F1 podium finisher Reine Wisell dies aged 80

The Swede drove for the works Lotus, BRM and March teams before a career that started so promisingly faded away, and he slipped into the shadow of his close contemporary and longtime rival Ronnie Peterson.

Born in 1941 he began his career in saloon cars in 1962. He graduated to F3 in 1966, scoring a couple of local wins with a Cooper in his first season.

In 1967 he switched to a Brabham, winning the Swedish title. The previous year he had given Swedish karting star Ronnie Peterson, two and half years his junior, some racing instruction at Karlskoga. By 1968 they were both driving F3 Tecnos, although initially Wisell was a step ahead and focusing on the international scene.

By 1969 Peterson had made the step up and the two became keen rivals, notably at Monaco, where Peterson came out in top after a famous battle. That year Wisell also did some sportscar racing with a Chevron.

It was Peterson who made it to F1 first, racing a private March from early in 1970. However Wisell would eventually land the bigger opportunity. That year he raced for Sid Taylor in F5000, scoring three late-season victories and finishing seventh in the Guards championship. 

The wins raised his profile, and after Jochen Rindt’s death at Monza and the subsequent departure from Team Lotus of John Miles, Wisell was called by Colin Chapman to partner Emerson Fittipaldi, who himself had contested only three grands prix at that stage.

The Swede’s first race was at Watkins Glen, where he qualified eighth, one second off Fittipaldi. In the closing stages Pedro Rodriguez’s BRM ran out of fuel handing victory to Fittipaldi in only the Brazilian’s fourth start – while Wisell earned third on his debut.

Reine Wisell drives the Lotus 72C on his way to third in