Ronnie Peterson

Ronnie Peterson
Born	Bengt Ronnie Peterson (1944-02-14) February 14, 1944 Almby, Örebro, Sweden
Died	September 11, 1978(1978-09-11) (aged 34) Milan, Italy
Occupation	Racing driver
Years active	1970–1978
Known for	Formula One racing driver, two-time runner-up in World Drivers' Championship

Bengt Ronnie Peterson (14 February 1944 – 11 September 1978) was a Swedish racing driver who participated in Formula One from 1970 until 1978. Known by the moniker "Superswede", he achieved second place in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship on two occasions, in 1971 and 1978, and claimed victory in 10 Grands Prix throughout his nine-year career.

Peterson's motorsport journey began in kart racing, where he secured two Swedish championships in 1963 and 1964 before moving up to Formula Three. In 1969, he triumphed at the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race and also captured the European Formula 3 Championship that same year. Subsequently, he joined the March factory team in Formula One, earning six podium finishes over three seasons, including a second-place standing in the 1971 Drivers' Championship.

In 1973, Peterson signed with Team Lotus, teaming up with reigning champion Emerson Fittipaldi. During his two seasons there, he notched seven wins and amassed a personal best of 52 points in the 1973 season. Following a difficult year in 1975, he returned to March and won the Italian Grand Prix in 1976. The next year saw him race for Tyrrell, before rejoining Lotus in 1978 as the number two driver behind Mario Andretti. That year, Peterson secured victories at the South African and Austrian Grands Prix and finished runner-up in the Drivers' Championship despite suffering a fatal first-lap crash at the Italian Grand Prix held at Monza.

Early life

Born in the Almby district of Örebro, Sweden, Peterson honed his driving skills early on through karting. He quickly rose through the ranks of European kart competitions before transitioning into car racing.

Formulas Three and Two

Following his karting success, Peterson advanced to Formula Three racing piloting the Svebe, a one-litre vehicle inspired by Brabham designs which he co-developed alongside his father Bengt and Sven Andersson. His impressive performances attracted interest from Italian manufacturer Tecno, who signed him in 1968. Peterson went on to claim the 1969 Formula Three Championship with Tecno.

While preparing for Formula One, Peterson continued competing in lower formula categories, winning the 1971 European Formula Two Championship driving for March.

Early years

Peterson made his Grand Prix debut at the 1970 Monaco Grand Prix, driving a March 701 entered by privateer Colin Crabbe. Despite limited team resources, he qualified twelfth and finished seventh, being the sole March driver to complete the race. In the following year, 1971, he joined March’s official works team and achieved five second-place finishes, ultimately securing second position behind Jackie Stewart in the World Championship standings. That same year, he also won the Watkins Glen 6 Hours endurance race within the World Sports Car Championship, driving an Autodelta Alfa Romeo. Peterson remained with March until 1973 before moving to John Player Team Lotus alongside Emerson Fittipaldi.

1973–1976

Peterson’s maiden Grand Prix victory occurred at the 1973 French Grand Prix driving a Lotus 72. He added further wins in Austria, Italy, and the United States but ended third overall due to mechanical reliability problems.

During the 1974 campaign, Lotus introduced the Lotus 76 model which failed to meet expectations; both Peterson and teammate Jacky Ickx preferred to continue using the older Lotus 72. That year Peterson claimed three Grand Prix victories: French, Italian, and Monaco.

The 1975 season proved difficult for Lotus as they persisted with the aging Lotus 72 chassis. Although Peterson had intended to switch to Shadow, team owner Colin Chapman convinced him to remain by promising accelerated development of the new Lotus 77. He began driving the Lotus 77 at the start of 1976 but returned mid-season to March Engineering where he won the Italian Grand Prix in a March 761.

In addition to Formula One commitments, Peterson competed in sports car racing for BMW during 1974 and 1975. Partnering with Hans-Joachim Stuck, they participated in events such as the South African Wynn's 1000 at Kyalami where they earned pole position but finished second due to mechanical setbacks. Their collaboration spanned races across Europe, Africa, and North America.

