Affectionately referred to as "super Swede" by his fans, Ronnie Peterson was the first Scandinavian to take Formula 1 by storm.
He won 10 races from 123 starts, scoring 208 world championship points on the way, but many feel his figures desperately sell him short.
Peterson forced his way into Formula 1 thanks to some supreme performances in the 1969 Formula 3 season. Max Mosley was quick to sign him, entering him in a privately owned march belonging to Colin Crabbe.
Peterson was never really given a chance to prove his worth in an uncompetitive car, but he finished within the top 10 in three out of five finishes.
He was quick to be moved into the works team, finishing second in his second year of racing while scoring five podium finishes. It was the best result ever for a March driver.
The 1972 season, however, was somewhat turbulent. The March car was plagued by reliability problems that compromised his chances of glory. However, 1973 saw a turn for the better when he was relieved of his March contract to sign for Lotus.
Racing for the Lotus team, Peterson was able to let his talent flourish. In his first season at Lotus, he won four Grand Prix finishing third in the championship. Ronnie Peterson had finally established himself as a genuine title contender.
For all Ronnie's talent, however, much of his career was hindered by reliability issues. In 1974, he scooped a further three race victories but retired six times.
For two seasons, he was forced to run in the 72E model, while his teammate Emerson Fittipaldi went on to win the championship with the lion’s share of luck.
It is worth noting however that Peterson went on to win three Grand Prix in an out-of-date car, including stellar performances at Monaco and Monza. Ronnie Peterson clearly was an astounding talent.
Peterson returned to March in the 1976 season but was once again compromised by reliability issues. He retired nine times and finished 19th in another race due to a technical fault. He did, however, manage to win one Grand Prix among his four finishes.
Perhaps Peterson's biggest problem was his gentle and polite personality. Murray Walker for example described him as "A simple man with stunning ability who lacked the hard business head to maximise his F1 potential."
This was certainly the case in the 1978 season, where he returned to team Lotus happy to play second fiddle to Mario Andretti, even when he outperformed him.
Perhaps this is an example why he never truly made it to the top; he lacked the tenacity of a champion.
It was the 1978 season that was to be his last. In Sunday practice, he smashed his Lotus 79
2 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete