Date of Birth: 25 June 1964.
Middle name: Paul.
Place of Birth: Brentwood, Essex, England.
Status: Married to Becky (maiden name Cross).
Children: Two young daughters, Chloe and Aimelia.
Lives: in Monaco since the spring of 1996.
Johnny's personality
Johnny is known as one of the most cheerful and bouncy characters
in F1, but has he always been like that?
"This might come as a surprise to those of you who
think of me as a mild-mannered Clark Kent figure - but when my
father Bob and I used to go kart racing, our caravan had a sticker
strategically placed on the side. It covered the hole made by
the screwdriver I'd thrown at him. I've grown up a lot since
then..."
At the end of 1998, in an intriguing insight into what
it takes to be a top racing driver, Johnny told F1 Racing that
his personality changed after the F3000 accident in 1988:
"Before the accident, I had got a reputation for
not talking to anyone else, of being a little bit miserable and
stuck-up. That was because I was super confident. I felt invincible
- I could take on anybody, in any car, any time, anywhere and
beat them.
"After the accident, the way I dealt with the pain
and discomfort was to laugh it off, to say, 'Look, I'm fine'.
I was bubbly on the outside because it made me feel better on
the inside. As time went on, I recovered, but I kept the same
good attitude. If I hadn't had the shunt, I'd probably be the
way I was before.
"This doesn't mean I'm any less committed, but it's
slightly different from the 'invincible' feeling. The way I was
is how Michael [Schumacher] is now. In the wet, in the dry, he
believes he's the best. We all think we are, but Michael knows
it. That gives a driver something extra, a special feeling. There's
usually only one guy on the grid at a time who feels it. I lost
a bit of that mentality because of the shunt, but I'm just as
focused today as I was back then."
There's no doubt that Johnny has had more than his fair
share of bad luck. He's gained an unenviable reputation for finishing
races early - usually through no fault of his own - but he always
seems to remain even tempered:
"I'm told I'm unusually calm even when people have
accidentally had me off - like Eddie Irvine did at Monza in 1994
or in Melbourne [in 1997]. I've always looked at it that if you
have a confrontation, after somebody has done something stupid,
it never does anyone any good. I think the last time I had anything
remotely like that was when I went from junior to senior karts
racing at Tilbury, and we both ended up getting banned!"
In 1994, respected motorsport writer David Tremayne summed
up Johnny thus:
"It's hard to find people in F1 who don't like him,
such is his bubbly personality, even though at times he has been
known to launch himself playfully at somebody and bite their
nose, Hannibal Lecter-style. His most endearing aspects are his
naivete and his candour. He speaks as he sees, without political
subterfuge. Being honest with himself comes easy...
"...He is one of the most popular racing drivers
in the world. Nobody in the F1 pit lane has a bad word for him.
He is bright, bouncy, ready with a laugh. He hasn't changed a
bit since he won the Formula Ford Festival in 1985."
When Johnny won his first Grand Prix, his home event at
Silverstone in July 1995, the other drivers on the podium, Jean
Alesi and David Coulthard, spontaneously lifted him on to their
shoulders in celebration. That David bore him no ill will was
remarkable, given that the race could so easily have seen the
Scot's own first F1 victory. Though Johnny's relationship with
Jean Alesi soured later when they were team-mates at Sauber in
1998, everyone was happy for him after that first win.
And, after a decade in F1, Johnny remains one of the most
popular personalities in the paddock.
Early motor racing career
Johnny Herbert's racing career began in 1974 at the tender
age of 10. His parents, Bob and Jane, supported him from the
start and spent all of their weekends at the kart races in the
early days. Johnny's obvious speed and ability in a kart were
evident right from the start to anyone who saw him race.
In his July 1998 column for F1 Racing magazine, Johnny
looked back on his early years in karts with fond memories:
"Karting brings you out of yourself. I was very shy
as a kid, and it brought me out of my shell. And you learn about
racing and the behaviour necessary for a professional career
at a much earlier age. It's essential experience.
"When I first went to Buckmore [Park (an outdoor
kart circuit in Kent)], I went as a boy scout, because of course
it's a scouting venue as well. I'd got hooked on karting on holiday
and pestered Dad until we got one, then I started running at
Tilbury and Buckmore. I remember when it was just a speedbowl,
not the sophisticated set-up it is now. I was about nine at the
time! Scouts would turn up with funny, self-built karts, and
I'd bring along my racing kart, a Sprint, and thrash them.
"Then I started driving a thing called a Tarantella,
and through that I got to meet a guy called Bill Sisley, because
he was selling spares. Dad and I met him at Surbiton and he started
helping us out. Bits and bobs to begin with, then maybe an engine
or two. I started driving one of his Kestrel karts.
"Bill has built up Buckmore, and he's one of those
people I always recall fondly. He did so much to further my career.
He helped me to win British Championships and to compete in the
junior World Championship in Luxembourg, and he gave me the opportunities
that helped me to leap up two or three performance levels. I
ran sixth that time, until the chain came off with two laps to
go.
"And, I suppose, Bill helped me to grow up, because
as soon as I left school I went to work for him in Swanley. I
used to cycle 30 miles there and 30 back each day, from home
in Romford. It was quite funny; as this shy kid, I used to sell
kart parts to people such as Andrea de Cesaris and Eddie Cheever,
who'd often drop in. Eventually, I'd drive the van, build the
fun karts Bill was producing, and, of course, race. It was Bill
who got me my first Formula Ford drive too, in a Royale RP26
via Terry Gray's dad, Vic."
In 1978, wider recognition of Johnny's talent followed
when he became British junior karting champion. Progressing through
the ranks, he was British senior 135cc karting champion in 1979
and 1982. Johnny was also classified 18th in the World Championships
at Kalmar, Sweden, in 1982.
Johnny moved up to Formula Ford at the end of 1983, and
he crowned two full years in the highly competitive series with
a triumphant display at the 1985 Formula Ford Festival at Brands
Hatch, marking him out as one of Britain's fastest rising stars.
This was how Autosport reported the emotional win:
"And so, after starting his heat the day before from
the back of the grid with a 10sec penalty, 20-year-old Johnny
Herbert crossed the line to wild cheers. It was no more than
[his team] deserved. Never the ones to make excuses, always sporting
and down to earth, the small team had taken on the Van Diemen
hordes and beaten them.
"It was an emotional moment and every one of the
appreciative crowd knew it. Once more the Formula Ford Festival
and World Cup had produced superb entertainment. Brands Hatch
last Sunday was all about Quest Racing and Johnny Herbert."
After one victory during a season of FF2000 in 1986, Johnny
then graduated to Formula 3.
Race Results - Formula Ford
1986 Circuit/Championship Pos'n
-------------------------------------
9 Mar Thruxton R
16 Mar Silverstone 13th
23 Mar Cadwell Park 9th
28 Mar Oulton Park R
31 Mar Thruxton 9th
13 Apl Snetterton R
27 Apl Brands Hatch 10th
5 May Castle Combe R
25 May Brands Hatch 6th
29 Jun Snetterton 4th
12 Jul Brands Hatch (FF1600) 5th
10 Aug Brands Hatch 5th
23 Aug Brands Hatch 10th
7 Sep Donington Park R
21 Sep Oulton Park 6th
Cars: Quest-Ivey in the Racing Displays British FF2000
to
16 March, then Quest-Nelson; Quest-Ivey in the RAC FF1600.
All results above are FF2000 except 12 July.
1985 Circuit/Championship Pos'n Pole (P)/
Fastest Lap
---------------------------------------------------
3 Mar Silverstone (Esso) 3rd P
17 Mar Silverstone (RAC) 2nd
24 Mar Silverstone (Esso) 2nd FL
5 Apl Oulton Park (RAC) 2nd
8 Apl Silverstone (RAC) R
8 Apl Silverstone (Esso) 2nd
6 May Silverstone (Esso) R
11 May Silverstone (Esso) R
27 May Thruxton (RAC) 4th P
9 Jun Silverstone (RAC) R
23 Jun Snetterton (Esso) DQ
7 Jul Brands Hatch (Esso) R
14 Jul Brands Hatch (RAC) 2nd P
14 Jul Brands Hatch (EFDA) 1st P/FL
4 Aug Cadwell Park (Esso) R FL
11 Aug Snetterton (RAC) 3rd
17 Aug Oulton Park (Esso) 2nd FL
26 Aug Brands Hatch (RAC) R
31 Aug Oulton Park (RAC) 2nd
8 Sep Silverstone (Esso) R
14 Sep Castle Combe (RAC) 8th
29 Sep Zolder (Euro Final) R
6 Oct Brands Hatch (RAC) R
13 Oct Silverstone (Esso) 2nd
20 Oct Thruxton (RAC) R
27 Oct, Formula Ford Festival, Brands Hatch:
Overall winner: Johnny Herbert
Car: Quest 1600cc.
