page_title: Formula One drivers from Switzerland
section_title: Former drivers
hierarchical_section_title: Formula One drivers from Switzerland / Former drivers
caption_attribution_description: Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi (2010 Montreal GP)
context_page_description: As of 2020, there have been 32 drivers from Switzerland who have entered Formula One World Championship Grands Prix motor races, with 22 of them having started a race.
context_section_description: Switzerland's first Formula One driver was Emmanuel 'Toulo' de Graffenried who participated in 23 Grands Prix making his debut at the first Formula One Championship Grand Prix. His career spaned the first 7 seasons of Formula One. He managed to score points in 4 races with a best result of 4th in the 1953 Belgian Grand Prix.
  Toni Branca made his debut in his home Grand Prix of 1950, finishing 11th. He also competed in the 1950 Belgian Grand Prix and the 1951 German Grand Prix, finishing 10th in the former and retiring with engine failure in the latter. 
  Rudi Fischer was the first Swiss driver to reach the podium in Formula One. Despite only starting 7 Grands Prix he made the podium twice; with 2nd in Switzerland and 3rd in Germany, both in 1952. Those were his only points finishes.
  Switzerland's next driver was Peter Hirt. He entered five races in the early 1950s, culminating in three retirements, a 7th place and an 11th-place finish.
  Rudolf Schoeller participated in one race; the 1952 German Grand Prix, he retired on lap three with suspension issues.
  Max de Terra entered his home Grands Prix of 1952 and 1953, he retired from the former and finished 8th in the latter.
  Albert Scherrer also only entered one race, the 1953 Swiss Grand Prix, he finished 16 laps down and unclassified in his customer HWM.
  A lawyer by trade, Ottorino Volonterio entered three Grands Prix between 1954 and 1957. His best result was 11th in the 1957 Italian Grand Prix, a drive he shared with Frenchman André Simon.
  Michael May started two races in the 1961 season. He retired in Monaco after 42 laps with oil feeder issues and managed an 11th-place finish in France, albeit four laps down.
  Car salesman Peter Monteverdi is credited with an entry to the 1961 German Grand Prix, however withdrew before the event. He later went on to purchase Onyx Grand Prix in 1990, a deal that lasted 10 races before the team collapsed.
  Former speedboat racer Heinz Schiller made his debut at the 1962 German Grand Prix. He retired after four laps, and only went on to compete in Non-Championship races after that.
  Heini Walter also made his sole appearance at the 1962 German Grand Prix. He finished 14th and one lap down.
  Switzerland's first Grand Prix winner was Jo Siffert. In a career spanning 10 seasons he won two races (Britain 1968 and Austria 1971) from 96 starts, with a best championship finish of 5th in 1971. His life was cut short following an accident at the non-championship Victory Race in October 1971.
  Jean-Claude Rudaz entered one race, the 1964 Italian Grand Prix. His engine blew up in the warm-up and as a result he failed to make the grid.
  Silvio Moser entered 24 races between 1966 and 1971, starting 12 times. He scored points twice and only finished on three other occasions.
  Debuting for Ferrari in 1970, Clay Regazzoni made an instant impact in Formula One winning in Italy and finishing the year in third place. Switzerland's most successful racer managed 11 seasons in F1 in teams such as Ferrari, Williams and BRM, alongside drivers such as Niki Lauda and Alan Jones. He won five races and finished second in the 1974 Drivers' Championship, three points shy of Emerson Fittipaldi.
  Jo Vonlanthen's sole Grand Prix start came at Austria 1975, but only lasted 14 laps before his engine expired. His entry was at Wilson Fittipaldi's expense.
  Loris Kessel competed in six races in 1976 and 1977. He failed to qualify for half and was only a classified finisher in one: the 1976 Belgian Grand Prix. He later ran a privateer GT3 team.
  Marc Surer's debut was somewhat troubled. After completing the final three races of 1979 for Ensign (only making the grid once), he'd entered just two in 1980 before breaking his legs at Kyalami. Following his recovery, he began a career as one of Formula One's perennial midfielders. He scored points in 11 of the 82 races he started including a best of fourth in the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix (incl. fastest lap) and 1985 Italian Grand Prix.
  Franco Forini entered three races in 1987 for Osella, he retired from the first two and failed to qualify for 
caption: Buemi driving for Toro Rosso at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix
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