The veterans’ view
’90s Grand Prix heroes Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill on F1’s challenges
THE NEW BOSS
Johnny Herbert:
‘Domenicali’s widely liked but he’s coming into a sharkinfested tank. I think he’s got the right mentality for it.’
Damon Hill:
‘Is F1 too big for one man to run? It’s a massively complicated thing, but it’s also quite a small community. So having one guy who you know you can go to for an answer is a good thing. But it overwhelmed even Bernie in the end.’
GOING GREEN
Damon Hill:
‘We should be doing everything possible. If you throw this problem at a bunch of extremely talented engineers, and you don’t say “we’ve got to have an oil sponsor”, what is the solution?’
Johnny Herbert:
‘There has got to be a wow factor. There’s a big push to get more battery-electric road cars out there but there are still many questions.’
Damon Hill:
‘The damage F1 does to the environment is tiny, but the message it sends is a di erent matter. The manufacturers are following policy imposed on them and trends. F1 can go its own way.’
THE CLASSIC TRACKS
Damon Hill:
‘Nostalgia is a way of exporting the business to the world. If it wasn’t for Spa, Silverstone, Monza and Monaco, then F1 wouldn’t appeal to other countries. It always has been a Europecentric sport. Covid has shown how much we have here that we don’t use. Fans would be flocking every weekend if they could.’
Johnny Herbert:
‘Fans want to see these drivers drive these monstrously powerful cars around a very tricky circuit, maybe getting caught out every now and again. Lewis, Charles, Max – they’re the ones really looking forward to these challenging circuits.’
Damon Hill:
‘Safety is a conundrum. How do we make it exciting but keep it safe? There has to be some excitement. If it’s perfectly safe, it’s not a challenge. The drivers have to be millimetre perfect, not metre perfect. I’d also ban radios again. I want to see the driver driving for himself. I don’t want to see someone telling him what to do to the settings. Do that and the skill is diminished.’