Stefan (Nils Edwin) Johansson (born 8 September 1956 in Växjö) participated in Formula One between 1980 and 1991. He drove in Formula One for Shadow, Spirit, Tyrrell, Toleman, Ferrari, McLaren, Onyx, AGS and Footwork.
Having got himself into several front-running F1 cars, the likeable Johansson never quite managed to make the most of his opportunities. His first forays into the big time were a disaster – still an inexperience driver, Johansson was offered an F1 drive with Shadow in 1980, but after failing to qualify in either Argentina or Brazil he retreated back to Formula Three. Three years later, with the British F3 championship and several Formula Two victories in his pocket, he made his F1 return with Spirit. The team was uncompetitive, but the following season he impressed as a stand-in at Toleman, recording a fourth-place finish in Italy and earning himself a drive for 1985. Unfortunately the team folded before the season began, but after a one-off drive for Tyrrell, Johansson found himself driving for Ferrari after they split with Rene Arnoux. He seized his chance, grabbing consecutive second places in Canada and Detroit and points finishes elsewhere. The Scuderia retained his services in 1986 and though he scored points frequently, he moved on to McLaren in 1987. More podium finishes followed, but Johansson lost his seat to Ayrton Senna at the end of the year. From then on Johansson was on the downward slope and after disappointing seasons with Ligier and Onyx, and short stints with Footwork and AGS, he headed off to race in the USA.
More information at www.stefanjohansson.com
All Swedish Formula One drivers:
Jo Bonnier (1956 – 1971)
Ronnie Peterson (1970 – 1978)
Reine Wisell (1970 – 1974)
Bertil Roos (1974)
Torsten Palm (1975)
Gunnar Nilsson (1976 – 1977)
Conny Andersson (1976 – 1977)
Slim Borgudd (1981 – 1982)
Stefan Johansson (1980 – 1991)
Marcus Ericsson (2014 – ….)