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| Drivers | 11 |
|---|---|
| Grands Prix | 441 |
| Entries | 510 |
| Starts | 469 |
| Best season finish | 2nd (1971,1978) |
| Wins | 12 |
| Podiums | 44 |
| Pole positions | 15 |
| Fastest laps | 10 |
| Points | 396 |
| First entry | 1951 German Grand Prix |
| First win | 1959 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Latest win | 1978 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Latest entry | 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| 2025 drivers | None |
There have been 11Formula One drivers from Sweden who have entered aFormula One Grand Prix of whom 10 have started a race.[1]
Erik Lundgren was the first Swedish driver to enter aFormula One race when he entered the1951 German Grand Prix, however he would later withdraw.
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Jo Bonnier was the first Swedish Formula One driver.[2] He made his debut at the1956 Italian Grand Prix in aMaserati, resulting in a retirement.[2][3] He raced sporadically across the following 15 Formula One seasons, his greatest achievement being victory in the1959 Dutch Grand Prix withBRM.[3] He was killed in an accident in the1972 24 Hours of Le Mans.[4]
1967 Swedish F3 championReine Wisell made his debut withLotus at the1970 United States Grand Prix. He scored a podium finish in his debut race, but only four more points finishes followed in his career, all in thefollowing year. The subsequent years saw a large drop in form and he eventually retired following hishome race of1974.
Sweden's most successful Formula One driver wasRonnie Peterson. In a career that spanned 9 seasons he won 10 Grands Prix and came close to winning the championship on multiple occasions. He was an in-demand driver who was signed by teams such asMarch,Tyrrell and Lotus. Peterson was killed as a result of medical complications following a fiery accident at the1978 Italian Grand Prix. His last career victory at the1978 Austrian Grand Prix is the most recent for a Swedish Formula One driver.
Bertil Roos competed in one race – the1974 Swedish Grand Prix in aShadow. He retired on lap two through transmission failure.
Torsten Palm entered two Grands Prix in the1975 season in a privateerHesketh. He failed to qualify inMonaco and finished 10th inSweden despite running out of fuel.
Conny Andersson entered five Grands Prix. His only appearance in the1976 season was withSurtees at theDutch Grand Prix, retiring after 9 laps. He failed to qualify for any of the events he entered in1977.
Gunnar Nilsson raced for 2 almost full seasons in Formula One, in 1976–77 – qualifying his Lotus for every Grand Prix he entered. His short career was very up-and-down, with 17 retirements along with 4 podiums, including a win in the1977 Belgian Grand Prix. He retired from his last seven straight Grands Prix and was beginning to show the signs of thetesticular cancer that he would eventually pass away from.
Stefan Johansson made an inauspicious start in Formula One, failing to qualify for his first two races in a Shadow at the1980Argentine andBrazilian Grands Prix. He didn't return until1983, where he drove six of the last seven Grands Prix forSpirit. The next eight seasons were continually up-and-down; from two seasons atFerrari anda season withMcLaren to struggling to qualify forOnyx andFootwork at career's end. He scored 12 podiums (including a shock 3rd with Onyx in the1989 Portuguese Grand Prix) but a win proved elusive.
In the two-year break Johansson took from Formula One,Slim Borgudd entered 15 Grands Prix withATS and Tyrrell. He failed to pre-qualify five times and scored his sole point at the1981 British Grand Prix. He was dumped by Tyrrell after three races.
The most recent Formula One driver from Sweden isMarcus Ericsson. Making his debut at the2014 Australian Grand Prix, Ericsson became the firstSwedish driver to compete in a Formula One Grand Prix sinceStefan Johansson raced in the1991 Australian Grand Prix. He made his debut with the backmarkerCaterham F1 Team, and struggled throughout the season. He was forced to sit out the final three races of the2014 season as the team was placed into liquidation. He was signed bySauber for the2015 season and saw a slight reversal of fortune, picking up his first of 11 points finishes inAustralia, finishing 18th in the championship. He maintained his Sauber drive up to2018, with a best championship result of 17th in 2018 with 9 points. Having had two pointless seasons in 2016 and 2017, as well as being outscored by over 4 times the points in 2018 by his rookie team-mateCharles Leclerc, he was dropped from a race seat at Sauber and subsequently moved across toIndyCar for 2019.[5]
| Drivers | Active Years | Entries | Wins | Podiums | Career Points | Poles | Fastest Laps | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Lundgren | 1951 | 1 (0 starts) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Joakim Bonnier | 1956–1971 | 109 (104 starts) | 1 | 1 | 39 | 1 | 0 | - |
| Reine Wisell | 1970–1974 | 23 (22 starts) | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Ronnie Peterson | 1970–1978 | 123 | 10 | 26 | 206 | 14 | 9 | - |
| Bertil Roos | 1974 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Torsten Palm | 1975 | 2 (1 start) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Conny Andersson | 1976–1977 | 5 (1 start) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Gunnar Nilsson | 1976–1977 | 32 (31 starts) | 1 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 1 | - |
| Stefan Johansson | 1980,1983–1991 | 103 (79 starts) | 0 | 12 | 88 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Slim Borgudd | 1981–1982 | 15 (10 starts) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Marcus Ericsson | 2014–2018 | 97 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | - |