Berger: Time was right to sell

Wednesday 3rd December 2008

Gerhard Berger says he decided to sell his stake in Toro Rosso after realising he wouldn't be able to take them any further in the Constructors' Championship.

The 49-year-old last month sold his 50 per cent stake in STR back to Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, despite another magnificent season on the track.

Sebastian Vettel scored Toro Rosso's maiden pole and GP win this year as they once again outperformed sister team Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship.

However, their sixth-place finish convinced Berger that the time was right to sell his stake.

"Fact is, with these new regulations, it's not possible to go on with two teams anymore," he told Autosprint magazine.

"The only way to carry on with our project was the synergy. With that lacking, it was clear for me that I couldn't carry on with Red Bull. This year we had already used 100% of the budget at our disposal.

"Besides that, we had improved our performance and finished sixth in the Constructors Championship. At this point, for me, the next step was challenging Renault and Toyota.

"But to do that I needed more funds and Red Bull wasn't prepared for that anymore. At this point I understood the time to quit had come for me, even though on fully friendly terms."

The Austrian, though, is refusing to rule out a possible return to the sport.

"I can't rule out a return," Berger he said. "Let's put it this way: if one day the right conditions for a return are on the table, then I could consider the possibility of coming back. Otherwise I can easily go skiing.

"I might have lost something, but I still have enough to pay for my dinner tonight."

Your Comments

robson

"granty1975-how can stewart & STR getting lucky once compare to the exploits of brabham as team owner? "

robson

"no summerarse i never said australians rule F1 yet ferrari engineers like dyer come from ballarat which was in australia when i last drove thru it. also brabham was based in britain to be close to the racing but the repco engine that powered it was made in melbourne. also stoddart comes from coburg which is also in melbourne"

summerss

"robson did you realise that Ferrari are not an Australian team. Did you also realise that Brabham based his team in Milton Keynes which is in Great Britain, not some Australian city where there is no racing or engineering talent. If you also look at the history of F1 you'll find that Australia has achieved nothing since 1980 and very little which is not down to Brabham. Hardly supports your theory that Australians rule F1 now does it."

All comments on this story