french oil company motul agreed to sponsor the team from the 1972 season onward. tim schenken, rondel's highest scoring driver in 1971, remained with the team but due to two points finishes in the formula 1 world championship the previous season he was given an 'a' grading and was therefore unable to score points. bob wollek also remained with the team and carlos reutemann joined from automóvil club argentina. initially, it was intended reutemann would compete full-time in the f2 series with rondel, while the works brabham formula 1 team would draft him in when the race weekends did not clash. however, from the middle of the season brabham fielded a third car allowing reutemann to contest all the remaining f1 races causing him to miss the f2 race at albi, france. even so, he finished the championship in fourth position, equaling tim schenken's achievement for the team the previous season. williams formula one driver henri pescarolo drove occasionally for the rondel team, in part due to motul's title sponsorship of both williams and rondel, and it was pescarolo that gave the team their first victory of the season at the eleventh round held at pergusa. schenken gave the team their other victory in the championship finale in hockenheim.