Berger makes final GP appearance for BMW

Berger, who announced in March that he would not renew his contract with BMW to allow him to spend more time with his family, leaves after five years with the Munich-based firm. He walks away just as the engine supplier is poised to challenge for the F1 World Championship in the final three races of the season.

"It was a tough decision," said Berger. "It has been great doing the job and working together with BMW, but after almost 25 years of leading the life of a vagabond, I just want to take things a bit easier."

The 44-year-old Austrian has yet to decide what his future will entail, but has not ruled out a return to motorsport in the future.

"First I want to see whether or how much I'm going to miss working in motorsport," he said. "If I can't cope without Formula 1, I'll look around for a suitable task. I don't need to rush into anything just yet, I'm nowhere near feeling anything remotely like sweet boredom."