Ronnie Peterson: Formula 1 - Super Swede
Nicknamed “Super Swede”, Ronnie Peterson rose from karts to F3 to become European F2 Champion in 1972, and came closest to winning the F1 World Championship in 1973 and 1978. By common consent the fastest driver in Formula 1 in that era, Ronnie Peterson was, paradoxically, a quiet shy person and an all-round nice guy. As Johnny Tipler’s book reveals, Ronnie invariably strove to wring the ultimate performance out of anything he drove.and that, ironically, was probably what cost him the F1 World Championship. Not content with nearly winning, he sought to annihilate the opposition and, in the process, subjected cars and tyres to stresses greater than they had been designed to accept. If they didn’t break, he usually won, but not often enough to gain the title.