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Name: Gunnar Nilsson

Nationality: Sweden

Date of birth: November 20, 1948 - Helsingborg

Date of death: October 20, 1978 - Hammersmith, London

This very promising Swedish driver developed into one of the stars of the British Formula 3 scene during the mid-1970s and was promoted into the Lotus Formula 1 team at the start of the 1976 season as part of a deal which saw Colin Chapman release Ronnie Peterson to the March squad. Nilsson proved a willing apprentice, eager to learn the ropes from team leader Mario Andretti with whom he was paired through to the end of the 1977 season. Armed with the ground-effect Lotus 78, Nilsson also grasped a great opportunity to win the rain-soaked 1977 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder after Andretti took John Watson's Brabham-Alfa off the road on the first lap, eliminating both cars. By the end of that season, despite feeling unwell, he signed to drive for the new Arrows Formula 1 season alongside Riccardo Patrese from the start of the following season. He never drove the car, for by then he was suffering from the cancer which eventually killed him in the autumn of that same year. This very promising Swedish driver developed into one of the stars of the British Formula 3 scene during the mid-1970s and was promoted into the Lotus Formula 1 team at the start of the 1976 season as part of a deal which saw Colin Chapman release Ronnie Peterson to the March squad. Nilsson proved a willing apprentice, eager to learn the ropes from team leader Mario Andretti with whom he was paired through to the end of the 1977 season. Armed with the ground-effect Lotus 78, Nilsson also grasped a great opportunity to win the rain-soaked 1977 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder after Andretti took John Watson's Brabham-Alfa off the road on the first lap, eliminating both cars. By the end of that season, despite feeling unwell, he signed to drive for the new Arrows Formula 1 season alongside Riccardo Patrese from the start of the following season. He never drove the car, for by then he was suffering from the cancer which eventually killed him in the autumn of that same year.