Johnny Herbert

Articles from the archive

Johnny Herbert: At 41, Fernando has still ‘got it’ — that rare driver awareness

Fernando Alonso arriving at Aston Martin, at 41? You only have to look at his sprint race first laps last year to see he’s still ‘got it’: that driver awareness,…

April 2023 Issue

By Johnny Herbert

Johnny Herbert: ‘New breed of F1 bosses are middle men — do they have the edge to win?’

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Johnny Herbert: 'New breed of F1 bosses are middle men — do they have the edge to win?'

The changes in Formula 1 team principals over the winter have been a little too much like the world of hiring and firing football managers. Team principals have changed since…

Johnny Herbert: Is Red Bull beatable? Damn right it is’

What am I looking forward to from Formula 1 in 2023? Restructuring Ferrari will be a big talking point, clearly. I’m very sad Mattia Binotto has gone; I liked him.…

‘Every F1 driver loses their edge — did Lewis Hamilton make such errors in the past’?

Congratulations to George Russell for his first grand prix win, in Brazil. He did a solid job and exactly what he needed to do. Very impressive. He’s always had it…

‘I told Verstappen he was F1 champion, then someone said he wasn’t’: at the centre of Japanese GP chaos

I must admit, I didn’t expect to be the one who broke the news to Max Verstappen that he was a two-time Formula 1 world champion. While I prepared for…

'Emotions run high at Ferrari, but F1 needs a methodical approach' — Johnny Herbert

The ‘three wheels on my wagon’ moment for Carlos Sainz Jr during his pitstop at Zandvoort summed up the state of Ferrari right now. Shades of Eddie Irvine at the…

'Fernando Alonso’s decision will have shocked Alpine, as it did everyone. The team expected him to stay': Johnny Herbert

On Monday morning after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Martin Brundle’s message on WhatsApp simply read “wow”. Fernando Alonso had signed for Aston Martin for 2023. In a media session over…

'Is it right to penalise drivers for breaking track limits by millimetres? Actually, yes it is': Johnny Herbert

Track limits and the rule on crossing the white line reared its head again at the Austrian Grand Prix. In the race more than 40 transgressions were recorded and five-second…

'Ferrari can still win the F1 title — if Leclerc steps up': Johnny Herbert

These are worrying times for Ferrari. Go back to winter testing and the team looked bulletproof. There were two early wins for Charles Leclerc in Bahrain and Australia, a 34-point…

New F1 tracks used to offer differences. Now we expect perfection: Johnny Herbert

When I was racing, what I most enjoyed about new tracks was the differences they offered. The surfaces were usually tricky, whereas now there’s this expectation that they’ve all got…

July 2022 Issue

By Johnny Herbert

Johnny Herbert: ‘F1 is challenging drivers again in 2022’

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Johnny Herbert: 'F1 is challenging drivers again in 2022'

In judging the success of the new ground-effect chassis regulations, written precisely to allow drivers to follow each other closer to encourage better racing, we shouldn’t look at one race…

June 2022 Issue

By Johnny Herbert

Johnny Herbert: ‘It’s been quite a few races since Leclerc could show Verstappen that he races hard too’

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Johnny Herbert: 'It's been quite a few races since Leclerc could show Verstappen that he races hard too'

First impressions in the wake of the Bahrain season-opener? The race had its moments, especially between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, the old established order was shaken up and the…

May 2022 Issue

By Johnny Herbert