Formula One drivers from Sweden

There have been 11 Formula One drivers from Sweden who have entered a Formula One Grand Prix of whom 10 have started a race.[1]

Formula One drivers from Sweden
Drivers11
Grands Prix441
Entries510
Starts469
Highest season finish2nd (1971, 1978)
Wins12
Podiums44
Pole positions15
Fastest laps10
Points396
First entry1951 German Grand Prix
First win1959 Dutch Grand Prix
Latest win1978 Austrian Grand Prix
Latest entry2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2021 driversTBD

Former drivers

Erik Lundgren was the first Swedish driver to enter a Formula One race when he entered the 1951 German Grand Prix, however he would later withdraw.

Bonnier driving for Porsche at the 1962 German Grand Prix.

Jo Bonnier was the first Swedish F1 racer.[2] He made his debut at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix in a Maserati, resulting in a retirement.[2][3] He raced sporadically across the following 15 Formula One seasons, his greatest achievement being victory in the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix with BRM.[3] He was killed in an accident in the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans.[4]

1967 Swedish F3 champion Reine Wisell made his debut with Lotus at the 1970 United States Grand Prix. He scored a podium finish in his debut race, but only 4 more points finishes followed in his career, all in the following year. The subsequent years saw a large drop in form and he eventually retired following his home race of 1974.

Peterson driving for Lotus at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix.

Sweden's most successful Formula One driver was Ronnie Peterson. In a career that spanned 9 seasons he won 10 Grands Prix and came close to winning the championship on multiple occasions. He was an in-demand driver who was signed by teams such as March, Tyrrell and Lotus. Peterson was killed as a result of medical complications following a fiery accident at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix.

Bertil Roos competed in one race – the 1974 Swedish Grand Prix in a Shadow. He retired on lap 2 through transmission failure.

Torsten Palm entered two Grands Prix in the 1975 season in a privateer Hesketh. He failed to qualify in Monaco and finished 10th in Sweden despite running out of fuel.

Conny Andersson entered five Grands Prix. His only appearance in the 1976 season was with Surtees at the Dutch Grand Prix, retiring after 9 laps. He failed to qualify for any of the events he entered in 1977.

Gunnar Nilsson raced for 2 almost full seasons in Formula One, in 1976–77 – qualifying his Lotus for every Grand Prix he entered. His short career was very up-and-down, with 17 retirements along with 4 podiums, including a win in the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix. He retired from his last 7 straight Grands Prix and was beginning to show the signs of the testicular cancer that would eventually kill him at the time.

Johansson driving for Ferrari at the 1985 European Grand Prix

Stefan Johansson made an inauspicious start in Formula One, failing to qualify for his first 2 races in a Shadow at the 1980 Argentine and Brazilian Grands Prix. He didn't return until 1983, where he drove 6 of the last 7 Grands Prix for Spirit. The next 8 seasons were continually topsy-turvy; from 2 seasons at Ferrari and a season with McLaren to struggling to qualify for Onyx and Footwork at career's end. He scored 12 podiums (including a shock 3rd with Onyx in the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix) but a win proved elusive.

In the two-year break Johansson took from F1, Slim Borgudd entered 15 Grands Prix with ATS and Tyrrell. He failed to pre-qualify 5 times and scored his sole point at the 1981 British Grand Prix. He was dumped by Tyrrell after 3 races.

Ericsson driving for Sauber at the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix

The most recent Formula One driver from Sweden is Marcus Ericsson. Making his debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, Ericsson became the first Swedish driver to compete in a Formula One Grand Prix since Stefan Johansson raced in the 1991 Australian Grand Prix. He made his debut with the backmarker Caterham F1 Team, and struggled throughout the season. He was forced to sit out the final 3 races of the 2014 season as the team was placed into liquidation. He was signed by Sauber for the 2015 season and saw a slight reversal of fortune, picking up his first of 11 points finishes in Australia, finishing 18th in the championship. He maintained his Sauber drive up to 2018, with a best championship result of 17th in 2018 with 9 points. Having had two pointless seasons in 2016 and 2017, as well as being outscored by over 4 times the points in 2018 by his rookie team-mate Charles Leclerc, he was dropped from a race seat at Sauber and subsequently moved across to IndyCar for 2019.[5]

Timeline
Former drivers
Erik Lundgren 1951
Joakim Bonnier 1956–1971
Reine Wisell 1970–1974
Ronnie Peterson 1970–1978
Bertil Roos 1974
Torsten Palm 1975
Conny Andersson 1976–1977
Gunnar Nilsson 1976–1977
Stefan Johansson 1980, 1983–1991
Slim Borgudd 1981–1982
Marcus Ericsson 2014–2018

See also

References
  1. "Sweden – Drivers". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  2. "Sweden - Grands Prix started". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  3. "Jo BONNIER - Grands Prix started". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  4. "Jo BONNIER". StatsF1.com (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  5. "Marcus ERICSSON". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
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