Gerhard Berger facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gerhard Berger
Berger at the 1991 United States Grand Prix
Born	(1959-08-27) 27 August 1959 (age 65) Wörgl, Tyrol, Austria
Spouse(s)	Ana Corvo ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 2013)​
Children	5
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Austrian
Active years	1984–1997
Teams	ATS, Arrows, Benetton, Ferrari, McLaren
Entries	210
Championships	0
Wins	10
Podiums	48
Career points	385
Pole positions	12
Fastest laps	21
First entry	1984 Austrian Grand Prix
First win	1986 Mexican Grand Prix
Last win	1997 German Grand Prix
Last entry	1997 European Grand Prix

Gerhard Berger (born 27 August 1959) is an Austrian former racing driver and a leader in motorsport. He competed in Formula One races from 1984 to 1997.

Berger won 10 Formula One Grands Prix during his 14 seasons. He finished third overall in the championship twice, in 1988 and 1994, while racing for Ferrari. With 210 starts, Berger is one of the most experienced Formula One drivers ever.

His first and last wins were also the first and last for the Benetton team, with 11 years between them. He also won races with Ferrari and McLaren. At McLaren, Berger raced alongside the famous Ayrton Senna. He helped the team win the constructors' titles in 1990 and 1991. Berger retired in 1997 with 10 wins, 12 pole positions, 21 fastest laps, and 48 podium finishes.

After retiring from racing, Berger returned to Formula One in 2006. He became a co-owner of Toro Rosso. He later sold his share back to Red Bull at the end of the 2008 season.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Racing

Berger during practice for the 1985 European Grand Prix

Gerhard Berger was born in Wörgl, Austria. His father owned a truck company, and Gerhard worked there, eventually becoming a driver. Berger was a multiple race winner in European Formula Three. He then moved up to Formula One in 1984, driving for the ATS team.

Soon after starting in Formula One, Berger was in a serious car accident. He was driving home when his car was hit and went off a cliff. Luckily, he was thrown clear of the car. Two surgeons specializing in back injuries happened to be the first on the scene. They realized how badly he was hurt (a broken neck and back bones). They made sure he wasn't moved until special equipment arrived. After surgery and a hospital stay, he made a full recovery.

In 1985, Berger raced a full season for Arrows. Both he and his teammate Thierry Boutsen struggled with their car, the Arrows A8. It wasn't the best car, even with its powerful BMW engine. Berger finished the season in 20th place, scoring 3 points.

Berger driving for Benetton at the 1986 Detroit Grand Prix

His Formula One career really took off when he joined Benetton in 1986. He finally had a car that let him show his talent and use the amazing power of the BMW turbo engine. With a smart tire strategy, Berger won his first Grand Prix in Mexico in the Benetton B186. He was also leading his home race in Austria before a flat battery forced him to stop. Berger showed he was a very fast driver that year, reaching an incredible speed of 351.22 km/h (218.23 mph) at the Italian Grand Prix. This is still the fastest speed reached by a turbocharged car in that era.

During this time, Berger also raced in Group A touring car races. He drove for the German Schnitzer BMW team. He won the 1985 Spa 24 Hours race with teammates Roberto Ravaglia and Marc Surer.

Back then, it was common for Grand Prix drivers to race in other types of cars. However, by 1985, Formula One rules meant drivers couldn't race in other categories within 24 hours of a Grand Prix. At the last race of 1985 in Australia, Berger had to get special permission to race in a touring car support race. He qualified second but his race ended early after just 3 laps.

Racing for Ferrari

For the 1987 season, Berger joined Ferrari, racing alongside Michele Alboreto. After some early mechanical problems, Berger became very strong in the second half of 1987. He won the last two races of the season. The 1987 Ferrari F1/87 car was much better, and Ferrari started competing for wins again. Berger was leading races in Portugal and Mexico but had to retire due to problems. His wins in Japan and Australia, including starting from pole position, gave Ferrari and Berger a lot of confidence for 1988. Berger's wins were Ferrari's first back-to-back victories since 1981.

Berger driving for Ferrari at the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix

In 1988, the McLaren team, with champions Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, dominated the season. They won 15 out of 16 races. Berger was the only driver to break McLaren's winning streak in 1988. He won the Italian Grand Prix after Senna had an accident. This was a very special win for Ferrari, as it happened just weeks after the death of Enzo Ferrari, the company's founder. Berger was also the only non-McLaren driver to get pole position in 1988, at the British Grand Prix.

