Sweden’s Lost F1 Generation
Over Formula 1’s nearly 75-year history, it has played host to drivers from a staggering array of nations.
Some of these countries are giants of motorsport, with the likes of Britain, Germany, France, Brazil and Italy all lending some of their brightest talents to the top flight of single-seater racing. Others meanwhile are smaller countries like Finland which nevertheless have strong racing traditions and have seen marked success on the world stage.
One nation rarely mentioned among that pantheon of motor racing powerhouses is Sweden, which has seen scant participation in Formula 1 over the years, albeit with relatively recent representation in the series thanks to 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson’s presence from 2014 to 2018.
For a brief period in the 1970s though, it looked as though Sweden could make a name for itself in F1, as a new generation of drivers heralded an F1 boom in the country which lasted the better part of a decade. Sadly though, that spark fizzled out suddenly and in tragic circumstances before that talented crop could deliver on their undeniable promise.
Despite being a relatively minor player on the Formula 1 scene for most of the category’s history, Sweden’s involvement in F1 stretches back further than many realise. That presence began in 1956 (though an earlier attempt at entry had been made in 1951), with the arrival of a driver called Jo Bonnier.
Bonnier’s involvement in F1 was patchy to begin with, and it took until 1958 for him to contest something approaching a full season. There was some surprise then when at the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix he qualified his unreliable BRM P25 on pole position, and then even more incredulity when he converted that position to victory.
It would be Bonnier’s only victory, as he saw out the remainder of his career as something of a journeyman, scoring regular points but struggling to find drives in top equipment, before sadly succumbing to the lax safety standards of the day when he was killed during a crash at the 1972 24 hours of Le Mans.
The date of Bonnier’s passing is significant though, because it meant that he was alive to witness the arrival of a whole new wave of Swedish talent to Formula 1, and effectively pass the baton over to the next generation.
Perhaps fittingly, the first member of this cadre of Swedish prospects to arrive in Formula 1 was its most celebrated and successful member — the prodigiously talented ‘superswede’ Ronnie Peterson.
Peterson’s debut in F1 came in the third round of the 1970 season at Monaco, driving an underdeveloped customer March 701 as he juggled a dual Formula 1 and Formula 2 campaign for the year.
Peterson acquitted himself well in his first jaunt in F1 machinery, as he recorded a qualifying time good enough to beat the likes of 1964 world champion John Surtees and make the grid, even with that year’s byzantine qualifying rules which made life extremely difficult for rookies and privateers by giving guaranteed grid spots to a select group of “big name” drivers regardless of what time they set. Peterson then underlined his promise in the race by finishing a solid 7th, just missing out on a rare debut point.
The key story of the 1970 season had been the debut of the game-changing Lotus 72 though, which was piloted in dominant fashion by German-born Austrian Jochen Rindt to a comfortable championship lead while Peterson still searched for his first F1 points.
Sadly, before the season was over tragedy would strike for Rindt, who was killed at Monza when a mechanical failure on his Lotus 72 flung him into the barriers. This horrific turn of events had an unforeseen circumstance though, which saw Peterson joined on the F1 grid by a second swede in the very same equipment which had allowed Rindt to build such a large championship lead that he still won the championship at the end of the year despite his passing.
Rindt’s death had left the Lotus team in a rut. Not only had their star driver been killed, but their second driver John Miles had opted to retire from F1 because of the tragedy. After missing two races, Lotus turned to future double world champion Emerson Fittipaldi to fill Rindt’s place in the team and see out the season. More pertinently to this article though, they decided to take a chance by giving the second seat to another swede in the form of Reine Wisell, who had made a few appearances in the 1970 European F2 championship like his compatriot Peterson.
The first F1 race with two swedes on the grid would be the 1970 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, and despite Peterson’s later success it was new arrival Wisell who would claim the first notable F1 result for a Swedish driver since Bonnier’s 1959 victory.
While Wisell had the rare luxury of championship-winning equipment at his disposal for his debut, it should not be understated that his performance was an impressive one for a driver making his first appearance in a Formula 1 car. He brought the Lotus 72 home in third position, trailing only his teammate and race winner Fittipaldi, and the BRM of Pedro Rodriguez, and finished as the last car on the lead lap. Such a performance was enough to see him retained at Lotus for 1971.
