In a process for controlling the torque of an internal combustion engine, an automatic gear system driven by the internal combustion engine includes a gear control device (1) and the internal combustion engine has a control device which, based on speed, load and, where appropriate, temperature signals, controls an ignition angle of an ignition system and/or an injection pulse width of a fuel injection system. The gear control device (1), for its part, controls on the basis of speed and load requirement signals the gear changes of the automatic gear. To improve the control of the whole drive unit, for the purpose of reducing fuel consumption and having smooth gear changes, the computer systems of the gear control drive (1) and of the control (2) of the internal combustion engine constantly intercommunicate via interfaces (3), the control device (2) of the internal combustion engine receiving from the gear control (1), in a cyclic time beat, a percentage torque requirement (PLF) on the basis of which the control device (2) automatically influences the torque of the internal combustion engine.