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Johnny Herbert relives the miserable demise of the once-mighty Lotus Formula 1 team in the latest episode of our Bring Back V10s classic F1 stories podcast.
By 1994 the team that had revolutionised F1 in its heyday was on its knees, beginning the year with a ‘C-spec’ version of a two-year chassis amid major financial problems.
Herbert joins Glenn Freeman and Edd Straw to reveal the full inside story of that season, including the rollercoaster of the Monza weekend when an engine upgrade helped Herbert to qualify fourth… only for a first-corner punt from Eddie Irvine to destroy his race.
Next day, Lotus went into administration.
Herbert also recounts in amazing detail what he encountered when he arrived at the scene of team-mate Pedro Lamy’s terrifying airborne accident in testing at Silverstone shortly after the San Marino Grand Prix, a weekend in which Lotus had already faced its own incidents amid the wider tragedies of the Imola event.
And we explore McLaren’s attempts to grab Herbert from Lotus before the start of 1994, plus his feelings as he watched the team finally collapse completely after his late-season exit for Benetton via Ligier.
To find the show on your podcast provider of choice, search for ‘Bring Back V10s – classic F1 stories’.
– Listen via Apple Podcasts
– Listen via Spotify