Championships: RAC, Esso, EFDA Euroseries
Final Championship standings:
Esso:
1 Mark Blundell 151 points
2 A King 126
3 Damon Hill 119
5 Johnny Herbert 97
RAC:
1 Bertrand Gachot 146
2 Mark Blundell 139
3 Paolo Carcasi 125
8 Johnny Herbert 70
1984 Circuit/Championship Pos'n Pole (P)/
Fastest Lap
---------------------------------------------------
4 Mar Brands Hatch (BP) 6th
1 Jul Brands Hatch (D) 3rd
15 Jul Cadwell Park (D) 5th
28 Jul Oulton Park (D) R
11 Aug Oulton Park (BP) 4th
19 Aug Brands Hatch (D) 5th
2 Sep Silverstone (BP) 1st
8 Sep Oulton Park (BP) 3rd
16 Sep Snetterton (BP) 5th
30 Sep Mallory Park (D) 3rd P
Car: Sparton-Ford 1600cc
Championships: BP, Dunlop (D)
Final Championship standings:
Dunlop-Autosport "Star of Tomorrow":
1 Jonathan Bancroft 96 points
2 Mark Blundell 84
3 M Wright 73
6 Johnny Herbert 24
BP "Superfind":
1 Jonathan Bancroft 88
2 Mark Blundell 60
3 E O'Brien 39
8 Johnny Herbert 19
1983 Formula Ford Festival Pos'n
28-30 Oct Brands Hatch:
Heat 5th
Quarter-finals R
Formula 3
Johnny's debut in F3 was with the Mike Rowe team at the end of
1986. He finished an excellent fourth in his first race at Donington
Park (shades of his F1 debut with Benetton only three years later).
He then went one better and climbed the lower step of the F3
podium, finishing third in the prestigious Cellnet Super Prix
at Brands Hatch. Johnny's speed and skill attracted much attention
and Eddie Jordan was quick to snap him up to drive in F3 for
the 1987 season, saying that Johnny had "an absolutely brilliant
natural talent".
1987 was a triumphant year for Johnny with Jordan. He
won five races and claimed the championship at his first attempt.
He also won the Autosport award for National Racing Driver of
the Year, presented by Tiff Needell.
The caption reads: "With a name like Johnny Herbert,
you've got as much chance of getting into F1 as I
have of becoming a TV presenter, kid."
You couldn't have said a truer word, Tiff...
He was rewarded with a test drive in the Benetton F1 car
at Brands Hatch. During the test, Johnny outpaced regular driver
Thierry Boutsen with a stunning performance, confirming him as
a rising star. Nigel Mansell, who was also at Brands testing
that day, pulled into the pits to ask: "Just who is driving
that thing?". The team were so impressed that Johnny was
invited to take part in further tests at Imola and Jerez. Finishing
the season on another high note, Johnny won the Cellnet F3 Super
Prix at Brands Hatch for the second year running. The following
fateful year, he was in Formula 3000.
Race Results - British F3 Championship
1987 Circuit Pos'n Pole (P) and
Fastest laps (FL)
----------------------------------------------------------
15 Mar Thruxton 1st P/FL
5 Apl Brands Hatch (GP) 1st FL
12 Apl Silverstone (GP) 3rd P
20 Apl Thruxton 1st P/FL
4 May Silverstone (Short) 1st P/FL
17 May Brands Hatch (Indy) 2nd
25 May Thruxton R P
7 Jun Silverstone (GP) 1st
28 Jun Zandvoort 9th
5 Jul Donington R P
12 Jul Silverstone (GP) 4th
2 Aug Snetterton 3rd
9 Aug Donington Park R
15 Aug Oulton Park 2nd
31 Aug Silverstone (Short) 7th
6 Sep Brands Hatch (GP) 5th
13 Sep Spa-Francorchamps -
18 Oct Thruxton 3rd FL
Final 1987 Championship standings:
1 Johnny Herbert (GB) 79
2 Bertrand Gachot (B) 64
3 Martin Donnelly (GB) 61
4 Thomas Danielson (S) 56
5 Damon Hill (GB) 49
6 Gary Brabham (AUS) 37
7= Perry McCarthy (GB) 22
7= Phillippe Favre (F) 22
9 Steve Kempton (GB) 18
10 Niclas Schonstrom (S) 17
11 Peter Kox (NL) 17
12 Roland Ratzenberger (A) 10
13 Mark Blundell (GB) 6
Car: Jordan Reynard-VW
1986 Circuit Pos'n
-------------------------------------
20 Jul Donington 5th
25 Aug Silverstone 4th
31 Aug Brands Hatch DQ
13 Sep Spa-Francorchamps 8th
28 Sep Zolder 10th
5 Oct Silverstone 5th
Final 1986 Championship standings:
1
2
3
15 Andy Wallace
Mauricio Sala
Martin Donnelly
Johnny Herbert 121
83
59
8
Car: Mike Rowe Racing Ralt-VW
Race Results - other F3 races
1987 Circuit Event Pos'n
-------------------------------------------------------------
30 May Monaco Grand Prix support race 3rd
4 Oct Silverstone European F3 Cup R
11 Oct Brand Hatch Cellnet European Superprix 1st (P)
29 Nov Macau Macau F3 GP 18th
1986 Circuit Event Pos'n
-------------------------------------------------------------
3 Aug Brands Hatch Cellnet Superprix 3rd
Formula 3000
In 1988, Johnny and the Jordan team moved up to F3000 together.
Their title challenge began promisingly at Jerez with victory
first time out in the Jordan Reynard 88D-Cosworth DFV.
Unfortunately, Johnny's luck deserted him during the second
round at Vallelunga, where he was injured in a crash whilst dicing
with Gregor Foitek for the lead. As a result of that accident,
he had to sit out the next round at Pau, returning to finish
7th in the fourth round at Silverstone. Next was Monza, one of
the best races of Johnny's career - this is how the 1988/89 Autocourse
Annual recounted it:
"The star in Italy was Herbert, the plucky Briton
focus for the attention of the tifosi. Unable to refire his engine
when the race was restarted (following Giroix's massive crash),
then balked by a multi-car dust-up at the first chicane, Johnny
produced perhaps the drive of the year in clawing his way back
to a brilliant third place at the flag. His car control in the
Camel Reynard was awesome, and the bark of that Cosworth as he
jabbed the power, his right foot buried earlier than anyone,
will long ring in the ears of those who heard it." - With
grateful acknowledgement to Autocourse.
In August 1988, Johnny was asked by Team Lotus to stand
in for its regular drivers during tyre testing at Monza, where
he immediately outpaced the reigning World Champion, Nelson Piquet.
Unfortunately, at Brands Hatch on the 21st of that month, Johnny
was involved in a dreadful multi-car accident. It was one of
the worst accidents ever seen in F3000, and it prematurely ended
Johnny's F3000 season when he sustained serious injuries to his
feet and ankles.
The Autosport race report, and a series of TV screenshots,
capture the crash in all its horror. Some may choose not to read
the report or see the photos but they have been included here
as a historical record as one of the most important events in
Johnny's career.
This is how Johnny remembered it, in his F1 Racing column
in 1998:
"I remember lying in intensive care while all the
doctors were debating what to do with me. What I didn't know
was that they were all convinced of one thing: my driving career
was over. Initially it was a question of which bits they might
cut off. Then when they realised what I did for a living, it
was more a case of how they would try to fix the mess, and whether
I'd ever walk again. I was ignorant of all this, but my parents
and Becky, my wife, had to bear all of it.
"I got a lot of press because of the accident, and
of a lot of people thought my career was over. But when it's
you lying there you can't afford to think that way. You daren't.
I just got into a recuperation programme as soon as I could and
worked as hard as I could. If I got back into racing then it
was going to be worth all the effort and the pain.
"For years afterwards, bits and pieces of grass or
rubber would work their way out of my feet. I think the last
bits appeared in 1991! Recovery is an interesting exercise. You
learn a lot about yourself in those situations; you can't rely
on what other people tell you. Doctors are pessimistic. If I'd
listened to them, I'd have been in bed for a year. As it was,
I crashed at the end of August and I was driving a Benetton in
December. If you work hard enough at something, you can overcome
all sorts of problems."
