THE UNDERRATED CHAMPION
The name Hill is a familiar one when we think of Formula One champions, and there is a fair chance most people will instantly think of Graham Hill. The charismatic double world champion is a legend of the sport and thoroughly deserves his place among the all-time greats. His son Damon went on to become World Champion himself in 1996, a thoroughly deserved achievement, he was also the first son of a champion to win the title. But Damon is not largely remembered as a Formula One great, to some his just the son of Graham, but that is not true, he was a talent in his own right.
Damon Hill's rise to the top level of motor sport is notably different to the usual route from karting, up to the junior categories and then to F1. As a child he once described motor sport as "boring adult stuff" as he watched his father's career before his eyes. By the time of his father's tragic death in a plane crash in 1975, the 15-year-old Damon had begun to develop an interest in racing but he preferred two wheels to four. Furthermore, his father's death left his family in drastically reduced circumstances, to support his further education, Hill found work as a labourer on a building site, and as a motorcycle courier.
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| Damon's father Graham won the World Championship in 1962 and again in 1968. |
In 1991, Hill became a test driver for the Williams Formula One team, and the following year he finally achieved his big break at the age of 31, relatively late for a newcomer. His debut came with the Brabham team, once a championship winning team but now racing in a dire financial situation. Impressively, Hill was able to match is talented team mate Eric van de Poele for pace, but in such an uncompetitive car he only managed to qualify for two races, the first being rather appropriately the British Grand Prix and then the Hungarian Grand Prix, the latter being the last for the Brabham outfit before their collapse, Hill continued to test for Williams for the rest of 1992.
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| An outdated car, coupled with a frankly awful colour scheme, Damon Hill made his debut at the 1992 British Grand Prix with the struggling Brabham team, almost unnoticed, he did manage to bring the car home. |
For 1993, Hill found himself promoted to the full time racing position at Williams, following the retirement of '92 champion Nigel Mansell and the intervention of returning 3-time champion of Alain Prost preventing his bitter rival Ayrton Senna from joining the team. Martin Brundle and Mika Hakkinen were also linked to the seat but subsequently it was Hill who was given the nod. His first race for the team in South Africa did not exactly prove a success after a spin at the first corner after moving up to second place, caused him to lose several places, then an over ambitious move by Alessandro Zanardi took both the Italian and Hill out. So that had not gone to plan, but the next two races in Brazil and at Donington Park saw Hill deliver mature performances which paid off with two second places, then another second came in the principality of Monaco before a third in Canada. At the French Grand Prix he took his first career pole position and finished second in the race to his team mate Prost in a one-two finish for Williams.
But bad luck struck Hill on a number of occasions throughout 1993, in San Marino and Spain, Hill lost podium finishes with brake failure in the former and engine failure in the latter. Worse was to come at his home Grand Prix at Silverstone when he was robbed of victory with another engine failure, and then at the very next race in Germany the real heartbreak came, a certain victory was lost when a puncture just two laps shy of the chequered flag, handing the win to Prost.
Hill's fortunes then changed following that cruel blow, in Hungary he dominated the race from start to finish to take his first career victory after a flawless performance. Damon then followed this up with two more wins in Belgium and Italy, and by doing so helped Williams clinch the constructors championship for the second consecutive year. Another outstanding drive came at the Portuguese Grand Prix where after taking pole position, he stalled before the start of the warm up lap and was sent to the back of the grid, but he stormed through the field to finish third. Hill's first full season of Formula One had been very impressive, some may say because he was driving the best car on the grid, that is true but he had shown he could hold his own at the top level by consistently matching his illustrious team mate, and that is something which marks out a strong season. Hill finished 1993 in third place in the championship with 69 points.
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| Hill takes a well deserved first win at the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix |
Damon remained with Williams for 1994 and was joined by the legendary three-time World Champion, Ayrton Senna. Hill managed to finish second in the first race in Brazil, but the banning of electronic driver aids made the car a handful, both Hill and Senna struggled with the handling characteristics in the first three races. And then came the San Marino Grand Prix when Senna was tragically killed, Hill now found himself the team leader in the worst possible atmosphere. He was the sole Williams in Monaco as the team chose not to enter a second car as a mark of respect, but for Damon it was a race to forget as he collided with Mika Hakkinen's McLaren at the first corner and retired.
