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F1'S GREATEST DRIVERS - AUTOSPORT persuaded 217 world championship Formula 1 heroes to vote for the all-time greates driver
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A veteran of 210 grands prix over 14 seasons, Gerhard Berger had the potential to be the fastest driver in F1 on his day. He scored the first and last of his 10 wins for Benetton in two spells with the team, punctuated by stints at two of F1's greatest teams: Ferrari and McLaren.
Competing with the likes of Mansell, Prost and Senna during that time, he was always likely to be on a hiding to nothing.
His maiden win, at the 1986 Mexican GP, owed as much to clever strategy as it did to his speed, but Berger's 10th and final triumph, in the 1997 German GP at Hockenheim, may go down as his greatest F1 performance. Facing the sack, suffering the after effects of a sinus operation, and dealing with the recent death of his father, Berger took pole, cut fastest lap and dominated the race.
The warm reaction of the paddock said everything about how highly this good-humoured Austrian was regarded within the circles of the sport.
STATISTICS
| Born | 27 Aug 1959 |
| Age | 65 |
| Active years | 1984 - 1997 |
| Best | 3rd (1988, 1994) |
| Starts | 210 |
| Wins | 10 |
| Podiums | 48 |
| Poles | 12 |
| Front row | 32 |
| Fastest laps | 21 |
| Races led | 33 |
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