Through sheer hard work, grit and persistence, Johnny
was back, only seven months after that crash, making his stunning
Formula 1 debut...
Race Results - Japanese F3000
1991 Circuit Pos'n Out (laps)
--------------------------------------------------------
3 Mar Suzuka 5th
24 Mar Fuji 7th
14 Apr Fuji DNF Transmission (23)
12 May Mine 2nd
26 May Suzuka DNF Accident (21)
28 Jul Sugo DNF Clutch (8)
11 Aug Fuji DNF Engine (16)
29 Sep Suzuka 7th
17 Nov Suzuka DNF Transmission (10)
30 Nov Fuji 6th
Car: Ralt RT23-Mugen (number 25). Team: Suntory West
Final Ranking: 10th (7 points - limited under the scoring system)
Champion: Ukyo Katayama
1990 Circuit Pos'n Out (laps)
--------------------------------------------------------
4 Mar Suzuka 19th
15 Apl Fuji 10th
15 May Nisi-Nippon DNF Spin (17)
27 May Suzuka DNF Puncture (9)
29 Jul Sugo 7th
12 Aug Fuji DNF Spin
2 Sep Fuji 5th
23 Sep Suzuka 6th
28 Oct Fuji DNF Electrics (31)
18 Nov Suzuka DNF Accident (0)
Car: Reynard 90D-Mugen (number 25). Team Itariya.
Final Ranking: 18th (3points)
Champion:Hitoshi Ogawa (died 1992)
With thanks to Iori Kurisu and Takeshi Katoh.
Race Results European F3000
1988 Circuit Pos'n Out (laps)
------------------------------------------------------------
17 Apl Jerez 1st
8 May Vallelunga DNF Accident (45)
23 May Pau DNS Recovering from accident
5 Jun Silverstone 7th
26 Jun Monza 3rd Fastest lap and lap record
17 Jul Enna-Pergusa DNF Clutch (0)
21 Aug Brands Hatch DNF Major Accident (22)
Did not compete for the rest of the season.
Final Championship standings:
1 Roberto Moreno (BR) 43
2 Olivier Grouillard (F) 34
3 Martin Donnelly (GB) 30
4 Pierluigi Martini (I) 23
5 Bertrand Gachot (B) 21
6 Mark Blundell (GB) 18
7 Gregor Foitek (CH) 15
8= Johnny Herbert (GB) 13
8= Eric Bernard (F) 13
10 Jean Alesi (F) 11
Formula 1 debut
With incredible fighting spirit and the support of his family,
Johnny fought against the terrible injuries sustained in the
horrendous F3000 accident at Brands Hatch in August 1988, in
an effort to regain full fitness for the start of the 1989 F1
season. Peter Collins, then with Benetton, honoured his commitment
to Johnny, signing him to partner to Alessandro Nannini.
But it almost didn't happen. This is how Mark Skewis,
editor of Autosport, recounts Johnny's return to the cockpit
after that fateful accident, in April 1999...
It's a cold winter's day at Silverstone, 1988. Johnny
Herbert's career is on the line. Tension hangs as thick as the
fog which envelops the deserted airfield. Not four months have
elapsed since the Formula 3000 shunt at Brands Hatch which shattered
the golden boy of British racing's legs. Nobody says it out loud,
but everyone is asking the same question as mechanics lower him
into the Benetton: can he still do it?
He cruises round on an installation lap, then drives three
more. All of them slow. Worried glances are exchanged on the
pit wall. The car tours into the pit lane and is pushed back
into the garage. Its occupant stays slumped inside. Team boss
Peter Collins, whose neck is also on the block, leans into the
cockpit.
"What's the matter?" he asks. His blood chills
with the reply.
"I don't think I can do it…"
"Will you give it another try?" implores Collins.
Subdued, his driver agrees to have another a go.
Bang, bang, bang, in come the lap times. The invalid hasn't
just beaten the bogey lap time. He's demolished it. The faces
are brighter when the car rolls to a halt for a second occasion.
"Got yer!" says Herbert, with a triumphant beam.
Collins' had a sense of humour - just as well! He also
had faith in Johnny and it was amply repaid during that superb
debut at the Autodromo Nelson Piquet in Rio de Janeiro, where
the plucky Brit qualified an excellent 10th, one place and 0.24
sec ahead of his team-mate. Many regard Johnny's first F1 race
as amongst the most stunning drives ever by a Formula 1 newcomer.
He finished in fourth place, less than 11 seconds behind the
victorious Nigel Mansell's Ferrari, within 3 seconds of Alain
Prost's McLaren Honda and right on the tail of third placed local,
Mauricio Gugelmin.
The 1989/90 edition of Autocourse commented: "Not
since Reine Wisell took one of Colin Chapman's Lotus 72s to third
place in the 1970 US GP at Watkins Glen has any new driver produced
as good a result on his debut as Johnny Herbert achieved at Rio.
It was hard to believe that Herbert had last completed a race
as long ago as the Monza F3000 event the previous June. The strain
of the 106° Brazilian heat left Johnny remarkably unflustered,
his only complaint being that his neck felt rather stiff towards
the end of the race."
Unfortunately, the result in Rio was deceptive. The characteristics
of the Brazilian circuit did not put too much stress on Johnny's
ankles and helped to hide the fact that he was not fully recovered
from his injuries. By mid-season, Benetton "rested"
Johnny - and he wasn't to be seen in one of their cars again
for over 5 years! But the enforced absence gave Johnny the opportunity
to make a full physical recovery. He worked hard on his fitness
and took advantage of a brief return to F1 with Tyrrell in Belgium
to show that he still had the pace.
Time out in Japan and the Le Mans 24 Hours
Johnny received several offers for 1990, but eventually chose
to combine a testing contract with Lotus, with a racing programme
in Japan, competing in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
and the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship. Johnny was offered
the opportunity to drive for Mazda in the Le Mans 24 Hours, although
the man who assembled Mazda's squad, David Kennedy, admits that
he encountered strong resistance when he included Johnny in his
line-up.
"Mr Ohashi, the big boss, was asking me, 'Are you
sure he's OK?'," he recalls. "I was saying, 'Yeah,
yeah, of course', but if you saw him in the morning – when
it took Johnny half an hour to get out of bed, and another half-hour
before he could walk – you would have thought I was crazy.
But whenever he was in the car, in the tests or for the race,
he flew."
After partnering Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot to
the first win a Japanese manufacturer had achieved in the French
classic, Herbert collapsed on the car out of sheer exhaustion.
"By then his eyes were sunk right back in his head,
and he looked as if a feather would knock him over," says
Kennedy. "Mental and physical fatigue are your biggest enemies
at that race. I asked the girls in the team to take Johnny away
from the pits whenever he was out of the car, just to get his
mind off things. He just thought he was really popular!"
F1 debut number two...
Johnny's opportunity to return to the F1 circus unfortunately
came about because of another terrible accident. He replaced
the injured Martin Donnelly at Lotus after Martin's career came
to a premature end when he crashed heavily in practice for the
1990 Spanish Grand Prix. Johnny stood in for Martin in Japan
and Australia during the season's closing GPs, before going on
to spend most of 1991 and all of the next three seasons at Lotus.
Race Results - Formula 1 debut and return
1990 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
---------------------------------------------------------
4 Nov Adelaide (AUS) 18th DNF Clutch (57)
21 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 15th DNF Engine (31)
Lotus-Lamborghini. Team mate: Derek Warwick.
No Points. Did not compete before Japan.
Stood in for Martin Donnelly after his accident in Spain.
1989 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
---------------------------------------------------------
24 Sept Estoril (P) DNQ
27 Aug Spa-Francorchamps (B) 16th DNF
18 Jun Montreal (CAN) DNQ
4 Jun Phoenix (USA) 25th 5th
28 May Mexico (MEX) 18th 15th
7 May Monaco (MC) 24th 14th
23 Apl Imola (SM) 23rd 11th
26 Mar Rio de Janeiro (BR) 10th 4th
First year in Formula 1. 5 points. 14th= in Championship.
4th in F1 debut race at Rio.
Benetton-Ford to Montreal. Team-mate: Alessandro Nannini.
Last 2 races with Tyrrell-Cosworth. Team-mate: Dr Jonathan Palmer.
