F1 fans might recall Johnny Herbert as Sky Sport’s F1 presenter. But only some of the older fans might know that Herbert once raced in F1 between 1989 to 2000.
He raced for seven teams: Benetton, Tyrrell, Lotus, Ligier, Sauber, Stewart, and Jaguar. Herbert has 165 starts to his name, has won three races, and has achieved 7 podiums.
During the peak of his career, Herbert drove alongside Michael Schumacher at Benetton. The Briton also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991.
How Good Was Johnny Herbert as an F1 driver?
Johnny Herbert was a decent driver who rose through the ranks of the British junior racing scene. His performances during the 1985 Formula Ford Festival earned him the title and appreciation of Eddie Jordan, owner of the Jordan F1 team.
Jordan signed him up for his team and won the British Formula 3 championship in 1987. He was pegged for an F1 seat in 1988. However, a severe accident during the 1988 International Formula 3000 halted his progress.
Johnny sustained severe ankle and foot injuries after multiple collisions with the barriers at Brands Hatch. There was a possibility that he would have to amputate his foot. But he managed to recover after multiple surgeries and months of physiotherapy.
As a result of his injuries, Herbert would be unable to run and would need to modify his driving technique. He had to change his breaking style as his foot was unable to put the required force.
He returned to F1 with Benetton in 1989. In his debut race in Brazil, he finished 4th. But the Briton was unable to consistently score points and was thus dropped by the team mid-way.
Herbers signed with Tyrell, then Lotus and later with Ligier. But was unable to consistently score points. He changed his focus to endurance racing and won 24hrs of Le Man in 1991. However, his big break came in 1995 when he partnered with Michael Schumacher at Benetton.
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Has Herbert won any Championships?
Johnny Herbert raced in F1 for 12 seasons, but he was unable to win a World Championship title. However, Herbert has won 3 races, 2 of which came in the 1995 season.
Johnny won the 1995 British GP and Italian GP at Monza. He took the lead in both races after teammate Michael Schumacher collided with rival Damon Hill in both races.
Herbert finished 4th in the standings, his best result ever. His results aided Benetton in winning the Constructors’ Championship, the first and only title for the team.
He would race with Sauber between 1996 & 1998 scoring a few podiums for the team. And later to Stewart for another 2 seasons. He would score his final race win with Stewart at the 1999 European GP.
Herbert was outmatched by his younger teammate Rubens Barrichello. In 2000, Stewart was purchased by Ford and renamed Jaguar. And after a pointless 2000 season, Herbert decided to leave the sport.
What did Johnny Herbert do after returning from F1?
Since retiring from F1, Johnny Herbert has taken part in touring cars and Le Mans Series. He was a Test driver for the Arrows F1 team in 2003. In 2004, Herbert, along with Jamie Davies won the Le Mans Series championship.
He has also taken numerous advisory roles at other F1 teams like Midland. However, recent F1 fans know him from his role as a TV Presenter.
Herbert tried his hand at punditry from 2012 to 2022 with Sky Sports. However, ahead of F1’s 2023 season start, Sky announced that Herbert will no longer be part of their commentary team.
