Gerhard Berger on Vettel’s “Winning Chances Ahead”

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Gerhard Berger has closely followed Sebastian Vettel’s rise from talent to superstar. In an interview with our cooperation partner ‘FOCUS Online’, he explains how he thinks about the upcoming change from Vettel to Aston Martin.

Berger, a former Ferrari driver, also talks about what, in his opinion, is failing at Ferrari and the chances that Mick Schumacher can calculate for a regular position in Formula 1 in 2021.

Berger, active as a Formula 1 driver between 1984 and 1997 and a ten-time Grand Prix winner, was the team leader at the command post in 2008 when Vettel achieved his first Formula 1 victory for Toro Rosso at Monza.

The 61-year-old has been the first president of the ITR and therefore the head of the DTM series since 2017. But he still has the Formula 1 race and Vettel on his mind today.

Question: “Mr. Berger, how would you describe your relationship with Sebastian Vettel: sponsor, confidant, friend?”
Gerhard Berger: “It’s a mix. I know him very well and for a long time, he’s also a friend. Usually we only see each other in races, but we have common interests, like classic cars, and very often a good foundation for racing. discussions because we are really fans of cars. “

Question: “How did the first contact come about?”
Berger: “The first person who called my attention to Sebastian was Michael Schumacher. Besides Formula 1, he always drove kart races.”

“I once asked him, ‘Are you the fastest there?’ He replied, ‘There is a casual German who is incredibly nice. You see: he will be very good. His name is Sebastian Vettel, you have to see him.’

“A short time later he was on a kart track, Sebastian was twelve or 13. Since then I have been following him through Formula BMW, then I took him to my team at Toro Rosso where he raced in Formula for the first time in 2008 at Monza. -1 race “.

How Berger thinks about Aston Martin

Question: “A few weeks ago you advised Vettel to leave Formula 1. What do you think of his decision to continue his career at Aston Martin, more opportunities or more risk?”
Berger: “Aston Martin was the only chance he had. A four-time world champion with the image of Sebastian Vettel usually has to drive for Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull.”

“After the doors of Red Bull and Mercedes were closed and the situation at Ferrari is as it is, it was almost totally recommendable: four times world champion, a wonderful race, one of the best of all time, do something different” .

“Although it has to be said: Racing Point is the only team that otherwise still has a chance to win in the future, especially if Sebastian is in the car.”

“And because Racing Point is becoming Aston Martin and Aston Martin is one of the best sports car brands, the package is good enough for Sebastian. If you feel the need to keep driving, it is the right solution.”

Is Vettel still “fully involved” at age 33?

Question: “You described Vettel as a ‘stroke of luck and the best possible solution for Aston Martin’, you believe in victories, but not in a world title. Was it related to the circumstances or also to Vettel’s driving ability?”
Berger: “Just the circumstances. Aston Martin cannot be expected to be a serious title contender for years to come.”

“But I think you can win without another race. Let’s take a look at Monza: if a Lance Stroll made the podium, Sebastian, as a four-time world champion, of course would have come out of the car even more.”

Question: “So Vettel is 33 years old and not above his zenith?”
Berger: “Of course he is no longer the young spur, but he has a lot of experience.”

Question: “In another era Vettel got along better with star designer Adrian Newey’s Red Bull cars. Naturally aspirated V8 engines, burned out diffuser, none of them were stronger. Thesis: With the 2014 V6 turbo hybrid he could never do it himself make friends completely, and that’s why it’s not as good as it used to be. Do you want to go with me? “
Berger: “No, I wouldn’t. It was a pretty tough fight at Red Bull with Daniel Ricciardo as a teammate.”

“Sebastian is someone who performs too much when he is, let’s say, the only center of a team in which everything revolves”.

“Where Sebastian repeatedly showed his weaknesses: when he had a teammate who annoyed him. Then he also made mistakes.”

“But the bottom line is that Sebastian is a four-time world champion. You can become a world champion once under certain circumstances. But you can only become one four times if you have exceptional talent.”

Ferrari crisis in Formula 1

Question: “At the 1,000 Grand Prix, Ferrari is in what is perhaps the biggest crisis in its Formula 1 history. There is a lot of talk about team boss Mattia Binotto, the lack of structures and, that was also heard, too many Italians in the team. They have also done it in Maranello. Jean Todt experienced, with whom everything improved in the 1990s, according to legend. Can you explain what is happening at Ferrari today? “
Berger: “One of Ferrari’s wishes is always to become world champion with an Italian team. Formula 1 is too difficult to be limited to Italy.”

“You have to find the best people in the world for key positions. In the end, success will always be an Italian success, because Ferrari is Italian, but in key positions it doesn’t matter which nationalities make the decisions.” to have.”

Question: “Like in Schumi’s golden age?”
Berger: “Unter Luca di Montezemolo [als Ferrari-Präsident von 1991 bis 2014] National pride was not considered in the selection. Ross Brawn – English. Rory Byrne, Best Engineer – South African. Michael Schumacher, best driver – German. Jean Todt, best team manager – French. Ferrari brought the best people from everywhere. “

“Now they have gone back to trying to dominate everything in Italian hands and, in my opinion, they have made the mistake of entrusting Binotto with all the tasks.”

“Politics, driver management, technology, you have to do everything, in charge everywhere. It doesn’t work with just one person. At Mercedes and Red Bull there are three or four people who take on different responsibilities. That is currently a weakness at Ferrari.” .

The weak engine situation at Ferrari

Question: “And what else?”
Berger: “At the end of 2019, it was discovered that Ferrari had not operated according to the rules on the engine side. After the FIA ​​correction, all Ferrari-powered vehicles were noted to slow down by one second, including Alfa Romeo and Haas “.

“Ferrari is currently struggling to make up for the time when it performed well with a car that did not conform to the rules, but did not make any significant development.”

Question: “Which will not stabilize in the short term.”
Berger: “The crux of the story is: Ferrari will definitely take a step forward in 2021. However, to catch up in the fight for the world championship, it takes a bunch of good new people. To get them, get them out of their contracts, install them. … that usually takes three years. “

Question: In addition to Vettel, Mick Schumacher could even lead a second German in Formula 1 in 2021. As in Formula 4 and Formula 3, Michael Schumacher’s son has vastly improved in his second year of Formula 2: first win at Monza , a contender for the title. Do you see Mick ready for Formula 1?
Berger: “Yes now.”

“The discussion about having Mick in Formula 1 started in 2019. In my opinion, that would have been a year too early. Now is the time. I like when someone is oriented in the first year and aims for the championship in the second year or maybe even win. “

“One goal is to win the day. The other, much more difficult goal is to win championships. It is important that young people stay in a racing class until they are really ready for a championship.”

“That is why the steps Mick is taking are all understandable and correct. Now he might as well venture into Formula 1 next year.”

Question: “Mick Schumacher is a Ferrari Junior. If you were the team leader of the Ferrari, Alfa Romeo or Haas client teams, what would you do?”
Berger: “I would take it. Mick has delivered and, through his family, he knows what obstacles you have to overcome in racing to get to the top.”

“He deserved a chance. Everyone will support the issue, also out of respect for his father. And everyone would be happy if they saw that Mick had a fair chance.”

Note: This article first appeared on FOCUS Online on September 11, 2020. You can find the original version from our contributing partner here!