Race Results - Sports Cars: Le Mans 24 Hours
1992
Car: Mazda MXR01
Co-drivers: Volker Weidler, Bertrand Gachot, and
Maurizio Sandro Sala
Result: 4th
Laps: 336
1991
Car: Mazda 787B
Co-drivers: Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot
Result: 1st
Laps: 362
Distance: 3,059.135 miles (4,923.200 km)
Average speed: 127.588 mph (205.333 kph)
Race Results - Sports Cars: Japan
All Japan Prototype Sports Car Championship
1991 Circuit Co-driver Position
---------------------------------------------------------
21 Jul Fuji Bertrand Gachot 4th
6 Oct Fuji Maurizio Sandro-Sala 4th
Mazda 787B
Overall ranking 16th.
1990 Circuit Co-driver Position
---------------------------------------------------------
11Mar Fuji Bob Wolleck DNS
22 Jul Fuji Rickard Rydell 4th
26 Aug Suzuka Rydell/Wolleck DNF
16 Sep Sugo Bob Wolleck DNF
7 Oct Fuji Rickard Rydell DNF
Takefuji-Porsche 962C
Overall ranking 21st.
Fuji Interchallenge 1000km
1989 - Takefuji-Porsche 962C
Finished 6th with Martin Donnelly
Japanese results courtesy of Iori Kurisu
The Lotus years
Johnny joined Lotus after Martin Donnelly's terrible accident
in practice for the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix. Johnny stood in
for Martin in Japan and Australia during the season's closing
GPs and then shared a car with Julian Bailey and Michael Bartels
in 1991. Showing that he still had the will to win, Johnny managed
to qualify the recalcitrant car 7 out of 8 times, whereas Bartels
never qualified and Bailey qualified only once. Johnny frequently
outshone highly rated team-mate Mika Hakkinen both that season
and in 1992 when they both raced against each other at Lotus
all season long.
Unfortunately, Johnny joined Lotus, formerly one of the
greatest of all F1 teams, when they were in decline. Johnny worked
hard for the team but it was unable to produce a consistently
competitive car to get him on to the podium. His best season
with the team was 1993 when he scored 11 points and finished
9th in the Championship.
The year before, Johnny had been able to produce a few
demonstrations of his true abilities. One of these was at Brazil,
where he ran sixth, ahead of the Ligiers of Comas and Boutsen
after a brilliant drive through the field from 26th on the grid.
Through no fault of his own, Johnny got entangled in a coming
together of the Ligiers (not the only time they got in each other's
way!) and ended up in the gravel trap. One of the all too frequent
examples of Johnny's bad luck at Lotus.
Things brightened up momentarily at Monza in 1994, when
Johnny placed the car with its brand new Mugen engine on the
second row of the grid behind the Ferraris of Alesi and Berger
and the Williams of Damon Hill. But it was to be a false dawn.
Eddie Irvine wrecked the hopes of a good finish for Johnny and
the team when an over-ambitious late braking manoeuvre at the
first chicane ended in a coming together. Johnny was forced to
restart in the spare car with its older version of the Mugen,
but it only lasted 13 laps. Sadly, the team's decline then became
terminal and the end followed soon after in the hands of the
liquidators.
The cloud which enveloped Lotus produced one silver lining
- it freed Johnny to pursue his F1 career elsewhere. He was signed
by Ligier before the 1994 European GP at Jerez, qualifying the
car a creditable 7th, four places and 0.4 sec ahead of his talented
team-mate, Olivier Panis. The move helped rekindle Johnny's enthusiasm
which had waned considerably with Lotus that season. Johnny then
replaced the injured Jos Verstappen at Benetton for the final
two races of the 1994 season, producing two very good performances
which were enough to secure a full time seat with Benetton in
1995.
Race Results: F1 at Lotus
1994 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
----------------------------------------------------------
*13 Nov Adelaide (AUS) 7th DNF Gearbox (13)
*6 Nov Suzuka (JPN) 5th DNF Spin (3)
±16 Oct Jerez (EUR) 7th 8th
25 Sept Estoril (P) 20th 11th
11 Sept Monza (IT) 4th DNF Engine (13)
28 Aug Spa-Francorchamps (B) 20th 12th
14 Aug Hungaroring (H) 24th DNF Electrics (34)
31 July Hockenheim (D) 15th DNF Accident (0)
10 July Silverstone (GB) 21st 12th
3 July Magny-Cours (F) 19th 7th
12 Jun Montreal (CAN) 17th 8th
29 May Catalunya (SP) 22nd DNF Spin (41)
15 May Monaco (MC) 16th DNF Gearbox (68)
1 May Imola (SM) 20th 10th
17 Apl TI Aida (PAC) 23rd 7th
27 Mar Interlagos (BR) 21st 7th
No points.
Lotus-Mugen to Portugal.
Lotus team mates: Zanardi, Lamy, Adams, Bernard, and Salo.
[± Ligier-Renault - EUR only. Team mate: Panis]
[* Benetton-Ford - JPN and AUS. Team mate: Schumacher.]
1993 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps completed)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Nov Adelaide (AUS) 20th DNF Hydraulics (9)
24 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 19th 11th
26 Sept Estoril (P) 14th DNF Accident (60)
12 Sept Monza (IT) 7th DNF Accident (14)
29 Aug Spa-Francorchamps (B) 10th 5th
15 Aug Hungaroring (H) 20th DNF Spin (38)
25 July Hockenheim (D) 13th 10th
11 July Silverstone (GB) 7th 4th
4 July Magny-Cours (F) 19th DNF Spin (16)
13 Jun Montreal (CAN) 20th 10th
23 May Monaco (MC) 14th DNF Accident (61)
9 May Catalunya (SP) 10th DNF Suspension (2)
25 Apl Imola (SM) 12th 8th
11 Apl Donington (EUR) 11th 4th
28 Mar Interlagos (BR) 12th 4th
14 Mar Kyalami (SA) 17th DNF Fuel pressure (38)
Lotus-Ford. Team mates: Zanardi and Lamy
11 points. 9th in Championship.
1992 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
----------------------------------------------------------
8 Nov Adelaide (AUS) 12th 13th
25 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 6th DNF Gearbox (15)
27 Sept Estoril (P) 9th DNF Steering (2)
13 Sept Monza (IT) 13th DNF Engine (18)
30 Aug Spa-Francorchamps (B) 10th 13th
16 Aug Hungaroring (H) 13th DNF Spin (0)
26 July Hockenheim (D) 11th DNF Engine (23)
12 July Silverstone (GB) 7th DNF Gearbox (31)
5 July Magny-Cours (F) 12th 6th
14 Jun Montreal (CAN) 6th DNF Clutch (34)
31 May Monaco (MC) 9th DNF Accident (17)
17 May Imola (SM) 26th DNF Gearbox (8)
3 May Catalunya (SP) 26th DNF Spin (13)
5 Apl Interlagos (BR) 26th DNF Accident (36)
22 Mar Mexico (MEX) 12th 7th
1 Mar Kyalami (SA) 11th 6th
Lotus-Ford. Team mate: Mika Hakkinen.
2 points. 15th in Championship.
1991 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps completed)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Nov Adelaide (AUS) 21st 11th
20 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 21st DNF Engine (31)
22 Sept Estoril (P) 22nd DNF Engine (1)
25 Aug Spa-Francorchamps (B) 21st 7th
14 July Silverstone (GB) 24th 14th
7 July Magny-Cours (F) 20th 10th
16 Jun Mexico (MEX) 25th 10th
2 Jun Montreal (CAN) DNQ
Lotus-Judd. Team mate: Mika Hakkinen.
No points. Car driven by Julian Bailey and Michael Bartels in
other
races (they only qualified once between them - Bailey 26th at
Imola,
finishing 6th in the race)
1990 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps completed)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Nov Adelaide (AUS) 18th DNF Clutch (57)
21 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 15th DNF Engine (31)
Lotus-Lamborghini. Team mate: Derek Warwick.
No Points. Did not compete before Japan.
Stood in for Martin Donnelly after his accident in Spain.
Benetton
See F1 debuts for Johnny's first period at Benetton.
As the sad demise of Lotus neared its protracted end,
Johnny's contract was regarded as one of the team's most valuable
assets and was sold off to the Ligier team, then under the control
of Benetton's Flavio Briatore. After one race for the French
team, Johnny returned to the Benetton fold for the last two races
of 1994, impressing the team sufficiently to be signed up for
the 1995 season.
