When Canadian Allen Berg Drove for Osella in Formula 1

Canadian Allen Berg drove for the diminutive and underfinanced Osella Formula 1 team back in 1986. Motorsport.com recently sat with him to recall this challenging, yet exciting period of his career.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1961, Allen Berg raced successfully in karting, Formula Ford, and Formula Atlantic before he competed against the likes of Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle in the fiercely disputed British Formula 3 championship in 1983.

One year later, he ranked second in that same series and then started to look for a ride in Formula 1.

“I had tests with Arrows and Tyrrell, and I started to talk with John Wickham at Spirit and John MacDonald at RAM. The problem was to find sponsorship. It didn’t happen for me at that time,” Berg told Motorsport.com.

His luck turned when he crossed paths with Michel Koenig, a businessman who was the Editor of the famous “Grand Prix International” magazine.

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