19
F1'S GREATEST DRIVERS - AUTOSPORT persuaded 217 world championship Formula 1 heroes to vote for the all-time greates driver
PLUS LOGIN
Ronnie Peterson's enduring legacy owes much to his employment of a spectacular sideways style, shunning the smooth approach called for by the evolving aerodynamics of the time.
Regarded by many as one of the fastest drivers in F1 history, 'SuperSwede' was at his scintillating best in qualifying, delighting onlookers by sliding his March, Tyrrell and Lotus steeds as if on a rally stage.
The aggressive approach paid fewer dividends in the races and the world championship thus proved elusive, though a full innings may have righted that wrong.
Peterson's death was as unfortunate as it was tragic. After crashing at the start of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix he was pulled from his burning Lotus 78 by fellow drivers and taken to hospital with badly broken legs. A complication that night led to an embolism that robbed F1 of its hardest charger.
STATISTICS
| Born | 14 Feb 1944 |
| Died | 11 Sep 1978 |
| Active years | 1970 - 1978 |
| Best | 2nd (1971, 1978) |
| Starts | 123 |
| Wins | 10 |
| Podiums | 26 |
| Poles | 14 |
| Front row | 25 |
| Fastest laps | 9 |
| Races led | 28 |
SOCIALISE - TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THIS