In 1995, Johnny became a Formula 1 GP winner. The historic
first victory was at his home GP at Silverstone in July. This
series of screen captures from the TV coverage captures the joy
of that very special special day:
He ended the season in an excellent fourth place in the
World Championship. If the normally reliable Benetton-Renault
hadn't broken down in the last race at Adelaide, Johnny would
have gone one better and snatched third place in the Championship
from David Coulthard. Benetton team-mate Michael Schumacher claimed
his second World Championship over arch rival Damon Hill. Despite
the excellent results in 1995, Johnny's season at Benetton had
its disappointments. But he fared better than all of his predecessors
as Michael Schumacher's No 2.
At the end of 1995, Ross Brawn of Benetton confirmed that
Johnny had suffered because the team had concentrated its efforts
on Michael Schumacher. That was the first time that a senior
person at Team Benetton publicly accepted that Johnny did not
have the full resources of the team behind him, thus confirming
the belief of many of Johnny's supporters. In May 1996, Flavio
Briatore also finally admitted that in 1995 the team was run
"for one driver", ie Michael Schumacher.
"It was a hard year last year," Johnny said
in February 1996. "From the start, there seemed to be rumours
that every race would be my last race. It was stupid and it must
have been coming from somewhere. Looking back on it, I think
it affected my performances and upset me psychologically. I really
lost all the enjoyment out of racing. I hardly spoke to Flavio
Briatore, the managing director, in the second half of the season
and it was very difficult."
In late 1998, reflecting further on his time at Benetton,
Johnny told F1 Racing magazine:
"I never had a problem with Michael - it was the
team. He'd ask to stay in the car for another two days at a test
and they'd say, 'Okay Michael, no problem'. At the four day pre-Silverstone
test in 1995, when I went on to win the race, I only did half
a day's testing. I think he'd had enough on the final afternoon,
so I was allowed in.
"The trouble all started after I qualified fourth
in the first race in Brazil. Then we went on to Argentina, where
I was quicker than him in the first session. That night he told
the team that he didn't want me to see his data any more. The
next morning he came over to me and said, 'I'm sure you accept
you'll have secrets from me and I'll have some from you so you'll
understand if I don't show you my data in future'. But, of course,
he still had access to all of my data. What could I do about
it? Nothing. I had no say in the matter."
Let's remember 1995 for the best of times - Johnny's two
wonderful triumphs with Team Benetton-Renault. After that fantastic
maiden F1 win at the British GP, two months later a second victory
was added to his CV at Monza (photo, left). Johnny confirmed
again in 1995 that he is a winner. Although both victories came
about after the main protagonists for the World Championship,
Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher, crashed out, that does not
detract from Johnny's accomplishments - to finish first, first
you have to finish! By the end of the 1995 season, Johnny was
a two times F1 GP winner, which makes him a member of a pretty
exclusive club. No-one can ever take that away from him.
Following a period of uncertainty at the end of 1995,
Johnny was signed on a one year contract by the Sauber team.
Race results - Benetton
1995 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps completed)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Nov Adelaide (AUS) 8th DNF Driveshaft (69)
27 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 9th 3rd
20 Oct TI Aida (PAC) 7th 6th
1 Oct Nürburgring (EUR) 7th 5th
24 Sept Estoril (P) 6th 7th
10 Sept Monza (IT) 8th 1st
27 Aug Spa-Francorchamps(B) 4th 7th
13 Aug Hungaroring (H) 9th 4th
30 July Hockenheim (D) 9th 4th
16 July Silverstone 5th 1st
2 July Magny-Cours (F) 10th DNF Accident (2)
11 Jun Montreal (CAN) 6th DNF Accident (0)
28 May Monaco (MC) 7th 4th
14 May Catalunya (SP) 7th 2nd
30 Apl Imola (SM) 8th 7th
9 Apl Buenos Aries (AR) 11th 4th
26 Mar Interlagos (BR) 4th DNF Accident (30)
Benetton-Renault. Team mate: Michael Schumacher.
Total points 45. 4th in Championship (behind Schumacher, Hill
and Coulthard).
1994 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
13 Nov Adelaide (AUS) 7th DNF Gearbox (13)
6 Nov Suzuka (JPN) 5th DNF Spin (3)
No points. Benetton-Ford team mate: Michael Schumacher.
[Lotus to Portugal. Ligier for the European GP only.]
Lotus results
1989 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
18 Jun Montreal (CAN) DNQ
4 Jun Phoenix (USA) 25th 5th
28 May Mexico (MEX) 18th 15th
7 May Monaco (MC) 24th 14th
23 Apl Imola (SM) 23rd 11th
26 Mar Rio de Janeiro (BR) 10th 4th
First year in Formula 1. 5 points.
14th= in Championship. 4th in F1 debut race.
Benetton-Ford team-mate: Alessandro Nannini.
[Returned for Tyrrell-Cosworth at Spa and Portugal]
Three Years at Sauber
Following a period of uncertainty at the end of the 1995 season,
Johnny was signed on a one year contract by the Red Bull Sauber-Ford
team to partner Heinz-Harald Frentzen. After the year at Benetton,
Johnny took a risk by pitting himself against another German
driver who was very highly rated at the time - in February he
commented: "Many people think that Heinz is better than
Michael. It will be a challenge but that can only be a positive
thing."
As the 1996 season began, Sauber seemed to be as much
Frentzen's team as Benetton was Schumacher's in 1995. But Johnny
was assured that he would receive equal treatment and, after
initial hiccoughs over early testing, Peter Sauber was as good
as his word.
Once Johnny had accustomed himself to the new surroundings,
he rose to the challenge and put Frentzen under pressure for
much of the season, out-qualifying him three times (Barcelona,
Hungary and Monza). Johnny's 8th place on the grid at the Hongaroring
was Sauber's highest qualifying position of the year. His average
qualifying time over the whole season was only 0.4s slower than
Heinz-Harald Frentzen's (much closer than other recent team-mates).
In May, from 13th on the grid, Johnny claimed Sauber's first
ever podium position with a magnificent 3rd place at Monaco.
Fastest race lap times in 1996 also make interesting reading
- apart from in the first three races whilst Johnny was still
settling in at Sauber, and excluding Spa where neither completed
a lap, Johnny put in the fastest race lap in a Sauber 7 times
to Frentzen's 5 times. Frank Williams was so impressed with Frentzen's
speed that he signed the German for 1997 in preference to Damon
Hill...
During 1996, as he began to re-build his career and reputation,
Johnny showed that he still has the speed and determination to
succeed in Formula 1. Sauber were so impressed with him that,
as early as 22nd September, the team announced that Johnny had
signed to drive again for a further two years. Team Principal
Peter Sauber commented:
"I'm absolutely delighted that we have been able
to resign Johnny Herbert for the next two years. Despite some
difficult circumstances this season, Johnny has convinced everybody
with his performance, and his professional attitude quickly earned
him the appreciation and support for us to reach the ambitious
goals we have for the future."
Unfortunately, neither the Sauber C15 nor the new Ford
V10 engine were competitive during Johnny's first year at Sauber,
so the 1996 results were limited. But, during his first year
with the Swiss team, Johnny again showed everyone that, with
equal equipment and the full support of the team, he ranks amongst
the best racing drivers in the world. Sauber went into 1997 buoyed
up by the prospect of a new engine, funded and badged by Petronas
using Ferrari technology, run by a team headed up by Osamu Goto,
ex-Ferrari and Honda.
Although the 1997 car was late, initial tests of the Sauber-Petronas
C16 were promising and it was competitive right from the start
of the 1997 season, when Johnny had several fourth row grid positions,
a fourth place in Argentina and fifth in Spain. For the first
time in F1, Johnny headed the timesheets in a practice session
when he went quickest overall at Monaco in May 1997 in Thursday
free practice. Best result of the season was the third place
at Hungary, Johnny second podium position for Sauber. Johnny
celebrated his 100th GP at Imola in April.
Johnny had three team-mates throughout the year: Nicola
Larini, who departed in high dudgeon after Monaco because he
felt he was being treated as second best; Gianni Morbidelli,
who broke his arm in testing and was sidelined for a few races;
and Norberto Fontana , who was thrown in at the deep end and
almost drowned. Johnny out-qualified them all and was the only
driver to be quicker than his team-mates in qualifying at every
one of the 17 races in 1997.
Unfortunately, the early competitiveness could not be
sustained throughout the whole season. After three 7ths and an
8th on the grid during the first five race weekends, Johnny was
never in the top 10 again, until he claimed 8th at Suzuka. Sauber
had another season of unfulfilled promise.
