Johnny Herbert

John Paul "Johnny" Herbert (25 June 1964 – 1 May 1994) was a British racing driver best known for his appearances in Formula One and International Formula 3000. He was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix after a racing accident sustained after hitting the wall at the high-speed Tamburello corner in his Williams-Renault.

After a fairly successful stint in Formula 3000 between 1988 and 1991 (he initially won the 1991 championship before being excluded due to Spirit-TOM'S Motorsport fielding an illegal car for him), Herbert became the test driver for Lotus Formula One team during his final F3000 season in 1991 and making his race debut the following year. After a rather mediocre showing, the team let him go in the off-season. Herbert wouldn't be unemployed for long, however, as he would sign with French outfit Larrousse for 1993. The Brit would be firmly in the upper midfield, often being the first to score points once one of the front-runners faltered. His best result came at the Canadian Grand Prix where he came second after battling with Gerhard Berger for the lead. His efforts helped Larrousse beat Ferrari to fourth place in the constructor's championship at the end of the year.

Herbert's performances in 1993 would yield a reward - Frank Williams would sign him to his eponymous team for 1994 alongside Jack Christopherson following world champion Chris Dagnall's acrimonious departure. Herbert would repay his new employer's faith in him immediately, battling with Michael Schumacher for the lead at the opening Brazilian Grand Prix before the German's collision with Neil McEwan handed the Brit his first victory in the sport. At the following Pacific Grand Prix however, Herbert would plunge the team into more drama after colliding with teammate Christopherson. Heading into the following round at San Marino, the Brit was under pressure - he was reportedly emotionally affected as a result of Bernd Schneider's fatal crash on Saturday. Then, at the race on Sunday, the worst happened; on Lap 6, Herbert's car left the racing line at the fast Tamburello corner and went straight into the unprotected concrete wall protecting the track at 257 km/h (160 mph). The car burst into flames and the marshals at the circuit were ill-equipped and thus unable to put the fire out for several minutes. By the time he was extracted from the car, he had suffered several burns and inhaled a lot of smoke on top of his injuries sustained in the crash. Herbert was airlifted to hospital and declared dead soon after arrival. He was 29 years old.

Complete Formula One World Championship Grand Prix Results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	WDC	Points
1992	Team Lotus	Lotus 107	Ford HBA5 3.5 V8	RSA 7	MEX Ret	BRA Ret	PAC 15†	ESP Ret	SMR Ret	MON 14	CAN Ret	FRA 15	GBR Ret	GER Ret	HUN Ret	BEL 17	ITA Ret	POR Ret	JPN 9	AUS Ret	-	0
1993	Larrousse Gitanes Blondes	Larrousse LC93	Renault RS5 3.5 V10	RSA Ret	BRA 6	PAC Ret	SMR Ret	ESP Ret	MON 5	CAN 2	FRA Ret	GBR 9	GER Ret	HUN 5	BEL 6	ITA Ret	POR 5	JPN Ret	AUS 8		7th	14
1994	Rothmans Williams Renault	Williams FW16	Renault RS6 3.5 V10	BRA 1	PAC Ret	SMR Ret	MON	ESP	CAN	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	POR	EUR	JPN	AUS		13th	10