Damon Hill 1996 F1 world champion
Discussion
No Damon Hill thread I can see so I started one.
Being as he is stopping the sky F1 job we need to show some hands for one of the UK world champions. He pretty much had the qualities someone
british would say they want in a sportsman.
Thinking about it,he has shared a few bold opinions lately on drivers past and present,so must already have planned to stop.
Being as he is stopping the sky F1 job we need to show some hands for one of the UK world champions. He pretty much had the qualities someone
british would say they want in a sportsman.
Thinking about it,he has shared a few bold opinions lately on drivers past and present,so must already have planned to stop.
Shame to see him go but I find the majority of the sky line up dull as dishwater. I don’t think he’s said anything controversial, it just seems that a certain fan base cannot accept anything negative being spoken about their fan favourite.
I prefer to remember him for his driving and the fact that a plucky Brit went up against and beat the best of the drivers around and he went up against some pretty talented teammates. He might not be in the top tier of F1 drivers like Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton and perhaps Verstappen but he was certainly in the next tier down.
I prefer to remember him for his driving and the fact that a plucky Brit went up against and beat the best of the drivers around and he went up against some pretty talented teammates. He might not be in the top tier of F1 drivers like Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton and perhaps Verstappen but he was certainly in the next tier down.
One of the great "what-if's" of our time (right after his team mate in 94, of course).
A great British driver. And very quick.
"If you see a gap and you don't go for it, you are no longer a racing driver" (A Senna)
(doesn't apply to Adelaide street circuit in 1994, by the way. Just saying...
)
A great British driver. And very quick.
"If you see a gap and you don't go for it, you are no longer a racing driver" (A Senna)
(doesn't apply to Adelaide street circuit in 1994, by the way. Just saying...
)Read his book, probably the most honest, revealing F1 driver book you will read.
The bloke is top notch, not little given to him early on despite the name and worked his arse off to get where he did. If ever there was a story of graft and determination getting results is is this lad. And another who proved that decent people win, even against the odds like Schumacher, should have clearly had two world titles were it not for Adelaide, but he will typically blame himself as much as anyone else. Says more for the man than anyone could.
Fortunate in some ways but ask Alain, he was bloody quick!! Deserved a title, went away and found himself after 95 when he struggled and made Williams look idiots for signing Frentzen when more titles were easily within reach until mcLaren got up to speed. Perhaps the most gormless decision of many Frank and Patrick made.
But remember that Arrows Hungary weekend, astonishing!
Never really took to him on tv, early on he only really did it to pay for his kids career, and stayed on, Doubt he will miss it much, he is about as rounded and normal as any F1 driver I think you may meet is.
The bloke is top notch, not little given to him early on despite the name and worked his arse off to get where he did. If ever there was a story of graft and determination getting results is is this lad. And another who proved that decent people win, even against the odds like Schumacher, should have clearly had two world titles were it not for Adelaide, but he will typically blame himself as much as anyone else. Says more for the man than anyone could.
Fortunate in some ways but ask Alain, he was bloody quick!! Deserved a title, went away and found himself after 95 when he struggled and made Williams look idiots for signing Frentzen when more titles were easily within reach until mcLaren got up to speed. Perhaps the most gormless decision of many Frank and Patrick made.
But remember that Arrows Hungary weekend, astonishing!
Never really took to him on tv, early on he only really did it to pay for his kids career, and stayed on, Doubt he will miss it much, he is about as rounded and normal as any F1 driver I think you may meet is.
Newey judging by his not being keen on the obvious move to Ferrari ,does seem to be a bit patriotic.
He didn't stick around long at williams once they got rid of Damon abruptly. Manglement had probably lumped drivers and designers under the heading lightbulb.
They must have been drunk on previous success.
If you look back at his results after Williams he was generally in the points somewhere,and he was equal to Ralphs pace.
Trouble is the media were a bit suspect and shumacher barmy,and generally talked him down. No patriots in the british media.
