F1 star’s stolen Ferrari recovered after it goes missing for 28 years

A Ferrari stolen from Formula 1 racing driver Gerhard Berger has been identified and recovered after it vanished for 28 years.

The Metropolitan Police were alerted to the stolen F512 M earlier this year, which was taken while Berger competed in the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix.

During a four-day investigation, officers from the Organised Vehicle Crime Unit managed to uncover the Ferrari’s famous past. The Met is continuing to make enquiries, although no arrests have been made so far.

A weekend to forget

The 1995 San Marino Grand Prix, held in Imola, would be a weekend to forget for Austrian driver Gerhard Berger.

Having qualified second on the grid behind Michael Schumacher, Berger found himself in a potential race-winning position. Schumacher crashed while leading, elevating Berger to the front of the field. However, the latter stalled his Ferrari following a pit stop, resulting in a third-place finish – rather than an 11th Formula 1 victory. 

Compounding Berger’s bad luck, the Ferrari F512 M was one of two cars reportedly stolen from Formula 1 drivers during the race.  

Earlier this year, the Met Police received an alert from Ferrari, following checks on a car being bought by an American buyer via a UK broker in 2023.

Three decades on the run

Further enquiries revealed the car’s hidden history, and that it had been shipped to Japan shortly after being stolen. 

PC Mike Pilbeam, who led the investigation, said: “The stolen Ferrari – close to the value of £350,000 – was missing for more than 28 years before we managed to track it down in just four days.

“Our enquiries were painstaking and included contacting authorities from around the world. We worked quickly with partners including the National Crime Agency, as well as Ferrari and international car dealerships, and this collaboration was instrumental in understanding the vehicle’s background and stopping it from leaving the country.”

The F512 M is now being stored by the Metropolitan Police in order to prevent it being exported from the UK.

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