What Doesn't Kill You...
Johnny Herbert was one of the most brilliant natural talents to emerge in motor racing, but for all his bravery and prowess, he's lucky to be alive. After becoming British Junior Karting Champion (losing part of a finger in the process), then the Formula 3 title for Eddie Jordan in 1987, he was all set for a glittering debut season in Formula 1 when he was caught in a mass pile-up at Brands Hatch. That horrific crash threatened to end his career, but Herbert made a miraculous recovery, was a hugely popular winner of the British Grand Prix in 1995, and enjoyed 25 years of competitive motorsport, becoming the only British driver to win the 24 hours of Le Mans followed by a Grand Prix. And all that despite driving every pace in extreme pain; in fact, as the first and only disabled driver in F1 history.
While chronicling an extraordinary life behind the wheel with cheer and his trademark cheeky humour, What Doesn't Kill You... contains a wealth of stories from the hard end of Formula 1: on Johnny's team-mate Michael Schumacher, legends like Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, his fellow British adversaries Damon Hill, Martin Brundle and Nigel Mansell, and of course all those gruesome accidents. With an encyclopaedic knowledge and love of the sport, Johnny Herbert's autobiography, much like the man himself, delivers brilliance from the back of the grid.
Johnny Herbert is one of only nine British drivers to win a Grand Prix since the 1970s, tasting success with Benetton at Silverstone and Monza in 1995, then delivering a one and only top podium place for Jackie Stewart’s team at the 1999 European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. He also became the first active Formula 1 driver to win the endurance classic 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Bertrand Gachot and Volker Weidler in 1991, and has been a champion at karting, the Formula Ford Festival, Formula 3, the Eurpoean Le Mans and the Speedcar Series in his long and varied career.
As one of the lead pundits on Sky Sports' Formula 1 channel, he remains high-profile and hugely popular. Johnny is widely admired for his encyclopaedic knowledge of motor-racing, as well as for his extraordinary driving skills, legendary sense of humour and love of the sport.