He survived with bruised legs; unfortunately, his car was beyond repair. This forced him to compete in the year-old Lotus 78, starting from the third row on the grid.
As a consequence, Ronnie found himself under pressure from faster cars from behind. As the grid headed towards turn 1, a flurry of cars were sent into a pile up.
Ronnie's car became wedged under a guardrail before catching alight. James Hunt, Clay Regazzoni and Patrick Depallier fought to free him but were forced to wait 20 minutes for medical aid.
It is said that Ronnie's legs were in such a state that James Hunt forced Ronnie not to look at them, as he lay conscious in the middle of the track waiting for help.
The Italian authorities did not see his injuries as life-threatening. Overnight however his condition complicated and Ronnie died from a fat embolism when bone marrow mixed into his blood attacked his liver, heart and brain. One of Formula 1's most promising talents was needlessly deceased.
Ronnie's teammate Mario Andretti commented, "It was so unfair to have a tragedy connected with probably what should have been the happiest day of my career" before adding he knew Ronnie would be happy for him.
Ronnie had been in F1 for close to a decade and his fearless antics on the track earnt him many a fan. He was often seen going around corners sideways, constantly striving to get the best out of his car. He remains to this day one of the greatest drivers never to win the championship.
Had his life not ended so tragically, who knows how many more races the "super Swede” would go on to win?
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