Gerhard Berger hopes Ferrari will avoid using team orders while both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz mathematically remain in the hunt for the 2022 F1 title. Red Bull's Max Verstappen tops the standings at the halfway mark of the season, 38 points clear of Leclerc, with Sainz 37 points further back. Sainz's chances took a major hit last time out at the Austrian Grand Prix, with the Spaniard forced into a late retirement amid engine problems. Despite calls for Ferrari to throw their weight behind Leclerc as the campaign continues, Berger – who had two spells with the Scuderia across the 1980s and 1990s – hopes his former team opt against early intra-team orders.
Berger's take on team orders at Ferrari
In an appearance on the F1 Nation podcast, Berger explained: "We are in a sport and I think in a sport, as long as both drivers have the possibility to win the championship, it shouldn't be played – that's my personal opinion. "[Frank] Williams was maybe the leader of everything. He didn't care [who won]. [Nigel] Mansell, [Nelson] Piquet, whoever it was... maybe in the last race [there would be orders], but not before. "Now [people] are shouting to Ferrari, saying, 'They don't know what they're doing'. But they maybe learned when [Rubens] Barrichello had to let Michael Schumacher pass at the Red Bull Ring (previously the A1-Ring). "Maybe they learned after [that] and said, 'Well, we would like to have the sport in focus'. If so, I'd like [that] very much."
Berger thrilled to see Ferrari "back in the game"
Potential team orders aside, Berger is revelling in Ferrari's return to the front of the F1 field, alongside Red Bull, and hopes Mercedes can soon make it a three-team fight. "I think I see it first as great for F1 – we need this," he commented. "We need it even better. We would need even another two brands [fighting at the front]. "But after all the years [of domination] with Schumacher, all the years with Lewis Hamilton, we are really happy to see two different brands fighting each other in the last two years. "I think to have Ferrari back in the game is fantastic. It would be even nicer if Mercedes would be somewhere [in the mix]. "But we are seeing good races, and we are seeing very good racing already. I think F1 is back as the fans deserve to have it."
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