Johnny Herbert blind-sided by Sky F1 axing and still in the dark over decision

07 April 2023 , 09:00

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Johnny Herbert was cut from Sky Sports F1's presenting team for this season (Image: Soapbox PR)

Johnny Herbert has no idea why Sky Sports made the "disappointing" decision to axe him from their Formula 1 presenting team after 11 years.

Herbert joined the broadcaster when it won the rights to show F1 action in the UK from the 2012 season. From that point on he was a mainstay in Sky's coverage of the sport – but is no longer part of the team after he and Paul di Resta did not have their contracts renewed.

When Mirror Sport asked Sky why their contracts had not been renewed, the broadcaster said it did not wish to disclose personal information. Herbert could not give the reason himself, either – because he doesn't know.

"I didn’t decide to step away – I thought everything was going ahead!" he told Mirror Sport. "And then I got a call in December, I think it was, when I was told things were changing.

"It wasn't explained why or what was changing. There was a mention of social media stuff and that was about it, really. I don't really know.

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"I was always aware – at Sky they do these subscriber checks where you're given points out of 10 – and I've always known I was always quite popular on that side. It's a shame, but I'm over it. Moving on."

Herbert now presents his own podcast, Lift the Lid, with co-host Billy Monger. The two racers give their views on the big F1 stories, informed by their own experiences, and were first brought together by their own near-fatal crashes.

Johnny Herbert now presents his own podcast with Billy Monger (Soapbox PR)

The 58-year-old added: "This is great to do with Billy, for example. There are other opportunities out there, once again just proving that if you work hard you can find different avenues to carry on being involved with the sport we love.

"So there's other things going on, which is fine. Yes, it's disappointing, but I've moved on." Those who may be hoping Herbert may pop up on their TV screens this season in another way – for example, through Channel 4 which shows race highlights and offers its own punditry – should prepare to be disappointed.

"That hasn’t come into play," he said. "I did my 11 years at Sky and it was good. Now there are other things I'm doing. Because it was in December it was all quite late in terms of sorting other things out. There are a lot of other opportunities but, in terms of seeing me on a TV screen, there's probably nothing planned on that front."

Listen to Billy and Johnny's Lift The Lid on Apple Podcasts.

Daniel Moxon