Have you ever looked at how F1 drivers are winning races left and right, and wondered if there’s more to just their talents on display and the cars underneath them? Of course, championship victories aren’t won by the drivers behind the wheel, not by their lonesome. There’s an entire squad of engineers, technicians, strategists, mechanics, and more keeping the dream alive, and rallying around their team’s drivers.

From the race engineer that guides drivers through a race, keeping them on their toes as to what’s up around them. All the way to the pit crews swapping out tires or replacing broken bits on an F1 car as a race is going on in the background. While we give a lot of attention to the drivers, there are hundreds of other people and staff that support those drivers who are equally deserving of praise and love. 

Speaking of, there was a time back in the old days when even racing drivers from the same team had to compete against one another for attention from the bosses. It’s a reminder of the cutthroat nature of racing of yesteryear, compared to how it’s become today. This stark evolution in the management of F1 teams is well noted by Johnny Herbert, himself a former F1 driver (among other disciplines).

But not just any F1 driver, but a teammate of the legend himself, Michael Schumacher. Herbert and Schumacher raced together at Benetton when Flavio Briatore was in charge. In his recent interview, Johnny Herbert shared his thoughts on F1’s 2022 season. Amidst the conversation of rivalries in the current grid, he was asked about what it was like to be Schumi’s fellow teammate.

Only Focused On One Driver

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Johnny Herbert, despite his immense admiration and respect for Schumacher. At Benetton, he talked about how Michael was an expert in bringing together those around him. Plus, being able to get the very best out of his team, at any moment. It was quite tough at Benetton, as Johnny Herbert often found that he was side-lined in favor of Schumacher.

Briatore had a habit of focusing and putting his 100% behind a singular driver. If Michael asked for something, Briatore would always oblige. The same can’t be said about Johnny Herbert’s time with Benetton, which affected other No.2 drivers, as well. Jensen Button, as he raced alongside Michael later on, faced similar treatment. Understandably, this wouldn’t be easy on anyone’s mental state.

For Johnny Herbert, this one-sided behavior might’ve been why he was never put on a strong enough footing to win as many races as he could. He also spoke about his terrifying crash at Brands Hatch in 1988. At the time, he felt as though everything he worked to gain had practically disappeared. He finally got used to it once more, by adjusting the way he worked the pedals around his injured ankles.

Still, it wasn’t the same. That said, Johnny Herbert has proven that he’s got the skills to win races. He was the outright winner of the 1991 24-hours of Le Mans with Mazda. Looking at today’s crop of F1 drivers, he’s quite glad that teams (in general, anyway) give all their drivers equal chances to try and win.