Johansson in red

Swede Stefan Johansson sits confidently, and rightly so, on the front-wheel of his Ferrari 156/85 surrounded by his mechanics, ahead of his debut in red, at the second round of the 1985 Formula One season in Portugal (picture-above).

Johansson had initially signed a contract with Toleman for the 1985 season, but it felt through when Toleman failed to secure a tyre agreement. He then started the season with the now underfunded Tyrrell team, before being called up to Ferrari when René Arnoux was mysteriously sacked after the first race of the season in Brazil.

At his second race with the Scuderia, namely their second ‘home-race’, the San Marino Grand Prix, two laps from home, he passed Senna’s out-of-fuel Lotus to take the lead to the delight of the tifosi, and would have probably won if his Ferrari 156/85 had not run out of fuel itself just half a lap later…

No victories for the amicable Swede in 1985, whose role was to support lead driver Michele Alboreto’s championship challenge (he would end runner-up to Prost), though he did finish second to the Italian in Canada, and backed it up with second in the next race in Detroit (picture-below with Rosberg, the winner, and Alboreto, on the podium).