Keke Rosberg

Finnish racing driver

Finland's first world champion

Keke Rosberg spent years in small teams before Williams gave him a chance, and he made the most of it with the 1982 world title.

Keke Rosberg was born in Solna, Sweden, on December 6, 1948, and grew up in Finland, which he represented throughout his career. After karting he moved to Formula Vee in 1972 and won the Finnish title the next year, then took the German Formula Super Vee championship in 1975 and raced in European Formula Two from 1976 to 1979.

He was 29 when he made his Formula 1 debut for Theodore at the 1978 South African Grand Prix, and that season he also won the non championship BRDC International Trophy. Spells with ATS and Wolf followed, then two seasons at Fittipaldi, where he finished third at the 1980 Argentine Grand Prix on his debut for the team.

Williams signed him for 1982. He won the Swiss Grand Prix that year, his only victory of the season, but a steady run of podiums carried him to the title at the final round, making him the first world champion from Finland. Williams struggled in the early turbo years, yet Rosberg won the 1983 Monaco Grand Prix, the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix, and in 1985 the Detroit and Australian Grands Prix, finishing third in the championship.

He spent 1986 at McLaren alongside Alain Prost and retired after the 1986 Australian Grand Prix. Our record shows 114 starts, 5 wins, 5 pole positions, 3 fastest laps and 17 podiums over nine seasons. Rosberg later won races in sports cars with Peugeot and in the German touring car series, managed drivers including Mika Häkkinen, and since 1994 has run Team Rosberg. His son Nico became champion in 2016.

1 world titles, 5 wins, 5 pole positions, 114 starts.

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