1977: Tyrrell

During the 1977 season, Peterson drove for Tyrrell behind the wheel of the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34B. He was forced to retire from his first four events due to spins, accidents, and mechanical breakdowns. His sole podium finish came with a third place in a rain-soaked Belgian Grand Prix. Although expectations were high in his native Sweden, persistent ignition troubles and inconsistent race results marked his year. His final outing ended in a collision with Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari, an incident that tragically resulted in fatalities among track marshals and photographers who had positioned themselves in restricted zones.

1978: Lotus

Peterson made a surprising comeback to John Player Team Lotus in 1978. Piloting the revolutionary 'ground effect' Lotus 79, he secured victories at both the 1978 South African Grand Prix and the 1978 Austrian Grand Prix. His teammate, Mario Andretti, ultimately won the Drivers' Championship, with Peterson effectively serving as the team's secondary driver. The pair achieved four 1–2 finishes, all led by Andretti. Peterson's triumphs typically occurred when Andretti faced difficulties, and he often finished just behind his teammate, which fueled speculation about team orders influencing race outcomes.

Throughout the decade, Peterson was recognized as one of Formula One's fastest talents in terms of raw pace. In 1978, however, Andretti frequently recorded quicker qualifying laps, a fact some attributed to Andretti’s superior car development skills that extracted maximum performance from the Lotus 78 and 79 models. Peterson’s apparent acceptance of Andretti’s dominance was interpreted as an unspoken acknowledgment of this dynamic. Although offered a seat at McLaren for 1979, Peterson declined to avoid controversy and consistently praised Andretti for his faster qualifying times.

Death

The 1978 Italian Grand Prix at Monza began under unfortunate circumstances for Peterson. During practice sessions, he severely damaged his Lotus 79 and sustained leg bruises. Team Lotus had constructed a spare 79 for Andretti; however, this car did not accommodate the taller Peterson comfortably. The only alternative was the previous year's Lotus 78, which had received minimal upkeep during the current season.

Several drivers reported that the race starter activated the green light prematurely. While Formula One mandates standing starts, this early signal meant that many cars positioned further back were still rolling when the light changed, allowing them to gain positions unfairly and causing a concertina effect approaching the first chicane. The front four—Andretti, Gilles Villeneuve, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, and Niki Lauda—were sufficiently ahead to avoid incident. Starting from the third row, Peterson had a poor launch and was quickly overtaken by Alan Jones, Jacques Laffite, and John Watson.

Jody Scheckter and Riccardo Patrese, who began in 10th and 12th places respectively, veered sharply across the boundary separating the main straight from Monza's old banking curve. Scheckter’s Wolf re-entered ahead of most cars; Patrese moved back just ahead of James Hunt, who then made a left feint and collided with Peterson. This triggered a multi-car pile-up involving Vittorio Brambilla, Carlos Reutemann, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Patrick Depailler, Didier Pironi, Derek Daly, Clay Regazzoni, and Brett Lunger.

Peterson’s Lotus crashed violently into barriers and caught fire before rebounding onto the track surface. Trapped inside the burning vehicle, he was rescued by Hunt, Regazzoni, and Depailler but suffered serious burns as marshals worked to extinguish the flames. Although conscious after extraction, he endured severe leg trauma; Hunt later prevented him from viewing his injuries to spare him distress.

Initial attention centered on Brambilla who had been struck by a flying wheel and remained unconscious in his car; he was sidelined from racing for an entire year afterward. At first, medical personnel believed Peterson’s life was not in immediate danger. All injured drivers were transported to Milan’s Ospedale Niguarda Ca' Granda hospital following their extrication. Once debris was cleared from the track, the race resumed.

X-rays revealed approximately 27 fractures across Peterson’s legs and feet. After discussing options with him, doctors admitted him to intensive care for surgery aimed at stabilizing these injuries. However, disagreements emerged among medical staff regarding whether all fractures should be treated immediately. Overnight complications arose due to fat embolism; by morning he experienced complete kidney failure and was pronounced dead at 9:55 am on 11 September 1978.