Wonder what he will be doing now? Either a big role has come up or he has decided running around the world doing presenting is too time
consuming.
He didn't stick around long at williams once they got rid of Damon abruptly. Manglement had probably lumped drivers and designers under the heading lightbulb.
They must have been drunk on previous success.
If you look back at his results after Williams he was generally in the points somewhere,and he was equal to Ralphs pace.
Trouble is the media were a bit suspect and shumacher barmy,and generally talked him down. No patriots in the british media.
Wonder what he will be doing now? Either a big role has come up or he has decided running around the world doing presenting is too time
consuming.
One of the things Williams dropped a b
k on was that Hill was a great development driver as well as a bloody fast racing driver. He’d done a lot of testing in the early 90s on the car that Mansell and Prost took to titles.
I’ve always wondered if it’s any coincidence that the season after Hill left is when Williams started to get overtaken in terms of sheer pace on track. That purple patch from 1992 to 1997 neatly coincided with when Damon was in the team. And let’s face it JV wasn’t ever going to contribute a similar level of technical feedback. Newey leaving certainly didn’t help them either, and I’m sure was the major factor, but the drivers feedback and application in testing was much more important then than now.
Hill spent his teenage years being a teenager and his early 20s racing motorbikes and being a london bike courier, rather than karting throughout that time. With that in mind, little wonder he didn’t have the wheel to wheel racecraft of his peers as he hadn’t had 15-20 years of learning before he got to F1 - but he was fast enough to overcome that and win a WDC. I don’t think where he got to in the sport vs his racing background can be overstated.
And those years of not being a karting obsessive is probably something to do with why he’s a more rounded person than almost any other driver you could think of.
k on was that Hill was a great development driver as well as a bloody fast racing driver. He’d done a lot of testing in the early 90s on the car that Mansell and Prost took to titles. I’ve always wondered if it’s any coincidence that the season after Hill left is when Williams started to get overtaken in terms of sheer pace on track. That purple patch from 1992 to 1997 neatly coincided with when Damon was in the team. And let’s face it JV wasn’t ever going to contribute a similar level of technical feedback. Newey leaving certainly didn’t help them either, and I’m sure was the major factor, but the drivers feedback and application in testing was much more important then than now.
Hill spent his teenage years being a teenager and his early 20s racing motorbikes and being a london bike courier, rather than karting throughout that time. With that in mind, little wonder he didn’t have the wheel to wheel racecraft of his peers as he hadn’t had 15-20 years of learning before he got to F1 - but he was fast enough to overcome that and win a WDC. I don’t think where he got to in the sport vs his racing background can be overstated.
And those years of not being a karting obsessive is probably something to do with why he’s a more rounded person than almost any other driver you could think of.
I think in many ways you had a downturn because of Renault going, Jacques utterly hated the grooved tyres and narrow cars. the Frentzen move was a disaster then we have Zanardi who seemed like a great idea after Jacques but again was a disaster, don't think this was because of Damon getting the boot, simply Williams losing the plot, they regained it with Montoya, Ralf and Jenson and BMW.
I think Damon would have been a steady ship in that era but the move was done long before he came good.
I think Damon would have been a steady ship in that era but the move was done long before he came good.
FNG said:
One of the things Williams dropped a bk on was that Hill was a great development driver as well as a bloody fast racing driver. He’d done a lot of testing in the early 90s on the car that Mansell and Prost took to titles.
I’ve always wondered if it’s any coincidence that the season after Hill left is when Williams started to get overtaken in terms of sheer pace on track. That purple patch from 1992 to 1997 neatly coincided with when Damon was in the team. And let’s face it JV wasn’t ever going to contribute a similar level of technical feedback. Newey leaving certainly didn’t help them either, and I’m sure was the major factor, but the drivers feedback and application in testing was much more important then than now.
Hill spent his teenage years being a teenager and his early 20s racing motorbikes and being a london bike courier, rather than karting throughout that time. With that in mind, little wonder he didn’t have the wheel to wheel racecraft of his peers as he hadn’t had 15-20 years of learning before he got to F1 - but he was fast enough to overcome that and win a WDC. I don’t think where he got to in the sport vs his racing background can be overstated.