A nightmare start for Hill and Williams, but the Spanish Grand Prix was the start of their season. Hill took advantage of runaway championship leader Michael Schumacher's gearbox troubles to take an emotional first victory of the season. Incidentally, his father won in Spain in 1968 for Lotus, which was their first after the death of another legend of the sport, Jim Clark. Hill's new team mate at Williams was the former test driver, David Coulthard, while Nigel Mansell made a return with four guest drives. The 1992 champion earned approximately £900,000 for these races whilst Damon was paid £300,000 for the entire season, which understandably caused a bit of tension between himself and the team, but what Hill was doing on the track was where he was shining.
The Englishman climbed back into title contention with a victory at the British Grand Prix, avenging the disappointment of the previous year, a win at his home Grand Prix was something his father never managed to achieve, Hill did the partisan British fans proud. His title rival Schumacher was excluded from that race for overtaking Hill (who was in pole position) on the warm up lap and then proceeding to ignore a black flag, the German would face a two-race ban after the Belgian Grand Prix which Hill was awarded the victory after Schumacher was again disqualified. Hill made the most of the two races in which Schumacher was banned, driving sensibly to take victories in Italy and Portugal and closing the gap on Schumacher to just 1 point in the drivers championship.
Schumacher returned at the European Grand Prix in Jerez, he took a crucial victory as Hill was slowed by miscalculations in the fuel strategy. Schumacher suggested that his rival Hill was not a world class driver, but he was forced to eat his words at the next race in Japan. In torrential rain, Schumacher led from the start but Hill managed to leap frog him in the pit stops, the race had been stopped on lap 13 due to several major accidents, and the restarted race would be decided on the aggregate corrected time from the red flag, Schumacher had finished part one with a 6.8 lead. Hill drove out of his skin towards the end of the race and he crossed the line on the track first, everyone was waiting for Schumacher to finish, he did so 10.1 seconds later, meaning Hill was declared the winner by 3.3 seconds and therefore taking the title right down to the wire in Adelaide, Australia.
Schumacher was leading the championship on 92 points, but Hill was right behind on 91. Lap 36, Schumacher in the lead of the race went off the track and damaged his car, Hill unsighted after being held up by a back marker saw an opportunity to pass, he went for the gap but Schumacher slammed the door shut and the two collided, the German was out on the spot while Hill retired in the pit lane with terminal suspension damage, the title went to Schumacher. Hill was devastated, had he become champion that year he would not only have been lauded as a hero in Britain but also he would have done it not tremendously difficult circumstances regarding the situation within the team. The way he revitalised the team following the loss of Ayrton Senna, mirrored that of his father 26 years earlier. Nonetheless, Damon had firmly stamped his mark, no-one could deny he was a quality driver by this point. He received the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for his performance throughout the year.
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| Hill and Schumacher collide in Adelaide, the Englishman missed the 1994 title by 1 point. |
Hill entered the 1995 season determined to claim the title that he was denied the previous year. But it proved to be a frustrating one for the Englishman. Had he become champion in 1994, it may have been a different story, given the significant confidence boost it would have provided. Instead he overdrove the car numerous times in 1995, while bad luck also denied him any chance of winning the title.
At the first race in Brazil, a potential victory was lost following a gearbox failure. But a dominant win in Argentina and another victory in San Marino gave him the championship lead, at that point it looked as if he may go on to achieve his dream but it all went downhill from there. In Spain he dropped from second to fourth at the end with hydraulic problems, while in Monaco his incredible qualifying pace did not translate to race pace as he was beaten by Michael Schumacher. Another gearbox problem ended his race in Canada, while in France it was a repeat of the Monaco Grand Prix. He could not convert pole position into race win, and his Williams pit crew were bettered by the brilliant work of the Benetton team, Schumacher won with Hill second again. Then at the British Grand Prix the same happened again, after the final round of pit stops, Hill, who had led from pole position, found himself behind Schumacher again. At his home Grand Prix he was not about to surrender victory, on lap 45 the Englishman saw a gap and went for the inside line but he wasn't close enough, he collided with the German and both their races were over. Memories of the infamous Adelaide incident were in everyone's mind, but this time Hill had been too exuberant. Things went from bad to worse at the German Grand Prix, and archrival Schumacher's home race. The Englishman was on pole position once more, but after just 1 lap, he spun out of the lead and the race altogether, giving away 10 valuable points to Schumacher.
