The pilot. Ronnie Peterson he never won a Formula 1 world title, he stopped at ‘only’ 10 victories in 123 races, with 14 pole positions and a total of 26 podiums, but he entered the collective imagination of fans as one of the iconic drivers from the 70s. Twice runner-up in the world championship (1971, 1978), the Swede raced for March, Tyrrell and Lotus and was a true wizard of drifting and countersteering, at a time when single-seaters had to be tamed with talent and above all with the right foot. Nicknamed ‘SuperSwede’, he died at the age of 34 of the aftermath of the accident at the start at Monza ’78 and following his death Sweden forbade the holding of Formula 1 races on its territory, a ban still in force today.
Helmet. A plain blue with yellow horizontal stripes: Ronnie Peterson’s tribute was obviously for his homeland’s flag. The intense blue also went very well with the possibility of inserting advertising brands both on the front and on the sides, logos that in the 1970s began to cover cars and drivers with increasing frequency. One peculiarity: Peterson’s helmet featured a small protruding yellow visor above the traditional flat one, a detail that gave it a decidedly retro touch. In recent times, Marcus Ericsson used a replica livery at Monaco 2014 to pay homage to his compatriot.
They said about him. Niki Lauda remembered it like this: “Ronnie was my friend, he was one of the nicest, wisest, modest and sincere drivers and I got on incredibly well with him. Peterson was certainly one of the fastest GP riders there has ever been“. Enzo Ferrari drew a portrait of him in his book: “Tall, blond, lanky: a guy like Hawthorn. He raced Ferrari sports prototype cars in 1972 and was, as in Formula 1, an extremely fast driver“. Ralph Bellamy, designer of the Lotus, extolled his natural talent: “Ronnie wasn’t a good test driver, but he was incredibly gifted. In terms of car control and skill he was incredible. But he tended to circle around problems.” A curiosity, the television presenter and record expert Gabriele Ansaloni chose the stage name ‘Red Ronnie’ in 1977, as a great fan of the Swedish driver.
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