And those years of not being a karting obsessive is probably something to do with why he’s a more rounded person than almost any other driver you could think of.
I agree with you in a sense- Newey left Williams partly as Frank and Patrick replaced Hill with Frentzen without consulting him. That was the beginning of the end for Williams. k on was that Hill was a great development driver as well as a bloody fast racing driver. He’d done a lot of testing in the early 90s on the car that Mansell and Prost took to titles. I’ve always wondered if it’s any coincidence that the season after Hill left is when Williams started to get overtaken in terms of sheer pace on track. That purple patch from 1992 to 1997 neatly coincided with when Damon was in the team. And let’s face it JV wasn’t ever going to contribute a similar level of technical feedback. Newey leaving certainly didn’t help them either, and I’m sure was the major factor, but the drivers feedback and application in testing was much more important then than now.
Hill spent his teenage years being a teenager and his early 20s racing motorbikes and being a london bike courier, rather than karting throughout that time. With that in mind, little wonder he didn’t have the wheel to wheel racecraft of his peers as he hadn’t had 15-20 years of learning before he got to F1 - but he was fast enough to overcome that and win a WDC. I don’t think where he got to in the sport vs his racing background can be overstated.
And those years of not being a karting obsessive is probably something to do with why he’s a more rounded person than almost any other driver you could think of.
Hill was a late starter and had a lot more perspective on life than most racing drivers. He deserves great credit for how he handled the 1994 accident with Schumacher and his 1996 championship win was exceptional. He was quicker than a lot gave him credit for but maybe lacked an edge of a true top line driver. For me, his humility and the adversity he had to overcome makes him a compelling character and his book is a must read for any F1 fan.
Piginapoke said:
FNG said:
One of the things Williams dropped a bk on was that Hill was a great development driver as well as a bloody fast racing driver. He’d done a lot of testing in the early 90s on the car that Mansell and Prost took to titles.
I’ve always wondered if it’s any coincidence that the season after Hill left is when Williams started to get overtaken in terms of sheer pace on track. That purple patch from 1992 to 1997 neatly coincided with when Damon was in the team. And let’s face it JV wasn’t ever going to contribute a similar level of technical feedback. Newey leaving certainly didn’t help them either, and I’m sure was the major factor, but the drivers feedback and application in testing was much more important then than now.
Hill spent his teenage years being a teenager and his early 20s racing motorbikes and being a london bike courier, rather than karting throughout that time. With that in mind, little wonder he didn’t have the wheel to wheel racecraft of his peers as he hadn’t had 15-20 years of learning before he got to F1 - but he was fast enough to overcome that and win a WDC. I don’t think where he got to in the sport vs his racing background can be overstated.
And those years of not being a karting obsessive is probably something to do with why he’s a more rounded person than almost any other driver you could think of.
I agree with you in a sense- Newey left Williams partly as Frank and Patrick replaced Hill with Frentzen without consulting him. That was the beginning of the end for Williams. k on was that Hill was a great development driver as well as a bloody fast racing driver. He’d done a lot of testing in the early 90s on the car that Mansell and Prost took to titles. I’ve always wondered if it’s any coincidence that the season after Hill left is when Williams started to get overtaken in terms of sheer pace on track. That purple patch from 1992 to 1997 neatly coincided with when Damon was in the team. And let’s face it JV wasn’t ever going to contribute a similar level of technical feedback. Newey leaving certainly didn’t help them either, and I’m sure was the major factor, but the drivers feedback and application in testing was much more important then than now.
Hill spent his teenage years being a teenager and his early 20s racing motorbikes and being a london bike courier, rather than karting throughout that time. With that in mind, little wonder he didn’t have the wheel to wheel racecraft of his peers as he hadn’t had 15-20 years of learning before he got to F1 - but he was fast enough to overcome that and win a WDC. I don’t think where he got to in the sport vs his racing background can be overstated.
