Gerhard Berger: Formula 1 is in a special position

In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger spoke about life in retirement and the situation in the championship…

Question: How do you live now?
Gerard Berger: I spend a lot of time at home and I like it. I communicate with my family, I can sleep after lunch, we eat together.

I was involved in motorsport from a young age and still love racing. They used to take up all my time, now this is a bit lacking, but I spend this time with my family.

It’s a shame for me to complain. I saw the 80s and 90s in Formula 1, competed with the best, then headed BMW’s sports program, worked for Toro Rosso FIA and DTM. I am grateful to fate for this.

Sport is a good school of life, especially motorsport, where technology, politics and economics intersect. In other sports almost everything depends on talent and fitness, but in motorsport you have to be the best at everything to win. This is the Piranha Club, where the strongest survive. And if you are successful, then you are really worth something.

Q: You’ve worked with a lot of great people over the course of your career. Who was the most memorable?
Gerard Berger: In the 80s and 90s, Formula 1 was a meeting place for all kinds of characters. Some were willing to bet their entire fortunes on success, and some ended up in prison, while others risked their lives. Great time! Bernie Ecclestone conducted this orchestra with talent.

I grew up in a small village in Tyrol and was a truck mechanic, and a few years later I raced in Formula 1 for Ferrari. You couldn’t dream more!

While participating in the Alfasud Cup in Imola I saw Formula 1 cars for the first time, you can’t imagine how far away I was from that. I sat on the barrier at the Tosa corner, watched the Formula 1 drivers go through and told myself I could never do this. Then I specifically noticed Michele Alboreto driving a green Tyrrell car, and a few years later he became my teammate at Ferrari.

In 1981 I spent my first full season racing, but after that it was more of a hobby, and in 1984 I made my debut in Formula 1. We lost a lot. Stefan Bellof, Jo Gartner, Markus Winkelhock, Elio de Angelis, Roland Ratzenberger, Ayrton Senna. I also had serious accidents several times, but nothing happened.

Question: The team manager or driver looks at motorsport from the inside, and now you are on the outside. How differently is everything perceived from the outside?
Gerard Berger: Looking back, I realize I didn’t appreciate that time enough. It was necessary to enjoy victories and celebrate successes more.

Keke Rosberg once told me on the way to the podium: “We rarely experience this kind of fun, and when the opportunity arises, we have to take it.” We didn’t win as often as the real talents: Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton and Verstappen.

Question: How do you assess the current level of motorsport?
Gerard Berger: The situation is difficult, but Formula 1 is in a special position. This is a combination of top sport and spectacular spectacle. Technical nuances – hybrid power plant, electric, hydrogen – should not play a decisive role. It is important to captivate fans and increase their numbers. Full stands are proof that everything is going well.

The rest of motorsport suffers from the urge to give in to society. But first of all, the technologies of the future have not yet been determined. Secondly, it is already clear that electric motors in their pure form are not suitable for sports.

Motorsport is no longer a testing ground for manufacturers. Today, simulators and bench tests are the most important for Formula 1 teams; drivers no longer have to travel long distances during testing to make the cars reliable. Last year, Red Bull had no disruptions at all during the season. In my time this was unthinkable.

Question: How do you assess Max Verstappen’s unprecedented dominance. Is he already at the level of Senna and Schumacher?
Gerard Berger: Not an easy question. I performed at the same time as Senna and always put him first. But how do you evaluate the rest? Naturally based on facts and figures. Then Schumacher should be the first. But in the case of Verstappen I don’t really understand whether my old rating scale works.

Last season Max made no mistakes at all, but Ayrton sometimes made mistakes. Senna and Schumacher were active kart drivers in their time. Verstappen now trains constantly on the simulator, sometimes up to three races a day. He lives for it. He has tested all overtaking options on all circuits in the simulator and knows exactly in which corners he can and cannot overtake. Senna, Schumacher or Hamilton had no such tools.

Now it is clear that Max always takes the optimal position on the track – at the start, in the first corner, in the fight for position. And I can’t imagine how the ride could be any better. Apparently Verstappen is the best we have seen in Formula 1.

Question: Do you think anyone can challenge Red Bull this year?
Gerard Berger: They have set the bar very high. If they can perform at the same level, it will be difficult for their opponents. They need some extraordinary solutions to reach the same level, but we’ll see. Perhaps something will come of it for Ferrari, Mercedes and Hamilton should not be underestimated, and McLaren is also doing well.