Hopes and good spirits

Michele Alboreto and Gerhard Berger appear to be in good spirits despite the low temperature as they prepare to test the new Ferrari F1-87 at Imola before the start of the 1987 Formula 1 season.

The Ferrari F1-87 was designed and engineered by John Barnard and Gustav Brunner, and features a monocoque moulded from Kevlar and carbon fiber honeycomb. Its turbocharged 1496 cc 90° V6 engine develops 880 hp at 11,500 rpm.

It is driven by the Italian Michele Alboreto, who is in his fourth season with the Italian team, and the Austrian Gerhard Berger, coming from Benetton Formula, with which he won his first Grand Prix in Mexico in 1986.

The start of the 1987 season for Scuderia Ferrari was difficult, as its engine was proving fragile. Nevertheless, its drivers, when they saw the finish line, regularly placed in the top five. The end of the season proved more satisfactory for Ferrari. At the Portuguese Grand Prix, Berger took the first pole position of his career as well as the fastest time in the race. However, he lost the lead to Alain Prost.

At the Australian Grand Prix, the final round of the season, Gerhard Berger achieved a Grand Slam (pole position, fastest lap and victory), leading from start to finish, to end the 1987 season in the best possible way. The Scuderia, with 53 points and nineteen retirements, finished fourth in a world championship dominated by Williams-Honda.

Gerhard Berger, 36 points and Michele Alboreto 17 points, finished fifth and seventh in the drivers’ championship, a result that did not live up to expectations, but this victory in Australia allowed the Scuderia and its drivers to approach the 1988 season with optimism, but we know that they will have to face a disappointment.