Bengt Ronnie Peterson (February 14, 1944 – September 11, 1978), nicknamed “Superswede”, was a Swedish racing driver who competed in Formula 1 from 1970 to 1978. In his career, Peterson has scored 10 Grand Prix victories, 16 additional podiums, and finished runner-up in the drivers’ championship on two occasions.
March Engineering
Peterson drove March machinery in the first three seasons in Formula 1. 1970 was spent racing for privateer teams before a move to the full works March team for 1971. His first F1 podium came at the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix where he finished second behind Sir Jackie Stewart, with Jacky Ickx completing the podium. He finished the season second overall in the drivers’ standings behind Stewart, and remained with March for 1972.
John Player Team Lotus
Peterson signed to race for Lotus in 1973, and scored his first F1 win in that year’s French Grand Prix. He finished the season with a total of four wins. While Peterson’s 1974 results seemed reasonable on paper with three wins and a podium, they were achieved in an older Lotus 72 due to the problematic Lotus 76. Forced to drive an aging Lotus for another season, the Swedish driver finally left the team after the first round of 1976 to make a return to March machinery for the remainder of the season.
Tyrrell
Peterson spent 1977 driving the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34B, in what was a season to forget apart from a third place finish at a wet Belgian Grand Prix. Accidents and reliability issues meant finishing down in 14th overall, his worse season in F1.
Return to John Player Team Lotus
Peterson made a surprise return to Lotus in 1978 to drive alongside eventual world champion Mario Andretti, and with it a return to form with two wins and five podium finishes. However, he was involved in a multi-car crash at the start of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix and taken to the hospital with severe leg injuries. Peterson died the next day on September 11, 1978, from a fat embolism.
18ct Gold Heuer Carrera from Jack Heuer
While driving for March in 1972, Peterson received an 18ct gold Heuer Carrera chronograph (ref. 1158 CHN) as a personal gift from Jack Heuer, then the managing director of Heuer. The case back featured the inscribed words ‘Success. Ronnie Peterson from Jack W Heuer.’ The timepiece is currently on display in the TAG Heuer Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Ronnie Peterson in 1972. (Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zantafio56/, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
TAG Heuer Re-Editions
A steel re-edition of Peterson’s original watch was released in Sweden in 2017. The TAG Heuer Carrera (ref. CBH2210) retains the same words on the case back, with a limited run of 40 pieces.
A 1:1 replica of Peterson’s personal gold Carrera (ref. CBH2240.BG0673) was made and auctioned by TAG Heuer and Bonham’s at the “Les Grandes Marques” auction in Monaco on May 11th, 2018.
2023 was the 60th anniversary of the Carrera line, and was celebrated with a modern 18ct gold re-issue of Peterson’s legendary chronograph. The famous words ‘Success. Ronnie Peterson from Jack W Heuer.’ once again adorned the case back, and was released in November of that year.
Related Pages
References
https://watchesbysjx.com/2018/05/tag-heuer-remakes-the-most-expensive-vintage-heuer-for-charity.html
https://usa.watchpro.com/tag-heuer-revives-its-golden-drivers-carrera-chronograph/
https://www.vintageheuer.com/2017-heuer-carrera-ronnie-peterson-edition-cbh2210/
https://monochrome-watches.com/bonhams-and-tag-to-offer-a-unique-re-edition-of-f1-driver-ronnie-petersons-gold-heuer-carrera-ref-1158-chn/