1987 Australian Grand Prix

Gerhard Berger sustained his winning momentum to reel off his second victory in a fortnight when the Grand Prix circus arrived in Adelaide for the Australian Grand Prix, the final round of the sixteen race 1987 World Championship series.

Despite the fact that the 28-year-old Austrian was feeling distinctly below par all weekend with a raging sore throat and ear-ache, once strapped into the cockpit of his Ferrari F187 he produced an absolutely flawless performance, qualifying on pole position and leading every lap of the way.

It is funny how things run true to a pattern in Formula One. Often you find that, once the World Championship is settled, the top team’s level of achievement fades noticeably and an outsider often begins to demonstrate unexpected form.