Gerhard Berger: Back to Macau

Time moves on fast. It is hard to believe that this year's Macau Grand Prix is already the 25th Formula Three event in its history, and even harder to believe that I was there at the very first one back in 1983.

But despite finishing on the podium at that first F3 race on the famous streets, most people still remember it for Ayrton Senna's victory. And I too have special memories of that weekend with him; because it was the first time I ever spoke to the man who I would later become good friends with in F1.

When I agreed a deal to race with Pino Trivellato for the Macau Grand Prix, I had no idea about how it would go on to change my life. I had an offer from them for the European F3 championship for the following year, although I wasn't sure if I wanted to go ahead with it or not.

But we thought about Macau and I came to the conclusion it would be a chance to see how they worked, and I could see how they were doing. We agreed on a deal for the race and that is how it started.

It was so great even travelling there. I remember going on the boat from Hong Kong to Macau and staying one time in Hong Kong. I had never been out of Europe so that was my first time somewhere like this.

Gerhard Berger (Ralt-Toyota) © LAT

It was a great time with lots of funny stories. I had a special radio for the helmet that I'd got in England and brought with me. Cathy Muller asked me, "Ah, where did you get that nice radio?" And I said, "I just bought it here in Hong Kong. It was very cheap."

"Ah," she said. "I want one, too." So I said: "It's very easy. You go by taxi," and then I made a map. "You go right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, straight. Ten minutes with the taxi you will find it and there you will get it cheap."

So off she and some other drivers went in a taxi. Right, left, right and on. They came back five hours later, everybody upset, to find out that I'd bought the thing in England!

The weekend also taught me a lot about how to treat life, both on and off the track. I remember it was the night before the race and I went home from this disco at about 3am. And there, still sitting in the disco, was Emanuelle Pirro and these two girls. He was there even longer than me! It was a great experience.

On track though, things were of course a lot more serious. For me, it was a new experience. I didn't expect a lot of success there, because it was a new circuit to me. I still had little experience in Formula Three and didn't know anything.

It was unbelievable though. The first few laps I went around I didn't know where I was, and it was the first time I had seen something like this. The funny thing was I didn't find any line, I was nowhere, and suddenly there was, overtaking me, a car. It was a bloody F3 car. It was orange, and it was driving like it was from another planet.

I just kept trying to follow him and try to find my line. It was the Swedish guy, Eje Elgh, and he had one of these Japanese F3 cars and he was able to show me the line. And following him I was quick. So thanks to him I found my way around there - although I don't think he knows he helped me.

In fact, thanks to getting to know the track quite quickly I was able to qualify third. I had a good race. I was in third position, Ayrton was leading and Roberto Guerrero was second. I was watching them and, on every corner Ayrton made a couple of metres and slowly was able to pull away. Guerrero was struggling to follow him, and I was struggling to follow Guerrero.

The Teddy Yip car was the best car to have at the time, and I remember going up to the garage to watch them. Going there was a privilege. They were the excellent team of Macau.

Although I stood on the podium with Ayrton, it was not our actual race results that brought us together. The story between us really started shortly after the chequered flag when somebody came up to me in the pitlane and said that I had the quickest lap.

Gerhard Berger (Ralt-Toyota) overtakes Davy Jones (Ralt-Volkswagen) © LAT

I wasn't sure though, and when I looked at the data, I realised it could not have been me. Anyway, it was worth a trophy so I wasn't going to say no.

In the evening I was at the party and suddenly Ayrton comes around the corner, and says: "You have the quickest lap time award but it is mine because I set the quickest lap time!"

I said, "OK, just take it, I don't care". That was the first conversation I had with him. He was very serious. He wanted it back but they gave it to me anyway. We found each other later and had a good chat And that was the first time I had a beer with Ayrton, that evening somewhere in Macau.

After that year's Macau race, we know that Ayrton was well set on his way to F1 and my name was blazed everywhere too. Even people in F1 heard about Berger's name in F3. Even if I didn't win it, everybody had heard about Ayrton, and that was really for me a good step forward.

I still watch the results of the Macau Grand Prix, because any guy who wins it in their first time there has to have something special. If a driver is quick at Macau at his first time, then great. If they win it after five attempts forget it, but if a guy goes first time to Macau and is quick and doesn't have a material advantage then that means a lot for me.

I would like to go back. I am sure it has changed a lot...