Hill did manage to claw those 10 points back with victory in Hungary as Schumacher retired with fuel pump failure, but in Belgium the German once again gained the upper hand as he charged from 16th on the grid to win the race, Hill coming second again. The Italian Grand Prix saw another legendary Hill-Schumacher collision, whilst both came across Taki Inoue's Footwork, the Japanese got in the way and Hill mis-timed his braking, taking both of them out of the race. In Portugal, it was Hill was caught napping by Schumacher in the closing stages handing second place to his rival and giving away 2 more points. Then at the Nurburgring, the host of the European Grand Prix, Hill spun out of the race with nine laps to go, leading to another retirement, Schumacher's victory meant only a miracle could now prevent him from retaining his crown.
By now Hill was facing strong criticism from the British media after poor performances, he was deemed to not be forceful enough in battles with Schumacher. At the Pacific Grand Prix, the German officially became the 1995 champion as Hill came home third after another lacklustre race. The Japanese Grand Prix ended early for Hill when he spun out of the race. Some pride was restored with a victory at the season finale in Australia, but it was small consolation for Hill. Damon would go on to say that 1995 was "Horrible. Except for the birth of my daughter, it was not a good year."
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| Hill wins the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, ending a difficult season on a high note |
So 1995 was a year to forget for Hill, but he could look to 1996 with a clean slate. His new team mate was the young Canadian, reigning Indy Car champion, Jacques Villeneuve. The new boy was determined to take the title fight to Hill in his first season as the new Williams FW18 was by far the most competitve car on the grid. Villeneuve fulfilled his potential in Melbourne by taking pole for his debut race and almost winning, Hill was promoted to the lead when Villeneuve slowed due to fading oil pressure. It may have sounded like Hill was having his work cut out with Villeneuve, but that wasn't really the case, Melbourne was a new venue for F1, meaning no driver had an advantage when it came to experience of the circuit, plus although Villenueve was a rookie in Formula One, he was not exactly a complete novice. Hill answered his critics in Brazil when he dominated a rain-soaked race from pole position, he then repeated this performance at the very next race in Argentina, three wins from three races and a comfortable championship lead, Hill by now was feeling confident of realistic title prospects.
Villeneuve won the European Grand Prix but Hill responded with another victory in San Marino. But at Monaco, a race which his father won five times, a victory in the principality once again eluded Damon, he was leading comfortably when his engine blew in the tunnel, a crushing blow for the Englishman. Hill recorded important victories in Canada and France, with Villenueve following him home in both races, Hill had now increased his lead in the championship to 25 points and was looking unstoppable at this point.
The British fans would have loved to see nothing other than a Hill victory, in qualifying he delivered as he took his sixth pole position of the season, so far so good. But unfortunately it all came undone in the race, a poor getaway dropped him to 4th place. Whilst fighting back after his pit-stop a problem with a rear wheel nut caused him to spin off and retire. Villeneuve took victory and cut into Hill's points lead. Gerhard Berger's engine failure in the dying moments of the German Grand Prix gave Hill his seventh victory of the season and opened the gap back up to 19 points over his team mate. It was here that Villeneuve's title chase reignited, the Canadian won the Hungarian Grand Prix after a straight fight with Hill, the Englishman then lost valuable points in Belgium after a pit stop blunder. And the Italian Grand Prix sent shivers down the spine of British fans, Hill crashed out of the lead in the early stages of the race, fortunately for him Villeneuve failed to score, but this mistake did nothing to improve his confidence. The Canadian then won the Portuguese Grand Prix ahead of Hill, meaning that the championship went to the last race in Japan. Should Hill fail to score, a win for Villenueve would see him become the first rookie to ever win the title.
The Canadian kept his hopes a live and sent a huge psychological blow to Hill by qualifying on pole position by nearly half a second, quite a big difference in F1 terms for cars from the same team. Villenueve had nothing to lose whereas Hill had a whole catalogue of nightmare scenario's playing on his mind. But the Englishman kept his cool, took the lead at the start and kept pushing til the very end. Villeneuve retired when his right rear wheel flew off his car, ending his race and securing the title for Hill. Damon crossed the line to achieve the most coveted prize, and to become the first son of a World Champion to win the title himself. His potential had finally being realised.