The Ferrari car in 1988 had issues, especially with fuel use. This often forced Berger and Alboreto to drive slower to finish races. At the British Grand Prix, Berger led early but had to slow down so much that he finished ninth, running out of fuel on the last lap.

In the final race of 1988 in Australia, Berger was leading ahead of Prost and Senna. But he crashed with another driver, René Arnoux, while trying to pass him. Berger was faster than his teammate Alboreto in every qualifying session that year, which led to Alboreto leaving Ferrari.

In 1989, Nigel Mansell joined Berger at Ferrari. Their new car, the Ferrari 640, was fast but often broke down because of its new semi-automatic gearbox. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Berger crashed with Senna at the first corner. Berger was also very lucky to survive a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. He hit a wall at almost 180 mph, and his car caught fire. It took 16 seconds for rescue workers to put out the fire. He suffered burns to his hands and some broken ribs. Amazingly, he was back racing at the Mexican Grand Prix after missing only one race. Berger said this quick return was thanks to Ferrari's special semi-automatic gearbox.

Despite poor reliability, Berger finished second at the Italian Grand Prix. He then won the next race in Portugal and finished second in Spain. These were his only points for the year, but it was enough to place him 7th in the championship. It was announced that Alain Prost would join Ferrari, and Berger decided to move to McLaren, which was the fastest team at the time.

Time at McLaren

From 1990 to 1992, Berger raced with Ayrton Senna at McLaren. Everyone was excited because he had shown great skill at Benetton and Ferrari. A McLaren-Honda car seemed to give Berger a real chance at winning the world championship. He was often as fast as Senna in qualifying, but he rarely matched Senna's speed during races. He won three races during these three seasons. Senna even let him win the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix. Berger also won in Canada and Australia in 1992. During his time at McLaren, Berger got four pole positions and out-qualified Senna eight times.

Berger driving for McLaren at the 1991 United States Grand Prix

His start at McLaren was surprising, as he out-qualified Senna for pole position at the 1990 United States Grand Prix. Berger initially found the McLaren car a bit small for him. In 1990, Berger didn't win any races, while Senna won the championship.

Towards the end of 1991, Berger felt more comfortable in the McLaren MP4/6 car. He out-qualified Senna at several races, even getting pole position in Spain and Japan.

In 1992, Berger won the 1992 Canadian Grand Prix after passing Riccardo Patrese and his teammate Senna retired. At the 1992 Portuguese Grand Prix, Berger was involved in an incident with Patrese. Patrese's car went airborne after touching Berger's rear wheel. Berger then won the Australian Grand Prix for the second time. This was his last win for McLaren and McLaren's last win with Honda engines. Berger decided to return to Ferrari after getting a good offer.

Back to Ferrari

Berger driving a Ferrari at Montreal in 1995

Ayrton Senna and Niki Lauda convinced Berger to return to Ferrari in 1993. Lauda felt Berger's experience with Senna would be valuable. The Ferrari F93A car was hard to drive and didn't win any races that year. Berger's best result was third place in Hungary. He had several crashes, including one with Michael Andretti in Brazil and a dramatic impact in Portugal. At the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix, Berger showed his fighting spirit, trying to pass Damon Hill for second place but had to retire.

In 1994, Berger had to deal with the sad deaths of his close friend Senna and fellow Austrian Roland Ratzenberger at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. He then scored an emotional win at Hockenheim for the 1994 German Grand Prix in the Ferrari 412T. This was Ferrari's first win since 1990. Berger also got two pole positions in 1994. He was leading the final race in Australia but made a mistake, letting Nigel Mansell win.

In 1995, his final season with Ferrari, Berger achieved several podium finishes. He was in a position to win at the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix but stalled in the pits. He made a daring pass on Damon Hill in Canada, showing his strong racing skills. At Monza, both Ferrari drivers were fighting for the win when a camera from Jean Alesi's car fell off and damaged both cars, forcing them to retire. Berger and Alesi left Ferrari for Benetton at the end of the season.

Last Seasons with Benetton

With Michael Schumacher joining Ferrari in 1996, Berger moved back to Benetton. However, the team wasn't as competitive as in previous years. Berger spent his last two years in Formula One with the team he first drove for in 1986. 1996 was a tough season for him, as he didn't like how the Benetton B196 handled. He almost won the German Grand Prix again, but his engine broke down, giving the win to Damon Hill.

