A Ferrari Man
With 96 GPs raced in the red suit, Gerhard Berger is – like Fernando Alonso – the sixth driver with the most appearances for the Prancing Horse in the history of Formula 1. In Ferrari, Gerhard Berger won five races and achieved 24 podium finishes, reaching – at least statistically – the highest points of his career in the sport, with two third-place finishes in the World Championship standings in 1988 and 1994. The relationship between the Austrian and the Maranello team has always been one of affection and respect, and it doesn’t seem coincidental that, now that Scuderia Ferrari is going through a long and complicated rebuilding period, Gerhard Berger’s name was contacted to contribute to the process of bringing the Italian side back to the top.
“No, thank you”
The 63-year-old from Wörgl, who also managed the organization of DTM from 2017 until a couple of seasons ago, has revealed that he was directly approached by Ferrari to return to work with the Formula 1 team. Speaking with the newspaper Osterreich, Gerhard Berger admitted that “there were negotiations, in fact.”
However, the former #28 of the Scuderia turned down the offers coming from Italy, preferring to focus on his personal life: “I will say it very clearly,” commented Gerhard Berger, “I don’t want to do it anymore. I like being present as an observer and sharing my thoughts occasionally, but I don’t want to have this pressure and stress for the rest of my life. I am committed to my businesses and my children.” – he admitted.
The Toro Rosso Experience
Gerhard Berger knows well what it means to sit on the pit wall of a Formula 1 team. In February 2006, the Austrian acquired 50% of Scuderia Toro Rosso in a deal that saw Red Bull boss, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, acquire half of Berger Logistik, a road transport company founded by Berger’s father, Johann, in 1961. With Gerhard Berger at the helm, Toro Rosso – now AlphaTauri – won its first Grand Prix in history, with Sebastian Vettel at Monza in 2008. In the same year, in November, Gerhard Berger sold his share back to Dietrich Mateschitz.
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