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Swedish icon Peterson forever remembered: 'Those days you never forget'
- Ludo van Denderen
Since Marcus Ericsson departed from Sauber at the end of 2018, Sweden has been waiting for a new Formula 1 driver—ideally, one who can compete for Grand Prix victories and world titles, continuing the legacy of Ronnie Peterson. The legendary driver, who tragically passed away too soon, remains an icon in Sweden. His influence is especially strong with people like Per Gessle, one of the country’s most beloved artists.
Gessle, singer of the band Roxette, is a big F1 fan. He can still clearly recall the moment Peterson experienced his fatal crash in 1978 at Monza. "When I think about racing, it's the first time I was in London in 1978, on Oxford Street, I passed a store where they sold electronics and television sets," the artist began in an exclusive interview with GPblog.
"They had all these television sets in the window. And just when I passed it, they showed the crash when Ronnie Peterson crashed at Monza. He died the next day. And he was a big idol of mine. I'll never forget that. It's one of those days. It's like when John Lennon died or David Bowie died."
Tribute to Ronnie Peterson by Per Gessle
Per Gessle keeps the memory of Ronnie Peterson alive at his Hotel Tylösand in Halmstad. "With the permission of his daughter Nina, we have a big conference room at the hotel, which is called the Ronnie Peterson Lounge, we are having all this memorabilia as an homage to him."
Perhaps Dino Beganovic could at some point make the move to Formula 1. The Swedish talent will compete in Formula 2 next season, but Gessle obviously hopes to see the young Swede in Formula 1. "In Holland, for example, when you have a Verstappen guy, the whole nation turns crazy. It should be the same in Sweden if you have a Swedish driver."
Marcus Ericsson never managed to rock Sweden with his performance in Formula 1. Per Gessle has great respect for the former F1 driver, stating: "Of course, he won the Indy 500. But it wasn't Formula 1. If he would have been in Ferrari, for instance, it would have been a different game. He was in Sauber, and he was here and there. We are spoiled in Sweden. We have always had really great athletes, even from the tennis days. And now we have this guy that jumps really really high (Armand Duplantis)."
Picture: Hotel Tylösand
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