Thereafter though, it was Peterson rather than Wisell who would shoot to Formula 1 stardom. His performances in 1970 in his privateer March had not gone unnoticed, and netted him a promotion to the works March team, which fielded an all-new 711 chassis for 1971 featuring an unusual “tea tray” front wing.
The new car provided Peterson with exactly what he needed to showcase his talent, and the swede grabbed the opportunity with both hands. While the season was largely dominated by Jackie Stewart and the new Tyrrell team, more often than not it was Peterson who followed him home in second place, making him the breakout performer of the season as he claimed an astonishing second place in the championship in just his second year in the sport.
Victory eluded Peterson for the time being, though only by the slimmest possible of margins, as at the Monza circuit which would play host to some of his greatest moments he was pipped to the line by just 0.01 seconds by the BRM of Peter Gethin in the closest F1 finish in history. Victory or not — Peterson had well and truly arrived on the Formula 1 scene.
Unfortunately, 1971 proved a difficult year for Wisell and Lotus, with the team still reeling from the tragedies of the year prior. Even the mercurial Fittipaldi could not manage a victory in a frustrating winless season, while Wisell had an even harder time. A few finishes in the lower reaches of the points were not enough to see him retained in the works Lotus team for 1972, though he would make two further appearances for the team as a substitute driver.
1972 was not only a fallow year for Wisell though, as March’s follow-up to their successful 1971 car — the innovative short wheelbase 721X — proved troublesome. A single podium was the best that Peterson could manage, while Wisell failed to score at all with a declining BRM team. Both swedes could do little but watch in envy as Wisell’s former teammate Fittipaldi romped to the championship in the resurgent Lotus team.
As it turned out though, 1973 would provide Swedish fans with a major boost in fortunes…
The first major development was that Peterson left the March team and was picked up by none other than Wisell’s former team Lotus, where he would partner reigning champion Fittipaldi. While Lotus had won both championships in 1972, there had been some frustration as their second driver David Walker had failed to score a single point, leaving Fittipaldi to fight rival teams such as Tyrrell single handed. By signing Peterson, Lotus boss Colin Chapman ensured this wouldn’t happen again, and created perhaps the strongest driver line-up in Formula 1 at the time in doing so.
The growing hype around Peterson in particular also saw another key development, as for the first time Formula 1 would hold a championship race in Sweden on the Scandinavian Raceway circuit in Anderstorp. Sweden’s emergence as a true motorsport power looked assured, and it seemed only a matter of time until Peterson would be crowned its first F1 world champion.
Indeed, on pure pace Peterson looked a likely champion-elect in 1973. He meshed immediately with the Lotus 72 — which was upgraded to E-specification during the season — and claimed a record nine pole positions across the season’s fifteen races.
Among these qualifying performances was a pole at his home race, and while Peterson spoke coyly about treating it like any other race, his satisfaction at the accomplishment was clear to see.
Sadly, Peterson’s opportunity to claim his first F1 victory on home soil was denied in the most agonising circumstances, as the McLaren of 1967 world champion Denny Hulme slipped by into the lead on the very last lap, as a gradually worsening slow puncture scuppered the home hero’s chances.
It was clearly only a matter of time before the victories started coming in for Peterson though, and he finally broke his duck at the 8th round of the season at Paul Ricard. Thereafter, trophies started pouring in thick and fast, and of the last 8 rounds of the season Peterson won half of them.
Unfortunately, Lotus’ decision to sign two number 1 drivers proved to have unforeseen circumstances that we now know all too well. Fittipaldi and Peterson proved closely matched in races just as Lotus boss Colin Chapman had hoped, with Fittipaldi starting the season stronger and Peterson looking in the ascendancy towards the end of the year. However, the result was that the two Lotus cars took points away from each other, which allowed the Tyrrell of Jackie Stewart to claim his third world championship from under Lotus’ nose.
