This week’s featured driver is one of the fastest drivers of his time. He raced for no less than 14 seasons and although twice finishing 3rd in the Championship, he actually never managed to win one. Still, very well respected with 48 podium finishes and 21 fastest laps. He was team mates to drivers such as Ayrton Senna and drove for teams such as Benetton, McLaren and Ferrari.

Wishing him many happy returns on his birthday on August 27th. This is his story.

Gerhard Berger Ferrari s

Born In Austria on August 27th 1959, he was a multiple race winner in the European Formula Three and eventually moved up to Formula One in 1984 driving for ATS. After just one season of racing his career (and his life) almost came to an end when he suffered a terrible road accident resulting in a broken neck and many damaged bones in his back. Fortunately, he made a full recovery and returned to the track soon after driving for the Arrows team in 1985, although this was a season he rather forgets as he only scored 3 points and ended 20th overall at the end on 1985.

Needless to say he left the team and joined Benetton in 1986 where he was more successful with his first win in Mexico with the team. He was fast. Very fast as he even managed to record the fastest speed trap of the season!

Ferrari is where every driver dreams of driving for and his dream was realized in 1987 where he partnered Michele Alboreto and worked hard to get the best out of the cars towards the end of the season. He enjoyed great battles with Mansell and Prost. The following year was another struggle in a car with issues and some bad luck meant no Championship win for him. In his third year with Ferrari he had a new team mate, Nigel Mansell. That only made him more eager and his battles became more ambitious and eventually he ended in the wall and flames at the Imola and was lucky to escape death or serious injury.

Time for a change and this time he was team mates with Senna at McLaren in 1990 and he stayed till 1992 with a good chance of winning the Championship. He had proven himself before by out qualifying his team mates repeatedly, but this time he out qualified Ayrton Senna at USA Grand Prix and sat at pole for the race. After all his work and efforts, he failed to win a race during the season when Senna won the Championship for the second time. Different story in 1992 where he finished just one point behind Senna. He did win his last race with McLaren before leaving them for a very lucrative offer from Ferrari this time partnering Niki Lauda. Not a good season for him with plenty of spectacular incidents and accidents, which again, he was lucky to walk away from. The following year, he had to deal with the deaths of Senna and Ratzenberger, but he came through and won and emotional race for Ferrari at Hockenheim. After another year with them, he returned to Benetton where he drove as fast as he could and brought the excitement of overtaking with him. After he decided the retire he was offered drives with other teams, where he refused.

Well know for his practical jokes, he had a great relationship with Ayrton Senna as well as Ron Dennis.

After his retirement from the sport, hugely popular figure in Formula One, Berger was up until 2003 regularly seen in the pitlane in his new capacity as Competitions Director at BMW, overseeing their successful return to Formula One in 2000.

His other exploits include Group A Touring cars which he enjoyed and won the Spa 24 hour in 1985 in the famous BMW 635 CSI.

Between 2006 and 2008 Berger owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team.

In 2012 he was appointed President of the FIA Single Seat Commission.

Books on Gerhard Berger here.

Tribute video here.

His 1983 qualifying crash here.

Another nice mix here.

Click images to enlarge,

More featured drivers here.