On Monday, the British capital's police found a Ferrari that was stolen from former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger after the San Marino Grand Prix in 1995. Berger and his French teammate Jean Alesi lost their two personal cars on the same day in April 1995 due to a theft gang operating near the Imola circuit. The Austrian explained that his red Ferrari, a "Testarossa F512M," disappeared from outside the hotel where he was staying.
The London Metropolitan Police stated that they began an investigation in January after receiving a report from Ferrari, which conducted an audit on a car purchased by an American through a British intermediary in 2023, revealing it was stolen.
The police tracked the car's history over four days and discovered it was shipped to Japan shortly after being stolen from Berger, then brought to Britain at the end of 2023. The police seized the car to prevent its export. Officer Mike Bellbeam, who led the investigation, said, "The stolen Ferrari, valued at around £350,000 ($443,000), had been missing for over 28 years before we managed to track it down in just four days." He added that they worked quickly with partners including the National Crime Agency, Ferrari, and international car dealers, which proved effective in understanding the car's background and preventing its removal from the country.
Berger was one of the most famous drivers during his 14-season Formula 1 career, which started in 1984 and ended in 1997, winning 10 races in the World Championship and finishing third in the championship twice while driving for Ferrari. He gained a reputation for pranks while driving a McLaren alongside the late Brazilian teammate Ayrton Senna, once famously filling Senna's bed with frogs.
