Rolf Stommelen is a racing driver from Germany who last raced in Formula 1 for Arrows. Stommelen has recorded 0 wins and 1 podium from 54 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 4,831 ranks Stommelen 452th of 15,348 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the low five figures. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 1978-10-01 | Watkins Glen | P16 | −19 |
| 1978-07-30 | Hockenheimring | DNF | +22 |
| 1978-07-02 | Circuit Paul Ricard | P15 | −3 |
| 1978-06-17 | Scandinavian Raceway | P14 | −6 |
| 1978-06-04 | Jarama | P14 | −4 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | ▸Formula 1 | Arrows | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | P22 | −34 | 4,863 |
| 1976 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | P19 | +79 | 4,897 |
| 1975 | ▸Formula 1 | Embassy Hill | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | P22 | +48 | 4,818 |
| 1974 | ▸Formula 1 | Lola | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | P21 | −46 | 4,770 |
| 1973 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P22 | +12 | 4,816 |
| 1972 | ▸Formula 1 | March | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | P22 | −100 | 4,804 |
| 1971 | ▸Formula 1 | Surtees | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | P18 | −121 | 4,904 |
| 1970 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | P11 | +225 | 5,025 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇷 Emerson Fittipaldi | 3,999 | 24 | 2 | 22 | 8% |
| 🇸🇪 Ronnie Peterson | 5,168 | 21 | 4 | 17 | 19% |
| 🇨🇭 Clay Regazzoni | 5,253 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 28% |
| 🇦🇷 Carlos Reutemann | 5,765 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13% |
| 🇳🇿 Denny Hulme | 5,522 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 27% |
| 🇧🇪 Jacky Ickx | 4,915 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% |
| 🇳🇿 Chris Amon | 4,788 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% |
| 🇬🇧 Graham Hill | 5,097 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 43% |
| 🇬🇧 Jackie Stewart | 5,923 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 8% |
| 🇩🇪 Jochen Mass | 5,075 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 17% |
Rolf Stommelen competed in Formula 1 from 1970 to 1978, recording 54 starts across the eight-year span. He scored a single podium finish and raced primarily for Arrows, establishing himself as a mid-field professional in an era of strong competition. His average finishing position of P10.3 reflects consistent but unspectacular results in a field that included multiple world champions and drivers of the highest calibre.[1]
The head-to-head records reveal the level at which Stommelen operated. Against Emerson Fittipaldi, a two-time world champion, he finished ahead only twice in 24 races. Against Ronnie Peterson and Denny Hulme, respectively a front-running professional and a former world champion, he managed four victories each across their shared races, but trailed both men decisively overall. His occasional victories over stronger rivals such as Jackie Stewart, a three-time champion, were isolated results rather than patterns of competitive superiority. Stommelen's racing reflected the typical trajectory of a professional driver in the middle order of the grid; capable of competitive drives and isolated upsets, but consistently outpaced by the field's elite.[2]
Beyond single-seaters, Stommelen achieved his most substantial racing legacy in endurance competition, where he was a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona alongside Porsche, a record that underscores his versatility and durability as a driver. His retirement came at the close of 1978, marking the end of a career spent at the professional level of international motorsport.