Bert Anderwald
| Nationality |  Austrian
|
|---|---|
| Born | 13 April 1944 Bern, Switzerland |
| DEC Holder | Forti |
| Current Series | |
| Current Team | |
| Car Number | |
| Former Teams | Team Bert Anderwald |
Bertram "Bert" Manfred Anderwald (born 13 April 1944 in Bern, Switzerland) is a former racing driver and the owner of Team Bert Anderwald. He was a successful driver during the Garagiste Era of Formula One, racing from 1966 to 1975. He also embarked on a sportscar career from 1976 to 2004.
Early life
Anderwald was born in Bern, Switzerland, not far from Circuit Bremgarten. At age six, he was brought along to watch the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix with his father Manfred, witnessing the heroics of legends such as Prince Bira, Tony Bettenhausen, and Tazio Nuvolari. The young Anderwald developed an affinity for all kinds of vehicles afterwards. As a boy, he gained notoriety for pushing the Anderwald farm’s tractors to the limit across forest paths and mountain roads, but was never caught in the act by his family.
By 1955, the Anderwald family had saved up enough money to buy back their original farm in Austria that they had sold at the start of World War II, and began to move back there. Consequently, Anderwald would race under the Austrian flag for his entire career. This move also coincided with the ban of wheel-to-wheel racing in Switzerland.
On Christmas 1959, Manfred at last caught his son going for a drive in a tractor. Bert’s father knew from that moment that his child’s future was motorsport. He would turn to a growing phenomenon in Europe: karts. Bert was gifted a kart for his 16th birthday, and when he took it for a spin for the first time, it was clear that he was talented.
Career
With funding provided by his father, Anderwald would begin his motorsport career later on in 1960, moving to Germany due to its more established racing scene. He participated in various amateur series, primarily consisting of kart races and junior formula events. He established Team Bert Anderwald.
1962 season
1962 marked the first running of the German Karting Championship. Anderwald embarked on an ambitious full-time campaign, which took a quite a toll on the family’s finances, but it all paid off as he was crowned the first ever German Karting Champion. This would be his first of many series victories.
Following his karting victory, finances were no longer a great concern as his success attracted sponsorship from Eidechse, an agricultural equipment manufacturer. Eidechse collaborated with TBA to build a car for him to drive in German Formula Three.
1963 season
Anderwald would enter the 1963 German Formula Three Championship, under the team "Eidechse-Anderwald Rennsport", fielding the four-wheel drive Eidechse EF-J63. Anderwald was fairly competitive, but the series folded after the 1963 season, forcing the team to compete elsewhere.
1964 season
Bert took on a new challenge in the British F3 championship the following year. Despite his inexperience with British circuits, he was competitive, finishing 8th in the standings.
1965 season
Anderwald competed again in 1965, but lost the championship by only two points. Following his stint in F3, he would ease his way into Formula One in 1966.
1966 season
Anderwald would begin his F1 career with Eidechse-Anderwald Rennsport, the then-current guise of Team Bert Anderwald. The 1966 Solituderennen was Anderwald's first F1 race. His first World Championship races would be the German and Austrian Grands Prix.
By 1975, Anderwald had enjoyed a successful career spanning ten seasons. He would retire from Formula One.
Post-Formula One
Anderwald's motorsport career wasn’t done after Formula One though, as he drove for his own team in the World Sportscar Championship, beginning in 1976. Team Bert Anderwald would become a fixture in the 24 Hours of Le Mans grid, and Bert himself was a frequent contender there. He would lead his driver development initiative once retiring from competitive racing altogether, helping drivers like Monika Flater rise through the ranks. Bert would return to top-flight open wheel racing in 2023, as the owner of Team Bert Anderwald in the ARWS.