Ronnie Peterson

Biography

Ronnie Peterson was born with Örebro, close to Almby, in Sweden, the February 14th 1944. As of its more young age, it on the occasion to perfect its style of piloting by making competition of Karting, and later, one will be able to find this very personal style of control, all forces some and making undergo enormous constraints with its cars when it controls in Formule 1, so much so that Colin Chapman had to especially reinforce its frames of its Lotus.

Champion of Formula 2 and unfinished Prize list Formulates 1 of them

Beginnings in automobile competition

Peterson made its beginnings in Grand Prix by controlling a March 701 for the stable March with the Grand Prix of Monaco 1970, which it finished in the seventh place, just with the door of the points. In 1971 it gains the European championship of Formule 2, in which it also controlled a March, like five second places in the championship of Formule 1, just placing it behind the Scot Jackie Stewart. Ronnie will remain at March until in 1973, when it signs at Lotus where he became the fellow-member of Brazilian the Emerson Fittipaldi, which had just obtained its first championship of the world.

1973 - 1976: the years Lotus

Ronnie gains its first victory with the Grand Prix of France 1973, which was held on the Circuit Paul Ricard (Castellet), over a Lotus 72. It will gain three more other victories this year there, with the Grands Prix of Austria, of Italy and of the United States, and will finish the season in the third place of the championship.

The season 1974 brought three additional victories to him, again the Grand Prix of France and of Italy, as well as the Grand Prix of Monaco. After a bad season at Lotus in 1975, during which the Lotus 76 showed serious insufficiencies, it took again the wheel of the 72E.

At the beginning of the season 1976, Peterson disputes the Grand Prix of Brazil on the Lotus 77, before joining the stable March with which it will finish the season and will join again with the victory with the Grand Prix of Italy, at the wheel of the March 761.

1977 - 1978: Tyrrell with six wheels and the return to Lotus

1977 will be for Ronnie Peterson one New Year's Day of thin cows, within its new stable, Tyrrell, which it joined to control famous the Tyrrell P34 with six wheels. It will have to give up with ten recoveries during the season, and its best result with this curious car will be a third place with the Grand Prix of Belgium. At the end of the season, Ronnie returns to the fold, while signing at Lotus for 1978 at the sides of Mario Andretti. Two victories will follow, in the Grand Prix of South Africa and that of Austria, its last victory, at the wheel of the revolutionist Lotus 79 with “ground effect”, conceived by brilliant the Colin Chapman.

Monza 1978: Died of a great champion

Ronnie Peterson died of the continuations of an accident which has occurred the September 10th 1978, with the very first turn, at the time of the Grand Prix of Italy, on the circuit of Monza. Seriously wounded in the accident, he died the following day with Milan.

The cause of the accident of Peterson remains prone to controversies; at the time, a certain number of pilots, among whom the former world champions Niki Lauda and James Hunt, tended to allot the responsibility to the very fast departure for Italian Riccardo Patrese, who would have caused the fray by striking Hunt at the entry of the first baffle. However, the video images and the stereotypes of the photographers present at this place seem to show that there was not collision between the cars of Patrese and Hunt, whereas the contact between those of Hunt and Peterson is certain. One could put forth the assumption, within sight of a photograph of the tire tracks on the track immediately after the accident, that the car of the Swedish pilot had already started to sink towards the rail of safety before even the contact with the McLaren of Hunt, letting suppose there that it could have a mechanical failure on the Lotus.

Ronnie Peterson disputed 123 Grand Prix, and gained ten of them. It is assembled 26 times on the podium and finished 42 times in the points. It obtained 14 pole positions and 9 better turns in race. During its career, it marked 206 points with the championship of the world of Formule 1, but never managed to gain the title. He is certainly the largest pilot, with Stirling Moss, to have never been world champion.

Peterson was also a large friend of Björn Borg. This one learned the news from the accident right before playing its US final Open one against Jimmy Connors. Moreover, wounded, it lost the match in three dry sets, losing any chance to make a success of the Large Slam.

Additional details

According to information received from the merchants of flowers of Örebro, it there forever have in the cemetery of the town of tomb receiving more flowers but that of Ronnie Peterson.

In addition, its birthplace set up in homage to Ronnie a statue carried out by the sculptor Richard Brixel, who comes, in 2005, to receive town of São Paulo, the ordering of a statue of triple Brazilian world champion Ayrton Senna, whose tragic disappearance in similar circumstances during the Grand Prix of San Marino on May 1st 1994 is in all the memories.

Michele Alboreto, which will die him-also in race, had chosen to pay homage to Peterson by taking again its colors on its helmet of pilot of Formula 1 (blue and yellow, colors of Sweden).

See too

Pilot of Formula 1: classification by Pilot victories
of Formula 1: classification by better Pilot turns
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot podiums
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot poles position
of Formula 1: classification by hat tricks

External bonds

the card of Ronnie Peterson on the site f1-legend
the portrait of Ronnie Peterson on the Large site Prix.com
Another portrait on a personal site

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