Gerhard Berger has criticised modern-day Formula 1 for becoming too predictable and placing less importance on driver skill.
Berger enjoyed a 14-year F1 career that saw him race for both Ferrari and McLaren, partnering three-time world champion Ayrton Senna at the latter between 1990 and 1992.
Speaking to the Salzburg Nachrichten newspaper in Austria, Berger did not mince his words when assessing modern-day F1, saying that the series risks losing fans if the on-track spectacle remains processional and not driver-centric enough.
"Fans want to see more fighting on track and more action," Berger said.
"Back in my time, an F1 car was like a loose cannon. We had 1,400BHP and didn’t have so many driver aids. But today it’s clear after the first corner who will win the race.
“You have to go back to a system where the driver is the key to success in F1. There should only be four or five drivers who are able to pull it off.
“You have to make this change in order to keep fans watching the races.”
Berger said that the improved reliability of modern F1 cars also added to the processional nature of races, and also hit out at the light punishment drivers receive for making mistakes on track.
"Nowadays every car makes it to the finish line, there are no surprises anymore,” Berger said.
“Back in the days you couldn’t be sure until the end. Even on the last lap of the race, you couldn’t be sure.
"And driver errors were punished severely. But today, all suspense is gone right after the start. You have huge asphalt run-off areas, where with a little bit of luck you don’t even lose a position when you go off.”
