He is the Formula 1 driver who ‘underestimated’ teammate Ayrton Senna then got outqualified 40 times

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Many people still believe that Ayrton Senna is the greatest Formula 1 driver in history, over 30 years on from him climbing into a cockpit for the last time.

The Brazilian driver was an icon around the world after winning three drivers’ championships with McLaren before turning to Williams.

Senna obliterated the opposition throughout his career and faced the likes of Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher in a 10-year period. In the 1990s, he was almost the perfect modern driver.

After winning six times around the streets of Monte Carlo, Senna earned the ‘King of Monaco’ nickname and some of his exploits are still discussed today.

Senna considered Jim Clark as ‘best of the best’, and coincidentally, he went on to win more titles than him. Both are remembered for their incredible talents.

READ MORE: Ayrton Senna repeatedly made the same gesture when he saw Michael Schumacher’s qualifying lap times

Gerhard Berger once ‘underestimated’ Ayrton Senna before being outqualified 40 times

Senna’s longest-serving teammate was a man called Gerhard Berger, who raced for Ferrari and is recognised as one of the greatest drivers never to win a title.

Between 1990 and 1992, the two participated in 48 events together, with Senna winning the title in each of the first two seasons that they were together.

Berger’s career started out in 1984 with Team ATS, where he made four race starts. The following year was his full-time rookie season in 1985 with Arrows, where he finished 20th in the championship.

He got his big break in 1986 with Benetton, claiming his first win at Mexico and signing a contract with Ferrari for the following three years.

Berger won two races in three seasons with the Scuderia before moving to the Woking-based McLaren team, where he ‘underestimated’ Senna. The Brazilian beat him 40-8 in the qualifying head-to-head over two years.

“Beautiful and difficult at the same time. When I left Ferrari, I was looking for a new challenge, but I had underestimated how strong Ayrton was,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Sometimes I beat him in qualifying or in the race, but in general he almost always beat me. The best driver I had ever seen.”

READ MORE: Ayrton Senna privately admitted that one thing he did to great Formula 1 rival Alain Prost was unacceptable

What happened to Gerhard Berger after leaving McLaren in 1992?

Berger would rejoin Ferrari in 1993, and suffered a turbulent year, suffering his worst finish in eight years with eighth.

However, he bounced back in 1994, managing five podiums and a victory en route to third, behind Damon Hill and Schumacher.

His final year with Ferrari in 1995 was also a positive one, earning six third places in the opening 10 races before falling off towards the end of his campaign.

For the final two years of his career, he would rejoin Benetton, finishing sixth in 1996 and fifth in 1997, earning his 10th and final win at the 1997 German Grand Prix.

He would go on to purchase half of the Toro Rosso team in 2006 and was around for Sebastian Vettel’s first victory. In 2017, he became the chairman of ITR – the promoter of DTM.