The Benetton B197 had a slow start to the 1997 season. But the team and Berger bounced back in Brazil, with Berger finishing second. Berger then scored Benetton's final Grand Prix victory at the age of 37, again at Hockenheim. This was after he had surgery for a sinus problem and his father passed away in a plane accident. Besides the win, Berger also got pole position and the fastest lap at the 1997 German Grand Prix. He announced he would leave Benetton at the end of that weekend. He retired at the end of the season, finishing a close fourth in his final race in Jerez.

Off-Track Fun

Berger and Senna's Pranks

During his years at McLaren (1990–1992), Berger became famous for his funny side. He loved playing jokes on his very serious and focused teammate, Ayrton Senna. Senna accepted the challenge, and with encouragement from team manager Ron Dennis, their pranks got bigger and bigger!

One story from Monza tells how Senna was showing off his new briefcase, made of super-strong carbon fiber. He told Berger it was "virtually indestructible." Berger then opened the helicopter door and threw the briefcase out, to Senna's shock! Berger just said he wanted to "innocently test the hypothesis."

Berger also told about events before the 1990 Australian Grand Prix. After dinner, people were throwing each other into the swimming pool, fully dressed. Berger escaped, but many got wet. Senna ran away to avoid it. Later, Berger went to Senna's room, and Senna threw a glass of water at him. Berger said, "For a Tyrolean, that was nothing, but it did mean that the game was now on." So, they used a hose from a fire extinguisher and put it under Senna's door at 3 AM. When they pushed the lever, Senna "flew out of the window like a rocket!" It looked like a bomb had exploded. The noise woke up many people, who started yelling at Senna for making so much noise. He was very embarrassed.

In an Australian hotel room, Berger filled Senna's bed with frogs. An angry Senna confronted Berger, who calmly asked, "Did you find the snake?" Senna got him back by putting strong-smelling French cheese in the air conditioning unit of Berger's room.

Another time, Senna and his friend Maurício Gugelmin filled Berger's shoes with shaving foam on a train ride to a dinner in Japan. Berger had to go to the fancy dinner wearing a tuxedo with running shoes! Senna also once superglued all of Berger's credit cards together.

The strong bond between Senna and Berger continued even after Senna's death in 1994. Berger later helped Bruno Senna, Ayrton's nephew, who also became a Formula One driver.

More Pranks

Berger's pranks didn't stop when he returned to Scuderia Ferrari in 1993. One day at the Fiorano Circuit, before the launch of the new F1 car, Berger and his new teammate, Jean Alesi, decided to take a nearby car for a spin. They didn't know it was team director Jean Todt's new special car. Berger thought Alesi was driving too carefully, so he pulled the handbrake. The car flipped over when they returned to the pits, skidding upside down very close to their new F1 car! Alesi had to go to the hospital. When Todt asked about his car, Berger admitted they had put some "slight curb marks on the roof."

After Racing

Gerhard Berger is a very popular person in Formula One. After retiring from racing, he became the Competitions Director at BMW until 2003. He helped BMW have a successful return to Formula One in 2000.

In 2004, 10 years after Ayrton Senna's death, Berger drove Senna's old JPS Lotus Renault 97T car for three laps at Imola before the start of the 2004 San Marino Grand Prix.

In 2006, he bought 50% of Scuderia Toro Rosso. His Toro Rosso team won their first Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel driving. He sold his share back to Red Bull in 2008.

In 2012, Berger became the President of the FIA Single Seat Commission, which oversees single-seater racing. He left this role in 2014. In 2017, Berger became chairman of ITR, which promotes the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters racing series.

Helmet Design

Berger's 1991 helmet

Berger's helmet usually had a blue design with yellow lines and light blue and white details near the visor. In 1986, he used a different design that matched the colors of his Benetton BMW car. In 1987, his helmet was dark grey-blue with the Austrian flag on the sides. For the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix, Berger wore a special helmet with flags from many nations. The top was painted like the Austrian flag, and it said "NO WAR IN THE WORLD" on the back. This special design was from a competition winner. In 1996, Berger changed his original design so the Austrian flag was horizontal.

Racing Record Summary

Images for kids

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  Berger at the 1991 United States Grand Prix

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  Berger during practice for the 1985 European Grand Prix

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  Berger driving for Benetton at the 1986 Detroit Grand Prix

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  Berger driving for Ferrari at the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix

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  Berger driving for McLaren at the 1991 United States Grand Prix

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  Berger driving a Ferrari at Montreal in 1995

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  Berger's 1991 helmet

See also

In Spanish: Gerhard Berger para niños