At the end of 1997, Johnny was hopeful that things would
improve in 1998, as he commented in an exclusive interview with
the website's David Cunliffe:
"This year we had a competitive car at the beginning
of the season but when the others were developing in the season,
we probably didn't develop enough. For next year, we've got to
have a good car from the beginning and enough development through
the year to make it work at the end of the year. We've got to
fight very hard to achieve that."
At the beginning of 1998, the team hoped that having two
top line drivers in 1998 would help to improve its position (6th
in 1997) in the Championship. Jean Alesi, signed on a two year
contract, joined Johnny for the 1998 campaign. Unfortunately,
it was another season of unfulfilled promise. It started well
for Johnny when he qualified a superb fifth, nearly 2 seconds
faster than Jean Alesi, on the Melbourne grid. He was effusive:
"I came here hoping to qualify in the top six, so
I am delighted with fifth place on the grid. The team has done
a fantastic job today. The C17 is a very responsive car, and
every change we made to the set-up this afternoon improved it.
It still feels a little nervous and twitchy under certain conditions,
but it's quick and that is the main point. Tomorrow I shall be
aiming for the strong finish that the team deserves."
Johnny finished 6th in the Australian race and scored
one point. And that was that for 1998 - never again did he finish
in the points, and he ended up equal 15th in the Championship,
his worst year in F1 since 1994, when he failed to score a point
during the death throes of Team Lotus. Alesi had a better year,
scoring one third place podium finish at Spa and a total of 9
points, which earned him 11th place in the Championship. In the
early part of 1998, Johnny was more than a match for Alesi in
qualifying but it began to swing the other way as the team decided
to focus more on their latest signing.
Johnny's relationship with Alesi got off to a rocky start
when they came together in practice in South America:
"Argentina started terribly when my team mate Jean
Alesi drove into me on our installation lap in the first session
on the Friday. I can only guess that he was asleep. I was in
front coming into the Senna 'S's and he missed his braking and
drove straight into the side of me. The whole of the side of
my car was smashed; the floor was broken and some of the electrics
were knocked about. It was so annoying because we'd done no laps.
If you're bit by someone it's a pain, but to he hit by your team
mate is even worse. I've accepted his apology, but what else
can I do? It happened, it pissed me off but you've just got to
get on with the next session."
The next major problem arose at the British GP, when the
team asked Johnny to let Alesi overtake mid-race whilst they
were chasing Irvine's Ferrari. The two Saubers were on different
strategies and Alesi, on less fuel, was quicker. Johnny was unhappy
though, because the command to move over on the radio distracted
him, resulting in him spinning out of his home GP. Johnny told
Thomas Gmür in a website exclusive interview:
"The whole thing was about strategies. My strategy
was one stop, his was two stops. It was no gaining position.
We were fighting for fifth and sixth. He wasn't as quick as Irvine,
I wasn't as quick as Irvine. So, as for it being a benefit for
the team, it didn't make any difference. It would have been either
fifth or sixth or sixth and fifth, makes no difference."
At the next race meeting, the Austrian GP, there was another
demoralising event. Alesi was, amazingly, in with a shot a pole
position during drying track conditions in the last few minutes
of qualifying, and Johnny was again asked to move out of his
team-mate's way. Johnny, who was on his best run at the time,
had to abort his fastest lap and ended up in a lowly 18th spot,
16 places and nearly 3 seconds behind Alesi. A later incident,
during testing at Monza, showed that Johnny's relationship with
Alesi had deteriorated beyond repair:
"He was running behind me. I saw him get the pit
board to come in but he stayed on my tail for another two laps.
When I got back to the pits, he'd already stormed off to see
Peter Sauber to complain. There were other times when he was
just like a little baby spitting out his dummy:"
The problems with Alesi, who had obviously become the
team's No1 driver in Peter Sauber's eyes, helped precipitate
Johnny's departure from Sauber after three ultimately disappointing
years. But in November 1998, Johnny was still positive when summing
up his time at Sauber:
"I’ve enjoyed my three years at Sauber, especially
after the hoo-ha at Benetton. There have been some highs and
lows but 95% has been highs. The team has grown a lot over the
years. It was never hugely competitive before I came on board,
and the first year after that wasn’t too hot either. We
got things going much better for the second year, and the results
came quite well. We should probably have achieved more, but at
least we moved up a level.
"We had some success [in 1997], and we all thought
it would be better in 1998. It hasn’t quite worked out that
way. There hasn’t really been a big highlight for me this
season. It started out with one point in Australia, and outqualifying
Jean [Alesi] at Suzuka in my last race was nice. It’s good
to leave the with a much better performance. It started off well
and ended well.
Johnny signed a two year deal with the Stewart-Ford team
in September 1998 and teams up with Rubens Barrichello for the
1999 campaign.
Race results at Sauber
1998 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
----------------------------------------------------------
1 Nov Suzuka (JPN) 11th 10th
27 Sep Nürburgring (LUX) 13th DNF Engine (37)
13 Sep Monza (I) 15th DNF Spin (12)
30 Aug Spa-Francorchamps (B) 12th DNF Accident (0)
16 Aug Hungaroring (H) 15th 10th
2 Aug Hockenheim (D) 12th DNF (37)
26 Jul A1-Ring (A) 18th 8th
12 Jul Silverstone (GB) 9th DNF Spin (27)
28 Jun Magny Cours (F) 13th 8th
7 Jun Montreal (CAN) 12th DNF
24 May Monaco (MCO) 9th 7th Spin (18)
10 May Catalunya (SP) 7th 7th
26 Apl Imola (SM) 11th DNF Puncture
12 Apl Buenos Aries (AR) 12th DNF Rammed by Hill (46)
29 Mar Interlagos (BR) 14th 12th
8 Mar Melbourne (AUS) 5th 6th
Red Bull Sauber-Petronas. Team-mate: Jean Alesi.
Finished 15th= in the Championship with 1 point.
Team-mate Alesi finished 11th with 9 points.
1997 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
26 Oct Estoril (P) 14th 8th
12 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 8th 6th (Villeneuve DQed)
28 Sep Nürburgring (LUX) 16th 7th
21 Sep A1-Ring (A) 12th 8th
7 Sep Monza (I) 12th DNF Accident (38)
24 Aug Spa-Francorchamps (B) 11th 4th (Häkkinen DQed)
10 Aug Hongaroring (H) 10th 3rd
27 Jul Hockenheim (D) 14th DNF Hit by Diniz (8)
13 Jul Silverstone (GB) 9th DNF
29 Jun Magny-Cours (F) 14th 8th
15 Jun Montreal (CAN) 13th 5th
25 May Catalunya (SP) 10th 5th
11 May Monaco (MCO) 7th DNF Accident (9)
27 Apl Imola (SM)(100th GP) 7th DNF Electrics (18)
13 Apl Buenos Aries (AR) 8th 4th
30 Mar Interlagos (BR) 13th 7th
9 Mar Melbourne (AUS) 7th DNF Accident (0)
Red Bull Sauber-Petronas.
Team-mates: Nicola Larini (to Monaco), Gianni Morbidelli (from
Spain), Norberto Fontana (France, GB & Germany).
Finished 10th in the Championship with 15 points (after Schumacher's
2nd place annulled). Larini scored 1 point, Morbidelli &
Fontana 0.
1996 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
13 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 13th 10th
22 Sept Estoril (P) 12th 8th
8 Sept Monza (I) 13th 9th (engine failed last lap)
25 Aug Spa-Francorchamps (B) 12th DNF Accident (0)
11 Aug Hungaroring (H) 8th DNF Engine (35)
28 Jul Hockenheim (D) 14th DNF Gearbox (25)
14 Jul Silverstone (GB) 13th 9th
30 Jun Magny-Cours (F) 17th DQ Illegal turning vanes
16 Jun Montreal (CAN) 15th 7th
2 Jun Catalunya (SP) 9th DNF Spin (22)
19 May Monaco (MC) 13th 3rd
5 May Imola (SM) 15th DNF Engine misfire (25)
28 Apl Nürburgring (EUR) 12th 7th
7 Apl Buenos Aries (AR) 17th 9th
31 Mar Interlagos (BR) 12th DNF Electrics (28)
10 Mar Melbourne (AUS) 14th DNF Accident (0)
Red Bull Sauber-Ford. Team-mate: Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
Finished 14th in the Championship with 4 points.
Frentzen 12th, 7 points.
