Racing for Ferrari has always been an elite privilege in the racing community. So, Steffan Johansson was quite lucky to get that opportunity in 1985 despite having only a handful of Grand Prix starts under his belt.
The Swedish former driver could have also become a Grand Prix winner with the Prancing Horse, had he not run out of fuel on the last lap in Imola in only his second race! Johansson recollected memories of that painful loss at the 1985 San Marino GP and acknowledged that life, at times, can be cruel.
When he was asked in his interview with Gazzetta whether his racing career would have changed if he won that race in Imola, he said, “100%, but that’s life. That day I ran the perfect race; I was managing my consumption by respecting the precise number on my display”.
It was an attritional race in Imola that afternoon with multiple cars retiring from the race due to engine failures, turbo, and electrical failures. Towards the end, five cars, including Johansson’s, ran out of fuel — taking the total number of DNFs to an astonishing 18!
“I was passing a lot of people in front of me. I took the lead but half a lap from the finish line I ran out of gas. It was cruel,” Johansson added.
Johansson stopped at the Acque Minerali chicane on the final lap, which handed Alain Prost the race lead at the chequered flag while he was classified in P6. However, even Prost had to face disqualification with his McLaren car being two kilograms underweight. Eventually, it was Elio de Angelis, who took the race win for Lotus.
Stefan Johansson ~ Ferrari 156/85 ~ 1985 San Marino GP, Imola pic.twitter.com/lHoptpfVf5
— Classic Formula 1 (@ClassicFormula1) February 13, 2016
As for Johansson’s Ferrari, there was a hole in the fuel intake manifold, which caused the car to use more fuel and it all went haywire for the Swedish former driver. While he managed to take multiple podiums for the Scuderia in his two seasons with them, Johansson never won a race in F1.
Nonetheless, Johansson is yet grateful for his Ferrari stint in F1
While he did not achieve the desired success at the pinnacle of motorsport, Johansson feels that getting the honor of being a Ferrari driver was more than enough for him. Even though the Italian outfit wasn’t as much of a dominant force in the mid-80s, driving for them was quite prestigious, per Johansson.
“You can win 10 World Championships with a McLaren or a Red Bull, but in terms of prestige, nothing comes close to being a Ferrari driver,” the Swedish former driver said.
That sentiment is true even today for almost all F1 drivers. Lewis Hamilton himself underscored the same when he announced his switch to Ferrari a year ago.
The seven-time world champion is also joining the Maranello outfit amid their ongoing championship drought of 16 years. Still, Hamilton has been talking about the elite feeling of donning the scarlet red colors of Ferrari and absorbing the raucous applause he has been receiving from the Tifosi in Maranello and the rest of Italy.
