Reine Tore Leif Wisell (30 September 1941 – 20 March 2022) was a Swedish racing driver who made 23 Formula One World Championship appearances, scoring 13 points and one memorable podium during a career that included spells with Lotus, BRM and March.
Driver Bio
| Born | 30 September 1941 Motala, Sweden |
|---|---|
| Died | 20 March 2022 (aged 80) Pattaya, Thailand |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Active years | 1970 – 1974 |
| Teams | Lotus, BRM, March inc. non-works |
| Entries | 23 (22 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 13 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1970 United States Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1974 Swedish Grand Prix |
Career
Wisell’s reputation was forged in the junior categories, most notably when he captured the Swedish Formula Three Championship in 1967. Three years later, circumstances handed him an opportunity at the very top of the sport.
Wisell joined Team Lotus late in 1970, replacing John Miles following a traumatic period for the team after championship leader Jochen Rindt was killed at Monza on 5 September. Wisell made his Formula One World Championship debut on 4 October 1970 at the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen – and wasted absolutely no time making an impression.
Incredibly, he finished third on his Grand Prix debut, coming home behind Lotus teammate and future World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi and Pedro Rodríguez, while beating championship contender Jacky Ickx. It would prove to be Wisell’s only Formula One podium, but it was quite an entrance.
He remained with Lotus for 1971, although the flashes of promise from Watkins Glen never developed into consistent front-running results. Wisell was released at the end of the season and subsequently continued his Formula One career with BRM and March, while also appearing in several non-championship Grand Prix events.
Across his World Championship career, Wisell started 23 Grands Prix, collecting 13 championship points. His final Formula One appearance came at his home Swedish Grand Prix in 1974, after which he stepped away from the championship.
Death
Wisell later lived in Thailand. He died suddenly at his home there on 20 March 2022, aged 80.
His Formula One career may have been relatively brief, but Wisell owns a distinction many drivers never achieve: a podium on his World Championship debut, making that afternoon at Watkins Glen the defining moment of his Grand Prix story.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Gold Leaf Team Lotus | Lotus 72C | Cosworth V8 | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA 3 | MEX NC | 16th | 4 | ||
| 1971 | Gold Leaf Team Lotus | Lotus 72C | Cosworth V8 | RSA 4 | ESP NC | MON Ret | 12th | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Lotus 72D | NED DSQ | FRA 6 | GER 8 | AUT 4 | ITA | CAN 5 | USA Ret | |||||||||||||
| Lotus 56B | Pratt & Whitney Turbine | GBR NC | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1972 | Marlboro BRM | BRM P153 | BRM V12 | ARG Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| BRM P160B | RSA | ESP Ret | MON Ret | BEL | FRA Ret | GBR | ||||||||||||||
| BRM P160C | GER Ret | AUT | ITA 12 | |||||||||||||||||
| John Player Team Lotus | Lotus 72D | Cosworth V8 | CAN Ret | USA 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1973 | Team Pierre Robert | March 731 | Cosworth V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE DNS | NC | 0 | ||||||||
| Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie-Durlacher | FRA Ret | GBR | NED | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | ||||||||||||
| 1974 | March Engineering | March 741 | Cosworth V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE Ret | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | NC | 0 |