At this event, his teammate Mario Andretti secured the championship title. Reflecting on the tragedy later, Andretti stated: "It was so unfair to have a tragedy connected with probably what should have been the happiest day of my career... I couldn’t celebrate... I knew also that Ronnie would have been happy for me." Posthumously, Peterson ranked second in the final standings of the 1978 Drivers' Championship.

In total, Peterson took part in 123 Grand Prix starts throughout his career and achieved ten victories.

Among those serving as pallbearers at his funeral were Åke Strandberg, James Hunt, Jody Scheckter, John Watson, Emerson Fittipaldi, Gunnar Nilsson, and Niki Lauda.

Legacy

Peterson is widely recognized as one of the finest Formula One drivers who never secured a world championship, as well as the leading Swedish competitor in motorsport history. A 2016 academic analysis evaluating the impact of both driver skill and vehicle performance placed him 21st among all Formula One drivers historically and sixth among those who never claimed a title.

Several members of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, including James Hunt, attributed the cause of the first-lap collision at the Italian Grand Prix to Arrows driver Riccardo Patrese, which led to Patrese receiving a one-race suspension at the 1978 United States Grand Prix.

In 1979, George Harrison paid tribute to Peterson through the creation of the song and accompanying video titled "Faster."

Following Peterson's fatal accident, Italian judicial authorities charged Riccardo Patrese and race director Gianni Restilli with manslaughter and involvement in his death. Both individuals were found not guilty in 1981.

Peterson’s widow, Barbro Edwardsson, was deeply affected by his passing and ultimately took her own life in 1987; she was laid to rest beside him in Örebro. The couple had a daughter named Nina Louise, born in November 1975.

A statue commemorating Peterson, sculpted by Richard Brixel, is located in Örebro. The Ronnie Peterson Museum was inaugurated there in 2008 but was forced to close just a year later due to financial difficulties.

The 2017 documentary Superswede: A film about Ronnie Peterson, directed by Henrik Jansson-Schweizer and featuring interviews with Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nina Kennedy, and Niki Lauda, is accessible on YouTube alongside other homages.

