1978 Italian Grand Prix
The Italian GP looked to be a GP like any other that season. During the 1978 season the Lotus team was invincible and at Monza, Mario Andretti could win his first World-title. The only theoretical threat came from his teammate Peterson. Theoretical because Peterson’s contract stated that he was the second driver behind Andretti. Like a gentlemen Peterson kept to his contract and during many races that season both Lotus 79 passed the S/F line like a tandem. But Monza was different. The high speeds at Monza and its challenging bends were made for Ronnie. Already three times Peterson won the Italian GP. Could he resist the temptation of winning it for a fourth time?
On Sunday morning during warm-up Peterson escaped miraculously unhurt from a big crash when his brakes failed. With heavy pains in his legs and the Lotus 79 total-loss from the crash, Peterson appeared at the grid with the old Lotus 78 a few hours later.
From that moment on a sequence of fatal events occurred.
At the end of the parade-lap the field drove towards their positions on the grid. Andretti, on pole, had already taken his position under the red light when the last cars were still driving out of the Parabolica. The prominent opportunity-starter Gianni Restelli had drawn his attention too much on the Ferrari of Gilles Villeneuve. At the moment Gilles is taking his place at the grid the nervous Restelli presses the green button. Far too early. The front rows on the grid have trouble driving away from their positions, while the last rows on the grid experience a flying start. The whole field is pushed into each other like a harmonica. With the throttle full open the field of 26 cars heads to the first chicane. Unfortunately the straight at Monza is halfway divided into two pieces. To the right you drive onto the old Monza banking and to the left, well actually straight-on you follow the modern circuit. The result is a narrowing of the track. Also Ricardo Patrese notices the narrowing of the track as he approaches the bottleneck. Patrese had taken profit from the clumsiness of Restelli and had passed several cars on the right outside of the track. With a speed well over 200 km/h Patrese tries to return to middle of the track. There is no place for him. James Hunt has to give way to avoid a crash and touches the Lotus of Peterson. The Lotus runs of the track crashes frontal into the steel armco, is thrown back on the track and changes into a fireball. On the left and right drivers try to avoid the crash. Everywhere cars crash into the barriers and everywhere there is fire and smoke.
Regazzoni, Depailler, Lunger and Brambilla drive through the sea of fire. Who hits whom is not clear. Daly and Reutermann just nearly manage to avoid the McLaren of James Hunt. Stuck is hit by a wheel on his head and Pironi hurtles from the disaster with a completely destroyed Tyrrel.
Between all the wreckage is the flaming Lotus of Peterson. The driver sits in his car. He’s not moving.
Two firemen try to extinguish the flames, unfortunately they don’t succeed. Then suddenly James Hunt jumps on the Lotus, helped by Merzario and Regazzoni they manage to pull out the body of Peterson. They drag the body over the track for a few meters. Immediately 4 or 5 people kneel around the body.
Peterson is wearing a yellow overall, he is moving. He is moving his right arm. He’s moving his head.
Big chaos prevails. They discover Brambilla in his Surtees, he’s in a coma. Drivers walk between the wreckage. Peterson is being carried onto a stretcher and is being rolled to an Ambulance. He is dazed and looks at his legs and hands which are visibly broken on several places.
Hours later the race was restarted. Andretti wins, Villeneuve becomes second. Both drivers however get a minute time-penalty because of jumpstarting. Eventually Lauda is announced as the winner. Andretti is the new F1-champion.
At first it looked like Peterson escaped from the crash with some minor injuries. Professor Sid Watkins, present at the Italian GP to investigate the safety of the Formula 1 circus, tells the press that Peterson is conscious and is calmly discussing with the Doctors in the medical center of Monza about the treatment of his injuries. However in the Hospital later that evening they decide to operate Ronnie to save his right leg from amputation. During the night the conditions of Ronnie Peterson worsened and in the early morning Ronnie Peterson died as a result of embolisms in his lungs, brains and kidneys.
Maybe they should have waited when operating Ronnie Peterson. Maybe …