Stewart-Ford
Johnny joins an up and coming team
In early September 1998, it was announced that, after three years
at Sauber, Johnny was joining the Stewart-Ford team on a two
year contract. It was later confirmed that he would partner the
team's existing driver, Rubens Barrichello, for the new season.
Johnny was excited at the prospect:
"I’ve been looking at what Stewart’s doing
and I’m very happy about it. The Ford deal with Cosworth
is a good thing, and getting Gary Anderson along is another positive
step. He’s done a good job at Jordan over the years, and
it’s a good idea to get someone who has that experience
and knowledge to come to a young team like this, which needs
a little bit of pulling together.
"I want to work hard at getting that to work, and
I’m sure Jackie and Paul Stewart, and Ford, want the same.
The way things are changing is very encouraging. It’s a
new challenge.
"The relationship with Jackie and Paul, and all the
guys will be good. I know the Ford people very well - I seem
to have spent most of my career with the company for some reason!
The whole thing is moving in a positive direction. I can’t
wait!"
In January 1999, Jackie Stewart explained why he had signed
Johnny:
"He brings many things to the team: experience, knowledge,
a great British following, great enthusiasm and motivation. In
a funny sort of way, we might have needed him more last year
for motivation than we do this year because there's a real buzz
in the team now. I think he's going to be very competitive; he's
got to a turning point in his career and he knows it. He's very
keen to deliver for us this year."
Trial runs
Johnny had his first run in the new SF3 in January 1999 at Silverstone.
By e-mail to the website, he commented:
"With this first run, the signs look good for the
feel and balance of the car. It does not have any of the bad
feelings that I had in the SF2 at Barcelona before Christmas.
The new engine ran with no problems during my 25 laps and it
felt good for its first outing in a F1 car, with a very smooth
power delivery. We now have a full test at Jerez test to see
if our expectations will turn into reality."
After the Jerez test, Johnny drew comparisons between
the SF2 and the new car.
"Things are looking very bright, the chassis is a
big improvement on last year's. I feel that we have made a big
jump and I'm looking forward to a competitive year. With the
modifications we have to come and with further development work,
we can approach Melbourne with confidence."
First race
The team made a promising start in practice for the Australian
GP in March, with both cars being well up in the free sessions.
Rubens qualified the SF3 a magnificent 4th but Johnny was still
coming to terms with the car and ended up 13th on the grid. Unlucky
13? It was certainly a portent for the early part of the season...
After all the promise of Friday and Saturday, the Stewart-Ford
team endured a nightmare start to the Australian race. As the
cars slotted into their positions on the grid after the parade
lap, a plume of smoke appeared at the rear of Johnny's car. The
wisps of smoke turned into a white pall, and Johnny exited his
car as the marshals turned their extinguishers on the SF-3. Almost
simultaneously, team-mate Barrichello's car also went up in smoke.
The race start was aborted as Johnny and Rubens headed
back to the pit garage. Rubens ran, knowing the spare car was
his for the weekend; Johnny ambled back more slowly, knowing
that his race weekend was over. Shortly after, Johnny told ITV's
Louise Goodman what happened:
"As we came round to the grid, it seems that we both
had a similar problem. I could smell a lot of burning from the
bodywork at the back and then, from what we can gather, it burned
the wiring loom, because my throttle stopped working. It's a
bit of a shame because we started so well."
A tough start for the new boy
Rubens Barrichello was on stonking form for most of the 1999
season, his third (and last) with the Stewart-Ford team. For
the first 13 races (that unlucky number again!), the Brazilian
outqualified Johnny at every meeting, sometimes by over a second.
As Johnny struggled to get to grips with a new car, engine and
team, his confidence was hit by Barrichello's impressive performances.
It didn't help that the team seemed incapable, for more than
half of the season, to field two competitive and reliable cars.
In the first seven races, Johnny had six DNFs...
The tide began to turn a little in June in Canada. On
the weekend when Ford gave team boss Jackie Stewart a happy 60th
birthday present - they bought the team in a multi-million dollar
deal - Johnny added to the celebrations by driving an excellent
race, from 10th on the grid, to fifth place, claiming his first
ever points for Stewart-Ford. After the race, Johnny's official
comments were:
"I'm delighted to finish my first Grand Prix of the
year and to come away with two points is a bonus. It's been quite
a weekend for the whole team - with the announcement that Ford
has acquired the team and Jackie's 60th birthday. I'm really
pleased for my crew. They did another great job but this time
they have been rewarded."
You can see how happy Johnny was about his Canadian result
from the video he sent to the website from Montreal:
The rumours start - will he stay or will he go?
Rubens Barrichello, who was at the top of his form, continued
to out-qualify and, generally, out-race Johnny. So much so that
in mid-season the rumours began to fly that Johnny would not
see out the second year of his contract. Possible replacements
mentioned in the Autosport gossip columns, sorry, news pages,
were Ferrari supersub Mika Salo, Ralf Schumacher, Heinz-Harald
Frentzen, Alex Wurz, F3000 champion Nick Heidfeld, and even Stewart
F3 racer and F1 test driver, Luciano Burti.
The on-off rumours continued for weeks. But Johnny kept
his head down, dismissing them with a curt:
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm driving for Ford in
F1 next year. It would cost a lot to buy me out of my contract."
Johnny retained by the big cat
Johnny held his nerve, his on track performances continued to
improve, and he was rewarded in mid September when it was announced
that the team would honour his contract. At the same time, another
Autosport rumour, the worst kept secret in F1, proved correct.
The team was to be renamed Jaguar.
It had already been confirmed that the other Jaguar driver
would be Eddie Irvine, who is to swap places with the Ferrari-bound
Rubens Barrichello. The press took to calling Irvine the team's
"No1", but that was given short shrift by Jackie Stewart,
retained as team boss by Jaguar, in an interview on BBC Radio
5. JYS was asked whether Eddie Irvine would be the team leader
and replied:
“You can't afford, with the amount of money we spend
in Formula One, to have a number one and number two. We have
to give equal equipment and performance to both of our drivers
and we want Johnny to step up. I think he is capable of doing
this to be able to keep up with Eddie."
In the official Jaguar launch press release, Jackie said:
"Johnny is already part of the 'family' and we are
pleased to have him with us for another year. It has been good
to see him move closer to Rubens in the latter half of 1999 and
we anticipate him running consistently closer to the front of
the grid next season."
Just desserts
September was a good month for Johnny. Not only was his place
with the team confirmed but, at the Nürburgring, he out-qualified
Rubens for the first time. Even better than that - he won the
race! It was the Stewart team's historic maiden victory, a fantastic
achievement for a team in only its third season.
The 1999 European GP victory was probably the best of
Johnny's three wins to date. In tricky conditions, with two heavy
showers causing mayhem, Johnny called the strategy just right,
switching to wets at exactly the right moment, and back to dries
again as the track began to dry. Team-mate Barrichello was third,
and the two main title contenders, Mika Hakkinen and Eddie Irvine,
could only finish 5th and 7th.
Self-effacing as ever, Johnny put the win down to two
lucky stones given to him by his Jamaican mechanic Ricky, one
inscribed with the word "Jamaica" and the other with
"Lucky."
"Before the race, I got all the mechanics together
and we rubbed them," joked Johnny.
In a more serious assessment of the win, Johnny said that
the real secrets of his success were hard graft and self-belief,
which had brought him through what had, until then, been a disappointing
season. He said:
"For me it's so satisfying because of the difficulties
I've had. I've stuck to my guns. I believe in myself. I've always
been someone who, when it's been tough, I've worked at it."
In the remaining two races of the season, Johnny maintained
his newly found good form, out-qualifying Rubens, and beating
him in the race, both times. The team-mates respectively finished
4th and 5th in Malaysia, and 7th and 8th in Japan. Buoyed up
by his upturn in form and fortune, Johnny looks forward to the
new Millennium with increased confidence. He's ready to show
Eddie Irvine who will be the real No1 at Jaguar...
Team-mate: Rubens Barrichello.
Qualifying ratio: Herbert 3 - 13 Barrichello.
Jaguar
Johnny retained by the big cat
Johnny's improvement in performance at Stewart-Ford later in
his first year with the team were rewarded in mid September 1999
when it was announced that the team would honour the second year
of his contract. At the same time, another Autosport rumour,
the worst kept secret in F1, proved correct. The team was to
be renamed Jaguar.
