 Kinnunen in 1966 | |
| Born | 5 August 1943 Tampere, Finland |
|---|---|
| Died | 26 July 2017 (aged 73) Turku, Finland |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Active years | 1974 |
| Teams | AAW Racing Team (non-works Surtees) |
| Entries | 6 (1 start) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1974 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1974 Italian Grand Prix |
Leo Juhani "Leksa" Kinnunen (5 August 1943 – 26 July 2017)[1] was a Finnish racing driver, and the first Formula One driver from Finland.
Kinnunen won the Nordic Challenge Cup in 1969, the Interserie from 1971–1973, and helped Porsche to take the World Sportscar Championship for manufacturers in 1970 (drivers championships were not awarded until 1981). In 1974, he switched to Formula One, but in addition to the problems with the underpowered Surtees TS16, his team soon ran into financial problems. He was the last driver to compete in Formula One using an open-face helmet.[2]
- ^ Lempinen, Marko; Koivunen, Tommi (26 July 2017). "Ensimmäinen suomalainen F1-kuljettaja Leo Kinnunen on kuollut" [Finland's first F1 driver Leo Kinnunen is dead]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- ^ "Tiesitkö? Leo Kinnunen oli F1-historiassa lajinsa viimeinen – "Ihmiset olivat hulluja"". MTV. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2023.