STORY OF THE DAY: Berger Closes 1987 with an Adelaide Victory

The 1987 Australian Grand Prix, the final round of the Formula One World Championship, brought Gerhard Berger his second consecutive victory in the Ferrari F1-87. Starting from pole position in Adelaide, the Austrian recovered from losing the initial advantage to Nelson Piquet and controlled the race thereafter. Berger crossed the line comfortably ahead of Ayrton Senna, while Michele Alboreto finished third on the road. Senna’s subsequent disqualification promoted Alboreto to second, completing Ferrari’s first one-two finish since the 1985 Canadian Grand Prix. The drivers’ title had already been secured by Piquet, but Ferrari’s late-season resurgence provided a significant conclusion to a difficult campaign.

Piquet swept ahead at the start, but Berger responded decisively and regained the lead at Wakefield Corner during the opening lap. From there, he established a commanding margin on the demanding street circuit. Senna reduced the gap during the closing stages, yet Berger answered by increasing his pace and recording the fastest lap on lap 72. He won by more than a minute from Alboreto after Senna’s Lotus was excluded because its brake ducts exceeded the permitted dimensions.

The F1-87 was built around a carbon-fibre composite monocoque and powered by Ferrari’s 1.5-litre turbocharged V6. Designed for the final phase of Formula One’s turbo era, it combined formidable power with a chassis developed under Gustav Brunner’s technical direction. Reliability and consistency had limited its results earlier in the season, but victories in Japan and Australia demonstrated the car’s improved competitiveness by year’s end.

Gerhard Berger was an Austrian driver whose rapid progress through touring cars and junior single-seaters led him to Formula One in 1984. After racing for ATS, Arrows and Benetton, he joined Ferrari for 1987 and became one of the team’s leading figures across two separate spells. His Adelaide performance displayed the speed, confidence and resilience that defined his career, while his consecutive victories in Japan and Australia established him as Ferrari’s principal winner during the closing chapter of the 1987 season.