A man of his word
After a difficult 1977 with Team Tyrrell and its complicated six-wheeler, Ronnie Peterson accepted Colin Chapman’s offer to return to his Team Lotus alongside Mario Andretti. He also accepted the status of second driver, meaning that he had to help the American in his quest for the championship.
Mario Andretti remembered: “I’d known Ronnie for a long time, and I knew he was an honourable guy,” says Andretti. “It’s quite true I was less than delighted when Colin suggested that Ronnie should come back to Lotus. I felt that I’d played my part in bringing the team back to the front, and I also felt that 1978 would give me my best shot at the title. I didn’t want anything to screw that up”.
Mario continues: “Ronnie was a fantastic race driver. The man was a number one driver, nothing else. It seemed ridiculous to me that a guy with his ability and experience should have to accept the restrictions of a number two. At the same time, I’d made my position clear to Colin. The agreement was that if both cars were running at the front with no problems, then I was to win. Ronnie accepted that when he signed his contract. More important, he gave his word.” And to Peterson’s eternal credit, he kept it.
The Lotus 78 and 79 were the class of the field in 1978 and Mario Andretti won 6 races and the championship, while Ronnie Peterson took two wins while regularly shading his team mate, as promised, like at the Dutch Grand Prix (image-below). Sadly, Peterson died of his injuries sustained in a fiery crash at the start of the Italian Grand Prix, a day after Andretti was crowned…