As is so often the case when two top drivers are pitted head-to-head in equal equipment, there was fallout at Lotus after the 1973 season. Fittipaldi had been unhappy with having to fight his own teammate, and in particular with a refusal by Colin Chapman to issue team orders to Peterson even when he was mathematically out of the championship fight. He therefore resolved to leave the team which had given him his first championship, and signed for McLaren instead, while his place at Chapman’s team was taken by 1970 runner up Jacky Ickx.
Peterson was therefore the de-facto number 1 driver at Lotus for 1974, and had reason to be excited as an advanced new car was being prepared for the campaign, which was hoped to put the team back on the front foot as the old Type 72 was superseded by newer designs.
That car was the Lotus 76, which looked to build on the excellence of the Type 72 chassis by incorporating new technology such as an electronic clutch to speed up gearchanges and a double rear wing for more downforce.
All optimism about the new car quickly turned to dejection though, as the Type 76 soon proved an irredeemable failure and an evolutionary dead end. Lotus were therefore left with no choice but to revert to the aging Type 72, which was hastily upgraded once again to try to keep pace with the new generation of cars that were appearing at the time.
Peterson fought gamely in the old warhorse, winning another three races despite the Lotus 72 having clearly been eclipsed by competition from the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, Tyrrell and Brabham. The hoped-for championship victory was nowhere to be found though, and hopes for 1975 looked even worse.
The reason for this grim outlook was that, staggeringly, Lotus would once again be using the old Type 72 in 1975. A new Type 77 car was in development, but would not be ready to race until the season was almost over. The result was one of Lotus’ most fallow years in its entire history, and for Peterson his worst placing in the championship since his debut — a mere 13th. It looked increasingly like Sweden’s wunderkind had been squandered at the team which should have been his ticket to championship glory.
Somehow Colin Chapman was able to convince Peterson to stay for 1976 — based largely on the promise of the new Type 77 chassis which was launched in late September of 1975 amid much fanfare. It took Peterson all of one race in the new car before he decided he wanted out though, and he took advantage of an opportunity to jump ship back to his old March team for the rest of the 1976 season.
Lotus therefore had a seat to fill, and just as they had done with Reine Wisell all the way back in 1970 it was another swede they turned to for the job. On this occasion that man was Gunnar Nilsson, who had been contracted to March in the junior formulae, but was offered to Lotus in a straight swap for his compatriot Peterson. Lotus accepted the deal, and the team’s love affair with Swedish drivers dating back to 1970 continued, while Peterson returned to the team which had put him on the Formula 1 map, but were now in dire need of a top-level driver.
Off track, Nilsson and Peterson were friends, but were also chalk and cheese in terms of personalities. Peterson was quiet and introspective, while Nilsson was much more outgoing and bombastic. On track though, fans were treated to a surprising amount of battling between the established Peterson and his newly arrived compatriot, as both drivers found themselves in a tight group that couldn’t quite touch the top teams like Ferrari and McLaren, but which could nevertheless obtain solid results on a good day.
Surprisingly, Nilsson was first of the two to claim a meaningful result, taking a solid third place at Jarama in just his fourth Formula 1 start. The two also battled extensively at the high-speed Österreichring, where Nilsson again came off the better despite Peterson leading the race for a period, as the Lotus came home third again while Peterson eventually faded to sixth.
For the most part, that was the story of Peterson’s season, as his natural talent allowed him to take solid grid positions and run well during the early stages of races, before persistent problems with his March’s tyres overheating caused him to drop back, or reliability issues took him out of the running.
There was however a brief purple patch towards the end of the year where Peterson seemed more able to get on top of the car. At the Dutch Grand Prix, he showed that he had not lost his class by claiming a surprise pole position ahead of the usual frontrunners, and led the race’s early stages before again being sidelined by an engine issue.
It was the following race on his favourite circuit at Monza where Peterson really showed his best though. He qualified the somewhat recalcitrant March only 8th, but on race day put in a concerted charge up the field. After passing a bevy of cars in the early laps, he was into the lead by lap 11 and was able for the first time to tame the March’s tyre overheating issues to maintain that position all the way to the chequered flag.
The 1976 season therefore ended with the two swedes line astern in the championship standings, with Nilsson in tenth and Peterson in eleventh. Despite the relatively lowly placings compared to the days when Peterson was fighting for the championship, Swedish fans had reason to be excited going into the 1977 season.
The big news that got fans talking was that Peterson was departing the floundering March team to join Tyrrell, who were once again using their radical six-wheeled P34 car which had taken the team to third in the constructor’s standings — including a victory at the Swedish Grand Prix — the year prior. It was hoped that Peterson’s talent would allow the team to recapture the championship form which had eluded it since Jackie Stewart’s departure in 1973.
Nilsson meanwhile was retained as number 2 driver at Lotus alongside his more senior teammate Mario Andretti. As it turned out, the American legend largely shaded Nilsson over the season, but the swede nevertheless had a solid year as the new ground effect Lotus 78 proved the quickest car in the field, and one which would change the very fabric of Formula 1.
The crowning moment of Nilsson’s sophomore campaign came in Belgium on the tricky Zolder circuit, where he mastered wet conditions which caused several more experienced drivers grief to claim a memorable first victory, even passing eventual world champion and F1 legend Niki Lauda to take the lead.
For Peterson meanwhile, things couldn’t have been more different. Tyrrell were met with the news that Goodyear would no longer be developing the special small-radius front tyres used by the P34, which badly impacted the car’s competitiveness.
The team also seemed somewhat lost, continually swapping between the 1977-spec aerodynamic package and the old 1976 setup in an effort to find some pace, but with little impact. Peterson therefore once again found himself in a car unsuitable for showcasing his talent, and a single third place was his best result of the season.
It was fitting though that the one podium that Peterson achieved in 1977 came at Belgium — the same race where Nilsson was victorious. For the first time, two swedes stood side by side on a Formula 1 podium, which acted as a potent symbol of the promise of this generation of Scandinavian talent.
Despite this feat, both drivers were at something of a crossroads in 1977. Nilsson had now experienced driving one of the best cars in Formula 1, and had secured his all-important first victory, but was now looking to take the next step in his career by securing a drive where he could be a team’s number 1 prospect rather than playing second fiddle to his teammate.
Peterson on the other hand needed to get back on his feet and rebuild his reputation after years in poor equipment.
Both drivers therefore decided to leave their current teams at the end of the season, with Nilsson signing a contract to be the number 1 driver at the new Arrows squad who were set to make their debut in 1978.
This left a seat open at Lotus, and the familiarity of the team and their resurgent competitiveness proved irresistible to Peterson, who re-signed with the team that he’d left behind in 1976.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for either driver, and it was sadly the 1978 season which would see this golden generation of Swedish talent fizzle out.
For Peterson, while he was assured of good equipment and an environment he was familiar with in 1978, he was also forced to accept a firm number 2 driver contract, where he would play the deferential rear-gunner in Andretti’s expected title campaign. The fact that a driver of Peterson’s ability found himself in such a position illustrates just how his stock had fallen after several seasons in the doldrums.
For Nilsson, it was even worse. Even before the 1977 season was over the affable swede had a disconcerting run of 8 straight DNFs to end the year. Nilsson had complained of headaches and discomfort in the car during this period, and at the behest of Andretti he finally went to the doctors to get the situation checked out.
Those checks confirmed the worst. Nilsson had testicular cancer. The diagnosis went some way to explaining the drop in form he had experienced in the second half of the season as the condition began to advance, but it also made it clear that treatment had to begin immediately if he were to have any hope of overcoming the illness. Nilsson sadly had no choice but to forgo his planned Arrows move, with the vacant seat instead going to German Rolf Stommelen.
That left Peterson — the first and most celebrated arrival of the new wave of Swedish talent –as the last member of that cadre on the grid in 1978.
On the bright side, the Lotus 78 and later the even more effective Lotus 79 gave Peterson the opportunity to show that he had not lost his speed. He won a fantastic race in South Africa after a no-holds-barred last lap duel with the Tyrrell of his 1977 teammate Patrick Depailler, with Peterson snatching the win from under his nose in his Lotus 78.
