This weekend Stefan Johansson, a former Formula 1 driver who has previously raced for teams such as Tyrrell, Toleman, Ferrari, McLaren, Ligier and Onyx, will take part in the Adelaide Motorsport Festival. It is no coincidence that he was invited there, because in November 1985 he was one of those who started the very first Australian Grand Prix, which took place in this city.
Now he had the rare opportunity to once again sit behind the wheel of that same historic V6 turbocharged Ferrari 156/85 and reminisce about the events of those now distant days.
“It’s always great to be part of these kinds of festivals because Australian fans are passionate about motorsport,” Speedcafe, 66, quoted Johansson as saying. “It’s really cool here, this is my second time here and the audience welcomes us very warmly.”
In 1985 at Adelaide he scored 15th in qualifying, but only eight cars made it to the finish of that race, one of which was the Swede’s Ferrari – he finished 5th. And the win went to Keke Rosberg, who played for Williams.
“At the end of that year we had a lot of problems with the turbines,” said Stefan. – As the season progressed, we slowed down and something happened to the engines all the time. But now I like to remember those times, although it is a bit strange that there are no guardrails around the track at the festival, there is open space all around, although the configuration of the ring has remained the same.
When I get back behind the wheel of those old cars, a lot of nice memories immediately come to mind. Of course I try not to attack too aggressively, but I just like to fly.”
Johansson’s best result in Adelaide was third in the 1986 Australian Grand Prix, his last race for Ferrari, after which he moved to McLaren.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