At the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix, Swedish Formula One driver Marcus Ericsson honored Peterson by wearing a helmet inspired by his design. Ericsson also donned a similar helmet during his triumph at the 2022 Indianapolis 500.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles		Podiums	Points	Position
1968	Swedish Formula Three		?	?	?	?	?	?	1st
1969	Swedish Formula Three		?	?	?	?	?	?	1st
1970	Formula One	Antique Automobiles Racing Team	2	0	0	0	0	0
		Colin Crabbe Racing	7	0	0	0	0
	European Formula Two	Malcolm Guthrie Racing	6	0	1	0	1	14	4th
	24 Hours of Le Mans	Scuderia Ferrari	1	0	0	0	0	N/A
1971	Formula One	STP March Racing Team	11	0	0	0	5	33	2nd
	European Formula Two	March Engineering	10	4	4	5	6	54	style="background:#FFFFBF"|1st
1972	Formula One	STP March Racing Team	12	0	0	0	1	12	9th
	World Sportscar Championship	Scuderia Ferrari	9	2	4	2	8	124	NC
	European Formula Two	March Engineering	6	1	2	2	3	0
	British Formula Two	March Engineering	3	2	3	3	2	27	style="background:#DFDFDF"|2nd
rowspan=2 1973	align=left 1973 Formula One season Formula One	align=left John Player & Sons John Player Team Lotus 15 4 9 2 7 52	style="background:#FFDF9F"|3rd
align=left 1973 European Formula Two Championship European Formula Two	align=left Team Lotus 5 0 0 0 0 0
rowspan=3 1974	align=left 1974 Formula One season Formula One	align=left John Player & Sons John Player Team Lotus 15 3 1 2 4 35 5th
align=left 1974 European Formula Two Championship European Formula Two	align=left March Engineering March Racing Team 1 1 0 0 1 0
align=left 1974 World Sportscar Championship World Sportscar Championship	align=left BMW in motorsport BMW Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0
rowspan=3 1975	align=left 1975 Formula One season Formula One	align=left John Player & Sons John Player Team Lotus 14 0 0 0 0 6 13th
align=left 1975 World Sportscar Championship World Sportscar Championship	align=left BMW in motorsport BMW Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 0
align=left 1975 European Formula Two Championship European Formula Two	align=left Ron Dennis Project 3 Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0
rowspan =5 "1976"	rowspan = "2" style = "text-align:left" "1976 Formula One season"	align = left "March Engineering March RacingTheodore Racing"	"15"	"1"	"1"	"1"	"1"	rowspan = "2" "10"	rowspan = "2" "11th"
align = left "John Player & Sons John PlayerTeam Lotus"	"1"	"0"	"0"	"0"	"0"
rowspan = "2" style = "text-align:left" "[[1976 World Championship for Makes World Championship for Makes]"	align = left "BMW in motorsport BMW Motorsport"	"3"	"0"	"1"	"0"	"0"	rowspan = "2" "14"	rowspan = "2" ""
align = left "Schnitzer Motorsport"	"1"	"0"	"0"	"0"	"0"
align = left "[[1976 European Formula Two Championship European Formula Two]"	align = left "March Engineering"	"1"	"0"	"0"	"0"	"0"	"0"
1977|" "|align=left|" "[[1977 Formula One season Formula One]" "|align=left nowrap|" "Citigroup First National City Travelers ChecksElf Aquitaine Elf[[Tyrrell Racing Team Tyrrell]" "|17|" "|0|" "|0|" "|1|" "|1|" "|7|" "|14th|" "|-" "|align=left nowrap|" "[[1977 World Championship for Makes World Championship for Makes]" "|align=left|" "[[BMW in motorsport BMW Alpina]" "|5|" "|0|" "|0|" "|0|" "|0|" "|13|" "" "|-" "!rowspan =2 "|1978|" "|align=left|" "[[1978 Formula One season Formula One]" "|align=left|" "John Player & Sons John Player[[Team Lotus]" "|14|" "|2|" "|3|" "|3|" "|7|" "|51|" "|style=\"background:#DFDFDF\"|' ' '2nd' ' '" "|-" "|align=left|" "[[1978 World Sportscar Championship World Sportscar Championship]" "|align=left|" "[[McLaren McLaren North America]" "|5|" "|0|" "|0|" "|0|" "|0|" "|4|" "" "|-" "!colspan=\"10\"|' 'center|' ' '" "" Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) (Races shown in bold represent pole positions; those in italics denote fastest laps) ... [Remaining rows unchanged, omitted for brevity] ... Year Team Car Power Unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pos. Points Template:F2 Malcolm Guthrie Racing March 702 Ford THR DNS HOC Ret BAR Ret ROU 6 PER TUL 5 IMO 4 HOC 3 4th 14 Template:F2 March Engineering March 712M Ford HOC Ret THR 2 NÜR Ret JAR Ret PAL 3 ROU 1 MAN 1 TUL 1 ALB 6 VAL 1 1st 54 Note: Graded drivers were excluded from earning European Formula Two Championship points. Complete Formula One World Championship results (key) (races in bold denote pole positions; races in italics indicate fastest laps) rowspan=2 Template:F1 rowspan=3 {{F1  |( ) } { { F1|( ) } } ... [Remaining rows omitted for brevity] ... Year Team Entry Car Model Engine Specification 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "WDC" Points Template:F1 Antique Automobiles Racing Team rowspan=2 | March 701 rowspan=2 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 RSA ESP style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MON 7 style="background:#CFCFFF;" | BEL NC colspan=13 | rowspan=2 | NC rowspan=2 | 0 Colin Crabbe Racing colspan=4 | style="background:#CFCFFF;" | NED 9 style="background:#EFCFFF;" | FRA Ret style="background:#CFCFFF;" | GBR 9 style="background:#EFCFFF;" | GER Ret AUT style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ITA Ret style="background:#CFCFFF;" | CAN NC style="background:#CFCFFF;" | USA 11 MEX colspan=4 | rowspan=2 nowrap STP March Racing Team rowspan=2 nowrap March March 711 nowrap Ford Cosworth DFV V8, 3.0L style="background:#CFCFFF;" | RSA 10 style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ESP Ret style="background:#DFDFDF;" | MON 2 style="background:#DFFFDF;" | NED 4 style="background:#DFDFDF;" | GBR 2 style="background:#DFFFDF;" | GER 5 style="background:#CFCFFF;" |1971 Austrian Grand Prix AUT Template:Small 8 style="background:#DFDFDF;" 1971 Italian Grand Prix ITA Template:Small 2 style="background:#DFDFDF;" 1971 Canadian Grand Prix CAN Template:Small 2 style="background:#FFDF9F;" 1971 United States Grand Prix USA Template:Small 3 colspan=6 | rowspan=2 style="background:#DFDFDF" 2nd rowspan=2 style="background:#DFDFDF" 33 nowrap Alfa Romeo T33, V8, 3.0L colspan=4 | style="background:#EFCFFF" 1971 French Grand Prix FRA Template:Small Ret colspan=12 | rowspan=3 nowrap STP March Racing Team nowrap March March 721 rowspan=3 nowrap Ford Cosworth DFV V8, 3.0L style="background:#DFFFDF" 1972 Argentine Grand Prix ARG Template:Small 6 style="background:#DFFFDF" 1972 South African Grand Prix RSA Template:Small 5 colspan=15 | rowspan=3 9th rowspan=3 12 nowrap March March 721X colspan=2 | style="background:#EFCFFF" 1972 Spanish Grand Prix ESP Template:Small Ret style="background:#CFCFFF" 1972 Monaco Grand Prix MON Template:Small 11 style="background:#CFCFFF" 1972 Belgian Grand Prix BEL Template:Small 9 colspan=12 | nowrap March March 721G colspan=5 | style =" background-color: #dfffdf; " >1972 French Grand Prix FRA < br />Template:Small. | style =" background-color: #cfcfff; " >1972 British Grand Prix GBR < br />Template:Small. | style =" background-color: #ffdf9f; " >1972 German Grand Prix GER < br />Template:Small. | style =" background-color: #cfcfff; " >1972 Austrian Grand Prix AUT < br />Template:Small. | style =" background-color: #cfcfff; " >1972 Italian Grand Prix ITA < br />Template:Small. | style =" background-color: #000000; color:white" >1972 Canadian Grand Prix CAN < br />Template:Small. | style =" background-color: #dfffdf; " >1972 United States Grand Prix USA < br />Template:Small. | colspan=5 | Non-Championship Formula One results (key) (races shown in bold denote pole position; races in italics denote fastest lap) } 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Frank Williams Racing Cars March 711 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG ROC STP March Racing Team QUE SPR RIN OUL VIC Alfa Romeo T33 3.0 V8 INT STP March Racing Team March 721X Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC OUL REP March 721 BRA INT March 721G VIC John Player Team Lotus Lotus 72E Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC INT John Player Team Lotus Lotus 76 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 PRE ROC INT John Player Team Lotus Lotus 72E Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC INT SUI First National CIty Elf Team Tyrrell Tyrrell P34 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC (1978) nowrap  John Player Team Lotus  Lotus  Lotus 78  Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 L style="background:#EFCFFF;"BRDC International Trophy RET colspan=7 Year Team Co-Drivers Vehicle Category Completed Laps Pos. Class Pos. 1970 Template:Country data ITATemplate:Namespace detect showall SpA Ferrari SEFAC Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Derek Bell Ferrari 512S S 5.0 39 DNF DNF Template:Center References Journals Alan Henry, "My Mate Ronnie," Motor Sport, October 2008, Vol.48, Issue 10, pp.58–64 Internet Nyberg, R. & Diepraam, M. 2000. Super Swede, 8W, January 2000 Citations External links The Official Ronnie Peterson Website