The legendary Ronnie Peterson would have been 73 years old today, and this onboard video of him shows just why he was one of the most exciting drivers of his time.
Over 10 seasons and 123 races ‘Superswede’ Ronnie Peterson proved himself as one of the fastest and most exciting drivers in F1. His trademark sideways driving style made him massively popular and helped him to win 10 Grands Prix up until his death at Monza in 1978.
This onboard video of him driving a lap of the his home circuit at Anderstorp shows off that style perfectly. In modern motor racing they say that going sideways is slow but in the 70s that was anything but the case – especially for Ronnie.
The video was shot in 1972 from onboard the March 721 he raced that season – although the Swedish GP wouldn’t appear on the calendar until the following year. 1972 wasn’t as successful for Peterson as 1971 was (when he finished second in the championship), with his best result coming at Monza when he finished 3rd.