Hardly anyone has experienced all facets of motorsport like Gerhard Berger. In the video interview with auto motor und sport, the Austrian talks about his time after his active racing career: at BMW, Toro Rosso, the FIA and the DTM.
Gerhard Berger knows motorsport inside and out. He drove 210 Grands Prix in Formula 1 and won ten of them. The interview with auto motor und sport is about his career after his career. After retiring in 1997, Berger worked as motorsport director at BMW. He became co-owner of Toro Rosso. He put himself in the service of the FIA. And he managed the DTM until it was sold to the ADAC.
With his great knowledge, Berger is the ideal person to talk to. He is networked and can therefore also comment on current events in Formula 1. In the video interview, the Austrian reveals why he admires Fernando Alonso. He explains why he missed a clear positioning with Sebastian Vettel in the last few years of his Formula 1 career. And he names three drivers to whom he believes the future belongs. For Berger, these are George Russell, Lando Norris and Nyck de Vries. He had already watched the Dutchman closely when he was karting.
Ex-racing driver and motorsport specialist
As motorsport director, Berger witnessed BMW's Le Mans victory in 1999. He describes the barriers in the relationship between BMW and Williams in Formula 1 - and why he left the Munich group after six years. Berger's commitment to Toro Rosso was also a gesture of friendship to Dietrich Mateschitz.
His departure also had something to do with the Red Bull owner who died in 2022. Berger left the racing team for fear that the friendship could suffer because of the reporting. "We were doing better than Red Bull in 2008. That was a hit for the press. Headlines were created that were unfair to Red Bull. A political issue emerged that was bad and unhealthy."
For the FIA, Berger rearranged the pyramid towards Formula 1. Ex-FIA President Jean Todt had brought him there. As head of the DTM, Berger tried to save touring car racing in Germany. He had to switch the series to GT3 cars to ensure survival. After the 2022 season, the DTM was sold to the ADAC. Gerhard Berger is now stepping back. The 63-year-old explains his motives in an interview.
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