Gerhard Berger: I raced in F1 during the golden era.

      Gerhard Berger raced for five different teams during his Formula 1 career, including Ferrari and McLaren, but he achieved his first and last of his ten victories behind the wheel of Benetton cars. This year marks 40 years since he first stood atop the podium – it was on October 12, 1986, at the Mexican Grand Prix, and now Berger was one of the most important guests at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Today, the 66-year-old Austrian once again took the wheel of the very same Benetton B186 with a BMW engine, in which he won his first Formula 1 race, and he drove it up to the mansion of Charles Gordon-Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond, the founder of the festival at Goodwood, where his appearance on the balcony was met with a genuine ovation from the crowd. Gerhard Berger: "This is my first time at this Festival of Speed, but I have participated in Goodwood Revival, another motorsport celebration that takes place here, many times. It just so happened that I have been involved in that festival almost since its inception. But this year Charles called me and invited me to celebrate the 40th anniversary of my first victory. And I can only repeat that the festival at Goodwood is simply the best! If we recall events from 40 years ago, we inevitably have to compare different generations, but I believe I raced in Formula 1 during the golden era. The BMW turbo engine in my Benetton produced 1000 hp – I think that level of power has not been achieved to this day, considering that those cars had no electronics limiting wheel spin – it was pure power! At the same time, one hand was on the steering wheel, while the other was constantly on the gear lever, as those engines operated effectively in a very narrow RPM range. Overall, it was real, 'hardcore' motorsport; we drove very fast and powerful cars, but it was also a wonderful time, remembering the drivers who competed in Formula 1 back then. Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna – there were many champions, and the more I recall that era, the more I feel it was special and unique. For example, once I received a call from Ferrari saying I had to come to Maranello because Enzo Ferrari wanted to see me. I became the last driver with whom he personally signed a contract. This story still seems amazing to me, and even more so back then... Then I moved from Ferrari to McLaren, where I became Ayrton Senna's teammate, but at that time, I didn't even think about the difficulties that could be associated with it. If I had thought about it, I probably wouldn't have accepted that challenge! (laughs) We had a great relationship; we became close friends and spent a lot of time together, but he was characterized by incredible determination, and I still believe he is the best driver in the history of Formula 1. Together we had a lot of fun and did completely crazy things – fortunately, there wasn't the kind of press then that there is now, so we could afford to push the boundaries a bit! It just so happened that in 1986 I secured the very first victory for Benetton, and I also achieved the very last victory in a car from this team – that was in 1997 at Hockenheim. It's a glorious story in its own right, and just the other day I was invited to Rome for the Benetton presentation – that was when I remembered that I achieved both the first and the last victory for this brand!"