This was followed by another win later in the year at the fearsome Österreichring, where Peterson used the dominant new Lotus 79 to full effect, mastering tricky conditions to claim victory — again over Depailler –by some 47 seconds at the flag.
For the most part though, 1978 was a year where Peterson, as stipulated in his contract, played the dutiful backup to his teammate Mario Andretti. Many learned observers speculated that Peterson was deliberately holding back in order to comply with his contract and could have run Andretti much closer if giving 100%. For his part, the gentlemanly Peterson insisted that Andretti simply had the better of him, which given Andretti’s quality as a driver can certainly not be dismissed either.
As the season neared its close, the Lotuses of Andretti and Peterson were the only cars left in title contention, with Andretti being able to seal the title at Monza with two rounds still to race.
By that time though, away from the F1 circus, Nilsson’s condition had taken a turn for the worse. Despite attempts at treatment, his cancer had worsened to the point that it was now considered terminal. He had nevertheless made several appearances in the paddock over the 1978 season, and was his typical charming self despite the terrible news and his increasingly ill-health.
Nilsson was not present for the title-deciding race at Monza though, which in hindsight may have been for the best, as Sweden’s golden generation would take yet another body blow in the most tragic possible fashion.
First, Peterson had a high-speed crash in practice that wrote off his Lotus 79 beyond repair. With the spare car set up for the much shorter Andretti, Peterson had no choice but to qualify and race in the old Type 78. The slower, older car meant that he qualified further down the order than usual — only 5th on the grid when poles and front rows were typical for the dominant Lotus pair.
It was on race day that tragedy would strike though. As was common with the lax safety standards of the day, the green flag to signal the start of the race was shown before many of the tailenders at the back of the field had fully come to a stop after the formation lap. This caused the pack to bunch up significantly at the cars approached the first corner, and Peterson found himself unavoidably squeezed and lost control of the year-old car, spearing into the barriers.
His fellow drivers managed to drag him clear of the wreck before fire could take hold, and Peterson remained conscious. However, the swede’s legs had been severely injured to the point that James Hunt tried stop him from seeing them in order to keep him calm.
The incident was needless, and many were understandably concerned, but it was initially believed that Peterson’s injuries were not life-threatening, especially since he remained conscious. Concern therefore turned towards the other drivers who’d been involved in the accident as Peterson was taken to hospital, while the race was eventually restarted.
It was with horror therefore that the morning after the race – where Andretti had secured his championship in already gloomy circumstances — the Formula 1 world was met with the news that Peterson had passed away. His condition had worsened during the night due to a fat embolism in his bloodstream which had brought about kidney failure.
His funeral was held 2 days after his passing on 13th September 1978, with almost the whole F1 paddock in attendance. Included among them was the increasingly frail Gunnar Nilsson, who nevertheless found the strength to be one of his friend’s pallbearers as he was laid to rest.
Just over a month later, Nilsson too was gone, his cancer having spread uncontrollably. Nilsson had heroically refused painkilling medication in order to retain full mental faculties, and he used his last weeks to set up a cancer foundation in order to help others get diagnoses and treatment. He passed away on the 20th October 1978.
Within less than two months the brightest stars of a generation of Swedish talent were wiped out. Excitement for Formula 1 understandably took a huge hit in Sweden thereafter, with the race at Anderstorp dropping off the calendar for 1979 as a result of a dwindling enthusiasm.
There were a few more Swedish prospects who came along in the wake of 1978 — most notably Stefan Johansson, who became a fixture on the grid during the 1980s, and drove for major teams like Ferrari and McLaren.
Johansson would actually become the country’s second most successful F1 driver after Peterson in terms of podiums and points scored, but the top step of the podium continually eluded him. Thus, the Swedish national anthem has remained absent from Formula 1 ever since Ronnie Peterson’s final victory in Austria 46 years ago, as the 1990s and 2000s both passed without a Swedish driver on the grid.
Perhaps the next generation of Swedish talent is just waiting in the wings though, ready to carry the torch first lit by Jo Bonnier and borne so promisingly by the likes of Peterson, Wisell and Nilsson…