It was also confirmed that the other Jaguar driver would
be Eddie Irvine, who swapped places with the Ferrari-bound Rubens
Barrichello. The press took to calling Irvine the team's "No1",
but that was given short shrift by Jackie Stewart, retained as
team boss by Jaguar, who said:
"You can't afford, with the amount of money we spend
in Formula One, to have a number one and number two. We have
to give equal equipment and performance to both of our drivers
and we want Johnny to step up. I think he is capable of doing
this to be able to keep up with Eddie."
In the official Jaguar launch press release, Jackie said:
"Johnny is already part of the 'family' and we are
pleased to have him with us for another year. It has been good
to see him move closer to Rubens in the latter half of 1999 and
we anticipate him running consistently closer to the front of
the grid next season."
Johnny enthused by Jaguar's racing heritage
Johnny told the Jaguar Racing website at the launch of the Jaguar-Cosworth
R1 on 25th January 2000:
"We're certainly looking to recapture the glory days
of Jaguar from sports cars. As a British driver, it's probably
the most emotional job you can have. We're bringing in a name
the like of which can only be compared with Ferrari. Jaguar has
a great heritage, it's very popular, and it's legendary at Le
Mans. I think a lot of people will want us to carry that through
to Formula One. I hope that the following for Jaguar in Britain
and abroad is huge!"
Pre-season testing starts encouragingly
Johnny's new Millennium got off to a great start with some encouraging
performances in pre-season testing in Spain in January and February.
At the car's first tests in January, Johnny was quickest or near
the top of the time sheets in Jerez and Barcelona. A temporary
glitch caused by the oil circulation system led to problems in
one test but the team soon remedied that. Unfortunately, the
problem turned out to be more serious than first thought and
set back the development of the car.
Even though the problems meant that test ended early,
Johnny was still optimistic:
"We've been stopping a lot and losing a lot of track
time, which is frustrating. The feeling of the car has been very
positive, but like everyone else, we've got to improve it a bit
more. We're okay - if we can do what we did in the first test,
we'll be absolutely fine. I'm still optimistic as we stand today."
But the season starts badly...
In a portent of what was to come, Johnny had a disastrous start
to the 2000 season in Melbourne. Mechanical problems haunted
him all through practice - after which he qualified a dismal
20th - and continued into the race, during which he lasted less
than a lap before his clutch failed. Although team-mate Irvine
manfully monstered the ill-handling big cat to 7th on the grid,
his race lasted little longer than Johnny's. Gearbox problems
were to account for another five DNFs for Johnny throughout his
dismal season.
And gets no better...
What was almost certainly Johnny's last season as a full time
F1 driver turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments
of his career. It ended with zero points. There were only four
finishes in the top 10 - two 7ths (Austria and Japan), an 8th
(Belgium), and a 9th (Monaco).
Johnny struggled with the recalcitrant Jaguar in practice
all season long, qualifying in the top 10 only twice, at Spa
and Suzuka. Team-mate Irvine seemed better able than Johnny to
wring the car's neck, put in a banzai lap and qualify it higher
than it deserved, ending up in the top 10 quite often.
Johnny and his team-mate were better matched in the races
but neither man had the car they needed. With inadequate aerodynamics,
the car lacked rear-end stability at speed. Anyone who saw the
twitchy, ill-handling "big cat" tackling high speed
corners had another name for it. Totally lacking in feline grace,
the Jaguar R1 was a dog...
Ex-Jordan chief designer Gary Anderson was held responsible
and the Irishman was summarily dismissed when the team's new
CEO, Bobby Rahal, formally took charge after the season ended.
Jaguar Racing is continuing to restructure and could eventually
make it to the top. At least Johnny had a small part to play
in its history, after scoring the team's only victory in its
former guise as Stewart GP.
Highlights? He had a few but then again...
There were very few highlights during the season but at
least one is worth a mention. Johnny's opening stint at Indianapolis
was probably his best drive of 2000. Like last year at the Nürburgring,
scene of Johnny's third F1 victory, the conditions were changeable.
On a damp but drying track, Johnny made an inspired choice. Alone
on the grid, he took a win or bust gamble and started the race
on dry tyres.
But it almost didn't come off.
On the first lap, struggling for grip, he went grass-tracking
and dropped back to dead last, crossing the famous yard of bricks
at the end of the lap a couple of seconds behind the rest of
the field. But he was, to use the local vernacular, awesome over
the next 20 odd laps. Slipstreaming down the main straight, he
passed all and sundry, including Rubens Barrichello, whose Ferrari
eventually finished second, and Jacques Villeneuve, who finished
fourth. Johnny dragged his Jaguar up to a magnificent fifth before
stopping for his first planned pitstop.
Unfortunately, that's where it all went awry. The concrete
pit apron was still damp and Johnny overshot the mark, clipped
a wheel gun and damaged his front wing, necessitating a nose
change. Nevertheless, Johnny was in a bubbly mood after the race,
when he said:
"The conditions played into my hands at the beginning
of the race as I decided to start on grooved tyres which gave
me an advantage, but then turned against me in my pitstop! I
hit a puddle in the pitlane which knocked me into the path of
a wheel gun and damaged my front wing. We had the strategy and
we had the pace but we just didn’t have the luck.
"The early stages were great fun as it was good old-fashioned
racing and it was a real pleasure to pass a Ferrari. It's annoying
when everything is going so well that such a tiny mistake can
cause so much time to be lost. Having said that I've enjoyed
my first race at Indianapolis and can't wait to come back here
next year for the 500!"
By then, Johnny had already announced that he was quitting
F1, and seeking a new career in the USA. Everything didn't go
quite to plan there either...
Johnny goes out with a bang
The season ended with an horrific crash at Sepang. As
all too often in a career blighted by bad luck, Johnny's luck
deserted him - but his luck returned and may have saved him from
a much worse fate.
On lap 48 of his last GP for Jaguar, and possibly ever,
Johnny's Jaguar's rear-suspension collapsed spectacularly at
one of the quickest parts of the circuit, throwing him into the
barriers at high speed. Good fortune favoured him in that the
car remained upright when it could so easily have pitched into
a barrel roll. But it hit the barriers hard and hearts sank as
Johnny was lifted from the cockpit by the marshals. Memories
of his horrific F3000 accident sprang unbidden to mind. But the
damage wasn't as bad as it first appeared - nothing was broken,
he suffered just severe bruising to his legs.
The irony wasn't lost on Johnny, who had to be carried
to his Benetton for his maiden race in Rio in 1989 because he
still could not walk properly following that F3000 accident a
few months earlier.
"I guess it was inevitable that, because I began
my career being carried to the car, I would end it being carried
out of it. There is nothing like ending your career with a bang."
Where next?
On 26th July 2000, Johnny told a news conference in Frankfurt
that his F1 career was over and that he was seeking a drive in
the USA:
"I decided that I will go to the American CART series
next year. Obviously I've got to sign a contract for a drive
but that's what I want to do next year."
For more information, see the USA page of this biography.
When the hoped for CART drive failed to materialise, Johnny
had to reconsider his career options and decided to take an offer
from the Arrows F1 team to be their test and development driver
for 2001, leaving him free to pursue drives in both the Indianapolis
500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours. The man has plenty of racing left
in him yet...
Jaguar Results
2000 Circuit Grid Race Out (laps)
22 Oct Kuala Lumpur (M) 12th DNF 47 (Suspension)
8 Oct Suzuka (JPN) 10th 7th
24 Sep Indianapolis (USA) 17th 11th
10 Sep Monza (I) 18th DNF 0 (Accident)
27 Aug Spa (B) 9th 8th
13 Aug Hungaroring (H) 17th DNF 67 (Gearbox)
30 Jul Hockenheim (D) 8th DNF 11 (Gearbox)
16 Jul A1-Ring (A) 16th 7th
2 Jul Magny Cours (F) 11th DNF 20 (Gearbox)
18 Jun Montreal (CAN) 11th DNF 14 (Gearbox)
4 Jun Monaco (MCO) 10th 9th
21 May Nürburgring (EUR) (150th GP) 11th 16th
7 May Catalunya (SP) 14th 13th
23 Apl Silverstone (GB) 14th 12th
9 Apl Imola (SM) 17th 10th
26 Mar Interlagos (BR) 17th DNF 53 (Gearbox)
12 Mar
Melbourne (AUS) 20th DNF 0 (Clutch)
Net result: 0 points. Team-mate Eddie Irvine scored 4
points.
Test driver, Luciano Burti, stood in for Irvine at one race.
Qualifying ratio: Herbert 3 - 13 Irvine; Herbert 1 - 0 Burti.
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