RacerDB ⌕Search a driver, series, or circuit

40,700 drivers, 156 series

RacerDB / Drivers / Peterson

9 views

🇸🇪 Ronnie Peterson

Racing driver from Sweden. Formula 1, Team Lotus.

Driver facts

Full name

Ronnie Peterson

Born

14 February 1944(b. 1944)

Nationality

Sweden

Current team

Team Lotus

Series

Formula 1

Status

Retired

Career wins

Career podiums

Career starts

123

Career DNFs

Racer Rating

6,242

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Racer Rating

6,242

Rank 111 of 40,700 indexed, -342 this season

FIA Categorisation

Not on file

Not yet indexed
Source: fia.com

Synthesized from 2 sources, updated 0h ago

Ronnie Peterson was an elite professional racing driver who competed in Formula 1 for nine seasons from 1970 to 1978, driving for Team Lotus. Across 123 starts he took 10 wins and 26 podiums. His final season, 1978, saw him finish second in the World Drivers' Championship with two wins and seven podium finishes from 14 rounds.[1]

Peterson's record places him among the strongest drivers of his era. He was closely matched against established professionals Emerson Fittipaldi, a two-time Formula 1 champion, and Clay Regazzoni across multiple seasons. He finished ahead of Jackie Stewart, winner of three Formula 1 titles, on eight occasions, and outscored Carlos Reutemann, another elite professional, across their careers. His two championship runner-up finishes came in 1971 and 1978, the latter a near-miss in a campaign that yielded seven podium finishes.[2]

Sources: [1] Indexed race classifications[2] Wikipedia

Synthesized from 1 source, updated 0h ago

Ronnie Peterson is a racing driver from Sweden who last raced in Formula 1 for Team Lotus. Peterson has recorded 10 wins and 26 podiums from 123 starts.[1]

A Racer Rating of 6,242 ranks Peterson 111th of 40,700 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the high 8,000s. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.

Sources: [1] Indexed race classifications

1978 form

Last 20 races, finish position (higher is better)

Recent results

Tap a row for the full race

1978-09-10	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza	Formula 1	DNF	−129
1978-08-27	Zandvoort	Formula 1	P2	+111
1978-08-13	Red Bull Ring	Formula 1	P1	+136
1978-07-30	Hockenheimring	Formula 1	DNF	−21
1978-07-16	Brands Hatch	Formula 1	DNF	−180

Career-best drives

Ranked by rating won, which prices the opposition

Rating won	Race	Series	Finish
+168	Kyalami 1978	Formula 1	P1
+166	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza 1976	Formula 1	P1
+157	Circuit de Monaco 1971	Formula 1	P2
+157	Zolder 1977	Formula 1	P3
+146	Zolder 1978	Formula 1	P2

Circuits

Rating per start against their own form that season

Raises their game

Red Bull Ring8 starts+40

Autodromo Nazionale di Monza9 starts+27

Watkins Glen International8 starts+20

Circuit de Monaco9 starts+19

Struggles

Autódromo José Carlos Pace5 starts-31

Jarama5 starts-23

Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez6 starts-20

Kyalami8 starts-19

Season by season

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Podiums	DNFs	Poles	Points	Pos	Gain/Loss	Rating
1978	▸Formula 1	Team Lotus	14	2	7	5	3	51	P2	+753	6,584
1977	▸Formula 1	Tyrrell	17	0	1	10	0	7	P13	−51	5,831
1976	▸Formula 1	March	16	1	1	10	1	10	P10	−476	5,882
1975	▸Formula 1	Team Lotus	14	0	0	6	0	6	P11	−458	6,358
1974	▸Formula 1	Team Lotus	15	3	4	6	1	35	P5	+13	6,816
1973	▸Formula 1	Team Lotus	15	4	7	6	9	52	P3	+4	6,803
1972	▸Formula 1	March	12	0	1	2	0	12	P8	+118	6,799
1971	▸Formula 1	March-Ford	11	0	5	2	0	33	P2	+726	6,681
1970	▸Formula 1	March	9	0	0	5	0	0	P17	+4,605	5,955

Recent coverage

Stockholms Auktionsverk announces its largest timepieces auction ever – featuring a unique TAG Heuer tribute to racing legend Ronnie Peterson[1]

Via TT

5 Jul 2026

Read →

Strong results for unique tribute to racing icon Ronnie Peterson and rare Patek Philippe at The Fine Watches Sale[2]

Via TT

22 May 2026

Read →

This piece unique gold Heuer wristwatch is a 1-of-1 tribute to Sweden's most iconic racing driver[3]

Supercar Blondie

15 May 2026

Read →

No recent coverage found.

Head-to-head

Most-raced and strongest-beaten: times Peterson finished ahead vs behind

Rival	Rating	Raced	Ahead	Behind	Record
🇧🇷 Emerson Fittipaldi	5,823	113	47	66	42%
🇨🇭 Clay Regazzoni	6,212	109	47	62	43%
🇦🇹 Niki Lauda	6,274	99	44	55	44%
🇦🇷 Carlos Reutemann	6,552	98	51	47	52%
🇬🇧 James Hunt	5,912	84	40	44	48%
🇿🇦 Jody Scheckter	6,391	82	35	47	43%
🇧🇪 Jacky Ickx	5,931	80	46	34	57%
🇫🇷 Patrick Depailler	6,040	78	36	42	46%
🇬🇧 John Watson	6,238	77	40	37	52%
🇩🇪 Jochen Mass	6,098	73	34	39	47%
🇧🇷 Nelson PiquetFIA Platinum, 3× champion	6,711	4	3	1	75%
🇬🇧 Jackie StewartHigher-rated, 3× champion	6,669	46	19	27	41%
🇮🇹 Riccardo PatreseFIA Bronze	6,417	22	11	11	50%

Raced wheel-to-wheel, not as team-mates

On the leaderboard

Global rank, 40,700 drivers indexed

#	Driver	Series	Rating
101	🇲🇽 Daniel Suárez	NASCAR Cup Series	6,271
102	🇺🇸 Kevin Harvick	NASCAR Cup Series	6,257
103	🇧🇪 Charles Weerts	GT World Challenge Europe	6,256
104	🇫🇷 Didier Pironi	Formula 1	6,256
105	🇺🇸 Will Power	IndyCar	6,256
106	🇮🇹 Alberto Ascari	Formula 1	6,252
107	🇬🇧 Jake Dennis	Formula E	6,252
108	🇦🇺 Jamie Whincup	Supercars Championship	6,252
109	🇳🇿 Brendon Hartley	WEC	6,251
110	🇸🇪 Marcus Ericsson	IndyCar	6,243
111	🇸🇪 Ronnie Peterson	Formula 1	6,242
112	🇬🇧 John Watson	Formula 1	6,238
113	🇮🇹 Luigi Fagioli	Formula 1	6,237
114	🇹🇭 Alexander Albon	Formula 1	6,236
115	🇫🇷 Jean-Eric Vergne	Formula E	6,227
116	🇺🇸 Peter Revson	Formula 1	6,225
117	🇲🇽 Pedro Rodríguez	Formula 1	6,222
118	🇯🇵 Kakunoshin Ohta	Super GT	6,216
119	🇨🇳 Zhou Guanyu	Formula 2	6,213
120	🇨🇭 Clay Regazzoni	Formula 1	6,212
121	🇯🇵 Felix Rosenqvist	IndyCar	6,209

Full leaderboard →

RacerDB. Race results and driver ratings.Aggregated from 1 source, synced 25h ago

Series and team names are trademarks of their respective owners.The Paddock Notes Privacy