15 November in Ferrari history: Gerhard Berger’s Adelaide victory

On 15 November 1987, Gerhard Berger won the Australian Grand Prix on Adelaide’s street circuit. The season finale eventually became a Ferrari one-two in the official classification, with Michele Alboreto promoted to second after Ayrton Senna was disqualified.

Berger ends the season with another victory

Berger started from pole position and led all 82 laps. His Adelaide success followed victory in the previous round in Japan, giving Ferrari consecutive wins at the end of the 1987 championship.

For Berger, the result completed a particularly strong conclusion to the season. For Ferrari, it provided another demonstration of winning form before the winter break.

Why Alboreto became the official runner-up

Alboreto finished third on the road, behind Berger and Senna. However, Senna’s Lotus was subsequently disqualified because of illegal brake ducts, moving Alboreto into second place and Thierry Boutsen into third.

The distinction matters when describing this anniversary: Ferrari secured an official one-two, but its drivers did not cross the finish line in first and second positions.

Adelaide therefore combines a commanding Berger victory with a result changed by post-race scrutiny. Explore more historical results through our Formula 1 statistics and the Ferrari On This Day calendar.