Gerhard Berger: "The culture of Formula 1 is European, it shouldn't be changed"

Gerhard Berger: “The culture of Formula 1 is European, it shouldn’t be changed”. Gerhard Berger on the culture of Formula 1.

Formula 1 and the United States
This year’s Miami Grand Prix – and the upcoming races in Austin and Las Vegas – have once again highlighted the popularity Formula 1 has achieved in the United States, a nation where the sport has often failed in the past to create excitement and enthusiasm for the audience. This difference has been noticed by many, starting with those who, during the darkest years of Formula 1 in America, were involved as drivers, just like Gerhard Berger. The Austrian, now 63 years old and on the track in the ’80s and ’90s, including six years for the Maranello team (between 1987 – 1989 and between 1993 – 1995) spoke in an interview for Servus TV to point out what surprised him the most during the race weekend in Florida.

The differences between then and now
A show, both on and off the track, incomparable to what he experienced firsthand driving for McLaren and Ferrari, just to mention a few of the teams Gerhard Berger raced for in his long career: “We drove in America, but we couldn’t create passion there,” explained the winner of ten Grand Prix races. “There was a hardcore group of fans with about 30,000 spectators. In Miami, on the other hand, there were 300,000, and Austin is expecting even 400,000.” – the Austrian pointed out.

The Liberty Media operation
An ‘American revolution’ which has been made possible also thanks to the interventions carried out by the American company Liberty Media, the owner of Formula 1 since 2017, which has helped make it one of the most beloved sports categories in recent years by the American audience: “Now, with Liberty Media at the helm, we have finally managed to bring America closer to Formula 1, and I’m happy for the sport,” added Gerhard Berger, who harbors a specific hope.

The European style
Like many current drivers and fans, Gerhard Berger didn’t fully appreciate the pre-race show that took place in Miami, with the presentation of each competitor before the start: “Formula 1 fundamentally has a European culture, and it shouldn’t be changed,” he concluded. “Personally, I don’t like this pronounced show element from the Americans, including the Netflix documentary (‘Drive to Survive’), which sometimes waters down the whole thing a bit.”