(Motorsport-Total.com) – Gerhard Berger drove his last Formula 1 race almost three decades ago. However, the basic principle has never changed since then, because in the end, the driver who could stay on the gas longer than everyone else was rewarded – at least until now.
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“Until now, the parameters were similar to those in my time,” says Berger in an interview with the ‘Salzburger Nachrichten’. But with the new 2026 regulations, he now has problems “following the whole thing because it’s already such a quantum leap.”
“Now with all the electrical issues surrounding the internal combustion engine, where you lift off the gas earlier to get more power for the next straight – I find that very difficult,” confesses the now 66-year-old and reveals: “Something inside me resists that.”
“Not that I couldn’t deal with it,” Berger emphasizes. “But if lifting off the gas earlier is rewarded, then I find it difficult. That contradicts my love for classic motorsport,” explains the ten-time Grand Prix winner.
In addition, “the constant over-regulation” is a thorn in his side. “And that is done at a table where people sit who don’t have that spirit for motorsport,” he says, but also makes it clear: “But I’m also happy to be surprised.”
Berger: Whoever was fast back then would also win today
So the Austrian definitely wants to give the new regulations a chance. But even apart from the new rules, Formula 1 has “changed a lot” in some respects since his active time, he reveals and explains: “I like to compare it to watchmakers.”
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“They tinker around for a long time and somewhere there’s still a tenth to be found. In my time it was more rustic. You couldn’t even see exactly where your teammate found the time. Was it at the beginning or the end of the corner?” he explains.
“You might have been able to see a little bit here and there on the telemetry, but no more. You went out and said: Now I have to find a second. Today everything is very transparent,” says Berger.
“The balance between driver and engineer is equalized. The whole thing has changed a lot. But I would still say that whoever won in my time would also win today, and vice versa,” he says.
Berger competed in Formula 1 between 1984 and 1997. During this time, he drove for Benetton, Ferrari, and McLaren, among others, and achieved a total of 48 podium finishes, including ten victories.