Keke Rosberg | |
|---|---|
 Rosberg at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix | |
| Born | Keijo Erik Rosberg 6 December 1948 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Spouse |
Sina Gleitsmann-Dengel
(m. 1983) |
| Children | Nico Rosberg |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Active years | 1978–1986 |
| Teams | Theodore, ATS, Wolf, Fittipaldi, Williams, McLaren |
| Engines | Ford, Honda, TAG |
| Entries | 128 (114 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (1982) |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 17 |
| Career points | 159.5 |
| Pole positions | 5 |
| Fastest laps | 3 |
| First entry | 1978 South African Grand Prix |
| First win | 1982 Swiss Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1985 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1986 Australian Grand Prix |
Keijo Erik "Keke" Rosberg (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkeke ˈruːsbæri] ; born 6 December 1948) is a Finnish former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1978 to 1986. Rosberg won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1982 with Williams, and won five Grands Prix across nine seasons.
Born in Sweden and raised in Finland, Rosberg started his racing career in karting before graduating to Formula Vee in 1972. Upon winning Finnish Championship the following year, Rosberg progressed to Formula Super Vee, where he won the German Championship in 1975. He then moved to European Formula Two, competing from 1976 to 1979. Aged 29, Rosberg made his Formula One debut for Theodore at the 1978 South African Grand Prix. Despite failing to score points for the remainder of the 1978 season with Theodore and ATS, Rosberg won the non-championship BRDC International Trophy with the former in only his second Formula One appearance. Rosberg returned in 1979 with Wolf, replacing the retired James Hunt from the French Grand Prix onwards. After another non-classified championship finish, Rosberg signed for Fittipaldi in 1980 to partner Emerson Fittipaldi, scoring his maiden points finish and Grand Prix podium on debut.
After two years with Fittipaldi, Rosberg signed for Williams in 1982. Although only winning one race in his first season with the team—at the Swiss Grand Prix—Rosberg's six podium finishes saw him clinch the World Drivers' Championship at the final race of the season, becoming the first Finnish Formula One World Champion. Rosberg was unable to defend his title in 1983 as Williams struggled to adapt to the turbo era, despite winning the Monaco Grand Prix and the final non-championship Race of Champions. He took further wins for Williams at the Dallas Grand Prix in 1984, and the Detroit and Australian Grands Prix in 1985, finishing third in the latter championship. Moving to reigning champions McLaren in 1985 to partner Alain Prost, Rosberg was unable to win all year as his teammate took the title, retiring at the end of the season. Outside of Formula One, Rosberg achieved multiple race wins in the World Sportscar Championship with Peugeot from 1990 to 1991, and was a race-winner in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, competing from 1992 to 1995.
Since retiring from motor racing, Rosberg has moved into driver management, formerly managing two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner JJ Lehto and two-time Formula One World Champion Mika Häkkinen. He also coached and managed his son Nico from karting at an early age to winning the World Drivers' Championship in 2016. Since 1994, he has owned and managed Team Rosberg, leading them to championships in German Formula Three, Formula BMW, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, and Extreme E.