Gerhard Berger: Ferrari is missing killer instinct

The official Australian Grand Prix podcast In the Fast Lane has released this week’s episode with 10-time Grand Prix winner, Gerhard Berger.

Berger joined In the Fast Lane co-hosts Matt Clayton and Michael Lamonato to reflect on his 14-year Formula 1® career, shares memories of his time at Ferrari and McLaren and reminisces about his two victories in Australia.

Berger discusses the struggles of his former team Ferrari and how he believes the kind nature of the Italians forms a major part of the problem.

“What is super nice, what gives you a great atmosphere, sometimes misses the killer instinct. Two guys were capable to use the Ferrari and turn it into a winning team, that was Niki Lauder and that was Michael Schumacher,” Berger said.

“When the Italians are all together just by themselves sometimes, they like to fall into a comfort zone. As lovely as they are, I think it’s always good to have in a team a mixture of cultures, a mixture of different countries and someone on top who is capable to manage this.”

Berger then looks to McLaren, another team fighting its way back to the top, and comments on the impact he believes Daniel Ricciardo will have on the team.

“I think for Daniel it was exactly the right choice, this team needs one young driver as they have, very strong as we saw this weekend. And on the other side, one experienced driver who has proved already he can win races,” Berger said.

“It’s the perfect combination, at the top of it is Daniel, always loving, always being friends, always giving a good atmosphere that’s going to be very helpful also for the team.”

The podcast is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts platforms.