Formula 1 was left in a state of shock on the morning of September 11 in 1978 when the news broke that Ronnie Peterson had died overnight from complications from the injuries the Lotus driver had sustained the day before in a crash at the start of the Italian GP.
A massive pile-up had occurred shortly after the start as the result of a chain reaction which kicked off when Riccardo Patrese collided with James Hunt on the run down to the first chicane.
Following a contact with another car, Peterson's Lotus hit the barriers and burst into flames but its driver was quickly pulled out of harm's way by Hunt, fully conscious but with what appeared to be two badly broken legs.
Sunday evening, the Swede was reported to be in a stable condition and his injuries were not considered life-threatening.
It all went terribly wrong early in the morning however when a bone marrow embolism entered the injured driver's bloodstream, and complications ensued.
Ronnie Peterson was 34 years-old. We remember a man whose trademark sideways style out on the race track was a treat to watch, even if it paid few dividends in terms of victories or championships.
Sadly, in the picture here above in which Peterson, Patrick Tambay, Gilles Villeneuve and Jody Scheckter are seen sharing a good laugh at the French GP, only the latter - F1's world champion in 1979 - is still with us today.
