Johnny Herbert sorry after F1 star KNOCKED OFF Spanish GP podium

Johnny Herbert

Herbert sorry after F1 star KNOCKED OFF Spanish GP podium

The ex-F1 racer felt bad for one driver in particular after seeing a podium slip away in Barcelona

Joe Ellis

Wednesday 7 June 2023 21:57

Johnny Herbert admitted feeling sympathy with Carlos Sainz after the Ferrari driver was bumped off the podium by Mercedes at his home race.

The Madrid native started the race on the front row after a topsy-turvy qualifying but slipped all the way back to fifth as the Silver Arrows and a recovering Sergio Perez got through in the race.

Sanz was left to rue Ferrari's struggles in terms of degradation on perhaps the hardest track on the calendar for tyre wear.

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He still enjoyed a better weekend than his team-mate Charles Leclerc, though, as the Monegasque was knocked out in Q1 and then failed to reach the points on Sunday.

Carlos Sainz couldn't bring home a podium at his home race but he still beat fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who was seventh

Herbert: In real terms, he would have been third

“I felt very sorry for Carlos Sainz because he did a great job in qualifying, getting himself on that front row,” Herbert said on the Lift the Lid podcast.

“Then you go into the race itself and unfortunately for him, he had two Mercs going very quickly and knocking him off that podium.

“In real terms, he would have been third but it’s now because another team has suddenly got it all together and he lost out.”