Ferrari stolen from F1 driver Gerhard Berger found in London… 28 years later

La Ferrari se trouve encore sur le sol britannique et a été interceptée avant son exportation vers les Etats-Unis. MAXPPP – Richard Villalon

En avril 1995, les deux pilotes Gerhard Berger et Jean Alesi s'étaient fait voler leurs bolides. Vingt-huit ans plus tard, bingo ! Une histoire rocambolesque. 

A Ferrari car stolen from former Austrian Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger during the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix was found almost three decades later by London police, a- she announced on Monday.

In April 1995, the luxury cars of Berger and his French teammate at the time Jean Alesi, were stolen in the Italian town of Imola, where the San Marino GP.

Estimate: 400,000 euros

His red Ferrari F512M, worth nearly 350,000 pounds (more than 400,000 euros), was until now still missing. But last January, the Italian manufacturer contacted the London police after discovering that a Ferrari sold in 2023 by a British broker was in reality a stolen car.

British investigators from a unit specializing in car theft then tried to trace the origin of this automobile, which arrived in the United Kingdom at the end of the year and acquired by an American.

Jean Alesi's car is still missing

Working with investigators and car dealers based abroad, they concluded that it was Gerhard Berger's car, stolen ago 28 years old and sent shortly after to Japan.

As the red Ferrari was still on British soil, they managed to intercept it before it was exported to the United States. However, the investigation continues and no arrests have yet been made.

Jean Alesi's car is still missing. In 2023, investigators from this squad recovered 418 stolen vehicles worth a total of £31 million (€36 million).

Gerhard Berger, who was a popular Formula 1 driver for 14 seasons between 1984 and 1997, won 10 Grands Prix and twice finished third in the World Drivers' Championship for Scuderia Ferrari.