And those years of not being a karting obsessive is probably something to do with why he’s a more rounded person than almost any other driver you could think of.
Hill was a late starter and had a lot more perspective on life than most racing drivers. He deserves great credit for how he handled the 1994 accident with Schumacher and his 1996 championship win was exceptional. He was quicker than a lot gave him credit for but maybe lacked an edge of a true top line driver. For me, his humility and the adversity he had to overcome makes him a compelling character and his book is a must read for any F1 fan.
I'm sorry to see him leave Sky f1, he provided sensible views not sensationalist like some people could easily do in his role. So much better a driver than many gave credit for. I think if Williams was a little more understanding towards what some drivers needed, rather than the good old leave them to it mentality Damon could easily have won another championship. But alas it wasn't to be.
I didn't realise he was leaving Sky with immediate effect, maybe the current calendar is too much for him.
I didn't realise he was leaving Sky with immediate effect, maybe the current calendar is too much for him.
A rare combination - a fast talented sucessful driver, a good development driver who understood his cars rather than just whinging about them, and a functional human with a proper family life outside the circus.
The events that drove his life prior to F1 aren't exactly rosy but on the other hand he came out the other side probably in a better state than most of the later crop will with their focus on career from so early.
Was fairly obvious in the later part of his career that his risk tolerance dropped to zero as he'd considered his mortality and racing became a job and nothing more. Which is fair enough when you're older and have a family.
The events that drove his life prior to F1 aren't exactly rosy but on the other hand he came out the other side probably in a better state than most of the later crop will with their focus on career from so early.
Was fairly obvious in the later part of his career that his risk tolerance dropped to zero as he'd considered his mortality and racing became a job and nothing more. Which is fair enough when you're older and have a family.
Dashnine said:
mikecassie said:
I didn't realise he was leaving Sky with immediate effect, maybe the current calendar is too much for him.
But did he jump or was he pushed - can’t work that out from the various releases and comments.Dashnine said:
mikecassie said:
I didn't realise he was leaving Sky with immediate effect, maybe the current calendar is too much for him.
But did he jump or was he pushed - can’t work that out from the various releases and comments.CanAm said:
I remember that in his first year he was pretty close to Alain Prost in qualifying
He was, but it seems to be commonly believed that Prost was very much phoning it in a lot of the time in 1993.bergclimber34 said:
I think Damon would have been a steady ship in that era but the move was done long before he came good.
Had Damon been retained for '97 would have been intriguing. Would he have another WDC fight in him?The likelihood of DH & JV taking points off each other gives the opportunity for Schumi to take the WDC - perhaps without having to bang into Williams cars to take the title!
paulguitar said:
CanAm said:
I remember that in his first year he was pretty close to Alain Prost in qualifying
He was, but it seems to be commonly believed that Prost was very much phoning it in a lot of the time in 1993.The McLaren was good enough to fight for the WDC if it wasn't for the initial Ford customer engine; Schumi was threatening for race wins. Even though Prost wrapped up the title early it wasn't as easy as it looked!
I met Damon several times in the '80s to discuss a potential sponsorship deal when he was racing in F3. I remember he was funding his racing himself at the time. Being a few years older than Damon I remembered his father racing and indeed he and Denny Hulme were drivers I particularly liked. As has been said Damon was working as a motorbike courier and we would meet near his workplace in a pub behind Oxford Street. He once told me he enjoyed having a beer with me because I did not talk about his father. The fact was I was there to discuss Damon's racing not Graham Hill. Seemed like normal courtesy to me but he once said it irked him when other people he met just wanted to quiz him about his dad. The other thing I remember was that he was heavily into his guitar. I played keyboards in a band so shared an interest in rock music and Damon would chat for ages about Gibsons and Fenders. Really nice guy and easy to talk to. I was delighted when he, deservedly, won the World Championship.
Edited by RichB on Saturday 16th November 15:56
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