Stefan Nils Edwin Johansson (born September 8, 1956) is a Swedish former racing driver who competed in Formula 1 between 1980 and 1991. He has finished on the podium a total of 12 times during his career. In addition to competing in other racing series, Johansson has also been involved in team ownership and driver management.
Formula 1 Debut with Shadow Racing Team
While still a regular in British Formula Three, Johansson made his first two Formula 1 entries were in 1980 with the Shadow Racing Team. He failed to qualify for both.
Spirit
Johansson returned to Formula 1 for the 1983 season with Spirit Racing. He competed in a total of five rounds, with a best finished of 7th.
Tyrrell and Toleman
The injured Martin Brundle was replaced by Johansson in four races with Tyrrell in 1984. The Swedish driver raced in the final three rounds of the season for Toleman, scoring his first world championship points at the 1984 Italian Grand Prix with a 4th place result.
Ferrari
After starting 1985 as a replacement driver with Toleman, Johansson was called up to Ferrari for the remainder of the season. He scored his first two Formula 1 podiums that year, and finished the season 7th overall.
Johansson stood on the podium four more times for Ferrari in 1986, and improved to 5th in the overall drivers’ standings.
McLaren
Johansson spent 1987 with McLaren alongside Gerhard Berger. The Swedish driver scored five more podiums that year.
Ligier
1988 was spent with an uncompetitive Ligier team, resulting in Johansson’s first season without a podium since 1984.
Onyx, AGS, and Footwork
1989 turned out to be Johansson’s final full season of Formula 1, when he raced for the then-newly formed Onyx team. He scored the team’s first and his final podium at the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix. A falling out with the team in early 1990 left him off the grid for most of the season, before entering but failing to finish several rounds in 1991 for AGS and Footwork.
Art Career
Friend and fellow Formula 1 driver Elio De Angelis was killed in 1986, which prompted Johansson to create a commemorative painting after a lifelong interest in art. His work has since included “Memories of a Past Life”, a series of abstract paintings inspired by his Formula 1 career.
Stefan Johansson Växjö
In addition to painting, Johansson also has a line of Stefan Johansson Växjö watches. Models feature a three-leaf custom rotor, a nod to his racing helmet design. The Mark VIIIE notably features the various Formula 1 track flags that serve as indices. The Swedish driver produced his first batch of watches around 1993.
Related Pages
References
https://stefanjohansson.art/pages/racer-artist-designer
https://www.watchonista.com/articles/interviews/talking-racing-and-watches-f1-driver-turned-watchmaker-stefan-johansson