Daniel Ricciardo is among the group of Formula One drivers who will be appearing in the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Ricciardo will be racing in the Formula One Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 on Nov. 19. This marks the first time that a Formula One race has come to Las Vegas since the 1980s.
While Ricciardo's career has put him in the spotlight, especially since the debut of the Netflix docuseries “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” he tends to keep his personal life private, including his relationship with actor Heidi Berger.
Ricciardo and Berger first went public with their relationship in August 2022, with both sharing subtle sneak peeks of one another on their Instagram posts. By September 2022, the Australian driver confirmed his relationship with Berger, revealing that he was in love. The couple has continued to protect their privacy in their relationship, occasionally including a photo of one another in a post on social media for eagle-eyed fans.
Though Ricciardo and Berger have maintained a low profile, here’s everything to know about the Formula One driver’s girlfriend.
Who is Heidi Berger? She's an actor
After Berger finished high school, she told Portuguese magazine Caras in 2016 that she would be taking a year off before she started college to study theater in London.
Berger made her acting debut in 2016 with her first official role in the soap opera “A Única Mulher.” Berger told the magazine that she had sent an audition tape directly to the television channel TVI and was cast as the character Nônô, ultimately appearing in 188 episodes of the show.
From 2018 to 2020, she went on to appear in the drama “Onde Está Elisa?” as the titular character Elisa Menezes for 145 episodes.
According to her IMDb, she held several small roles throughout the years, appearing in episodes of “Trakehnerblut,” “Meiberger: Chasing Minds” and “Três Mulheres.”
Per her Instagram, she is represented by Buchwald and Conway Van Gelder Grant.
Her father is a former Formula One driver
Gerhard Berger and Ana Corvo welcomed their eldest daughter, Sara Maria, in 1995. The couple, who were married from 1995 to 2013, welcomed their youngest daughter two years lateron April 4, 1997.
Berger's parents had fame of their own, as Corvo was a model and Gerhard Berger was a former Formula One racing driver. According to McLaren, he won 10 Grands Prix across the span of his 14-year career. He raced for several teams over the years, including McLaren, Ferrari, ATS, Arrows and Benetton.
Ricciardo spoke about his childhood admiration for Gerhard Berger during a September 2022 appearance on the Australian radio show “Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie.” When asked if he and his girlfriend’s father ever talked about Formula One and racing with one another, Ricciardo outed himself as a longtime fan of the driver.
“It’s funny. When I was young — I followed F1 since I was a kid — and I had a Berger hat,” Ricciardo explained. “I talk about it with him. He still goes to quite a few races. He still has an interest in the sport and he still does some business with it.”
Ricciardo said he looks to “any ex-sportsman” — including Berger — for career advice, explaining, “I just love speaking to them and gaining knowledge and insight through their experience. There’s so much wisdom.”
She has lived around the world
Throughout her life, Heidi Berger has resided in several countries and speaks multiple languages including English, German, Portuguese and French.
She told Caras in 2018 that she grew up in Monaco, but moved to London after she graduated high school. After that, she relocated to Lisbon, Portugal, for her role in the soap opera “A Única Mulher.”
Berger told the outlet she moved to New York City to train and work towards the end of 2018, so she could live with her older sister, who was studying in the city. However, she said it's her dream to move back to Portugal for work.
Daniel Ricciardo and Heidi Berger went Instagram official in August 2022
While it's unclear when the couple officially started dating, in August 2022, Ricciardo and Berger subtly went public on social media, sharing sneak peeks of their romance.
Ricciardo posted a carousel of photos on his Instagram, providing little context in the caption aside from a tree, smiley face and American flag emoji. In several photos, Ricciardo posted alongside Berger, including a group shot with friends and a solo snap of the actor posing in front of a waterfall.
Ricciardo shared insight into his relationship with Berger during his September 2022 appearance on “Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie,” confirming the status of their relationship with the radio show’s hosts. When the racer told the hosts that he thought love helped alleviate stress, he was asked if he was currently in love, a question he willingly answered.
“I’m in love. I got a good thing going,” he replied. “I’ve got a good balance in life right now.”
She and Ricciardo travel together
Though Berger seldom posts on social media, she has documented several of the couple’s trips throughout their relationship.
In August 2022, she shared a video montage on Instagram of their trip to Yosemite National Park. In one clip, she filmed the couple kicking their feet while they sat at the top of a waterfall, followed shortly thereafter by a short clip of Ricciardo taking a dip in the water.
They also captured the picturesque moments from their hike throughout the national park, though Berger expressed in the caption that it was a trip that took her “out of her comfort zone.”
In May 2023, Ricciardo and Berger both traveled to Italy for the wedding of Australian snowboarder Scotty James and his wife, singer Chloe Stroll. The racing driver posted a photo of them dressed to the nines from the wedding on Instagram celebrating the newlyweds.
Ricciardo and Berger shared more snaps together from their travels on social media, with both posting an adorable photo of the, enjoying a romantic and glamorous boat ride.
Ricciardo shared the photo in the seventh frame in a June Instagram post, simply writing, “Bisous” in the caption.
Berger shared it front and center of a May Instagram post, adding in the caption, “Some cute stuff.”
Francesca Gariano
Francesca Gariano is a New York City-based freelance journalist reporting on culture, entertainment, beauty, lifestyle and wellness. She is a freelance contributor to TODAY.com,where she covers pop culture and breaking news.