INTERVIEW: Gerhard Berger on his first win and brotherhood with Barry Sheene

That first victory came at the 1986 Mexican Grand Prix, the penultimate race of Berger’s second full season in F1 and his first with the newly rebranded Benetton team. And this success didn’t just put the vibrant Benetton outfit on the map; it cemented Berger as a giant killer on a grid packed with racing royalty.

“When I look today into the race list, there was Senna, Piquet, Mansell, Prost — and I find myself in first position. So, of course this makes me feel a little bit proud. These guys were the best guys in the business, and to be ahead of them was a good feeling. It was a very important stage in my career. Maybe the most important, winning my first Grand Prix.”

It was the only victory the colourful B186 took, but Berger and team-mate Teo Fabi also claimed two pole positions and three fastest laps. Alongside the four then or future World Champions Berger named, he was the only other driver to win a race in 1986.

The B186 looked resplendent on the Goodwood Hill, when the Austrian stepped back into the cockpit and made his way to the balcony, a moment The Duke of Richmond admitted he had long wished to make happen. But Berger’s connections with Goodwood originated from what may first appear an unlikely source: motorcycle legend Barry Sheene.

Both with reputations for off-track mischief, Berger and Sheene were like brothers, cut from the same cloth.

“Yes, we had a couple of mischiefs together,” Berger admitted with a giggle. “A lot of people always asked us if we were brothers because we both had a very similar attitude to racing, and how we approached racing.

“We became very close friends and spent a lot of time together. We did a lot of good things — and bad things — together. And actually, we formed a small group of Barry, myself and George Harrison. We would be the three hanging around, laughing and having a lot of stupid ideas.” 

While their wildest escapades remain between them, Sheene’s impact on Berger’s life extended so much that he was the man who introduced him to Goodwood.

“Barry said to me, ‘You have to come, you need to meet [The Duke of Richmond].’ I think it was the second year of the Revival that I came here with Barry. It was great because Barry brought me straight into the right place, and I started to know [His Grace] and became friends too. Always when I come here, I remember Barry. Barry was the guy; he was the master here.”

Their connection led to one of Goodwood’s most poignant moments in 2003, when Berger took to the track on a motorcycle alongside fellow F1 legend Damon Hill, just months after Sheene passed away. It was a bittersweet tribute to the man who had desperately wanted to see his F1 brother on two wheels at the Goodwood Revival.

“I used to run motorbikes and I loved it very much, so I did the [Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy] two or three times,” Berger said softly. “It’s another experience to come here. Everything here is just how you remember it and yourself in the old days — the motorbikes, the cars, the spectators, the fans. Even with the no run-off areas, it just puts your brain back to the ‘60s and ‘70s, and it feels great.”

Gearing up for his celebration at the Festival of Speed, Berger took a final moment to look back at the tapestry of his career, grateful for the terrifying cars he conquered and the friendships he made along the way. 

“You know, racing is one thing, but when you have the privilege to go through all the top teams, be friends with them, work with them and build success with them, it’s an outstanding experience. Not many people have the privilege to experience it.

“And if you have somebody with the quality of [The Duke of Richmond] organising a celebration for you, and trying to make your fans remember this time, you have to be very thankful.

“I am very, very thankful that this has happened, and thankful to the teams that had me. Looking back, it has been a wonderful life.”

With that, the time came for Berger to reunite with his beloved Benetton B186 and drive to his Balcony Moment, surrounded by fans equally enthused to celebrate him. 

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Goodwood photography by Rob Cooper and Charlie Brenninmeijer.

Historic images courtesy of Getty Images.