained. Race results shown within brackets indicate that points were awarded but not retained.

The FIA did not award a championship classification to a manufacturer that did not score championship points.^[1]