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| A dream come true, Damon Hill celebrates becoming the 1996 Formula One World Champion |
Damon had finally won the World Championship, but 1996 would be his last season with Williams, the team had already chosen before the start of the season to not renew his contract, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen replaced him. He was offered drives with Ferrari, McLaren and Benetton as well as options from Jordan and newcomers, Stewart. But Hill felt that none were offering a salary worthy of his World Championship, instead he shocked many fans by signing for Tom Walkinshaw's rebooted Arrows team for 1997. His team mate would be Brazilian, Pedro Diniz, who brought large funding to the team to support Hill's wages. The Englishman was guaranteed number one status in the team but the year was a disaster. He did not even start the first race of the year in Australia after his throttle failed on the warm up lap. It was not until the seventh race of the season in Canada that he finished a Grand Prix, but 9th place brought no points.
However his home Grand Prix at Silverstone saw Damon clock the fastest time in the pre-race warm up session, a good morale boost and pleasing the fans. He then finished the race 6th to score his first point for the Arrows team. A good result but it was at Hungary where he showed everyone why he was the reigning World Champion. At this circuit the Bridgestone tyres were more competitive than their rivals Goodyear, Hill used this to qualify a magnificent third on the grid. At the start he moved to second behind his old rival Michael Schumacher and he passed the German on lap 11. After all the horrors of the last races, Hill now was not only leading a race, but convincingly, he would eventually pull out a 35 second lead! Everything looked good for a shocking upset, Hill was just three laps from the finish when his throttle began cutting out, his former team mate Villeneuve was closing fast, on the final lap the Canadian passed Hill in a cruel twist of fate. Hill still recorded a fabulous second place finish and brought his total points haul for the season to 7, it was a true champions performance. Hill unsurprisingly left Arrows at the end of the year and joined Jordan.
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| Hill came so close to scoring a sensational win at the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix for the uncompetitive Arrows team |
The early part of 1998 was a repeat of the previous year for Hill, as the Jordan was off the pace and unreliable. The highlight for Hill was running in second place when his nemensis Michael Schumacher came up to overtake him, Hill moved across the track, wrongly, three time to defend his position whilst Schumacher eventually did manage to get through, the German accused Hill of dangerous driving, Hill responded to these comments by claiming them "hypocritical", given that Schumacher had blatantly taken Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Williams out of the race, along with the Adelaide 1994 incident, he did have a point. It was at the German Grand Prix where Hill scored his first points of the season with 4th place, he repeated this result at the next race in Hungary. The Belgian Grand Prix proved to be the Jordan's day of days. Hill qualified third and got a poor start, but a major 12 car pile up on the first lap caused the race to be stopped. On the restart, Hill got a much better start and took the lead in the first corner. Michael Schumacher then passed Hill for the lead shortly after, until he rammed the back of David Coulthard's McLaren and retired. Hill was back in front, in the closing laps his team mate, Ralf Schumacher (younger brother of Michael) was eating into Hill's lead, but team orders prevented the German from fighting with Hill, Jordan could not risk throwing away a one-two finish. Hill took his 22nd Grand Prix victory, the first for the Jordan team, it was a remarkable result.
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| Bouncing back, Damon Hill wins the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix for Jordan |
Hill finished 1998 in sixth place in the final standings with 20 points. Hopes were high for 1999 but by now it was clear that Hill was struggling with the new dynamics of Formula One cars, the four-grooved tyres provided less grip and it was clear that Hill was uncomfortable. He then quickly lost motivation, after crashing out in Canada he decided to retire at the end of the year, but after a miserable race in France, he considered quitting sooner, it was thought that the British Grand Prix would be his last but a strong race and a fifth place finish encouraged him to see out the season. He scored two more sixth places in Hungary and Belgium before bringing the curtain down on his career at the final race in Japan. In fairness, he should have quit at the end of 1998, if you were new to Formula One for 1999 you would look at Hill and not think he was once a World Champion, but then you would be seriously mistaken. He was just in the wrong time.
Damon Hill was more than just a lucky driver, making the most of the best car on the grid, there was more to him than just his name. He was a brilliant driver and a very worthy champion, plus a great man to boot. He won 22 races from 115 starts, and anyone who can point to that plus a world title is surely no slouch. He is definitely amongst Formula One's favourite sons.
