Damon Hill

British racing driver

Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE (born 17 September 1960) is a British retired racing driver.

Damon Hill at the 1995 French Grand Prix

He was the 1996 Formula One World Champion. As the son of double Formula One world champion Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title, until Nico Rosberg, son of 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, clinched the title in 2016 . Despite the famous family name, Hill had an uphill struggle to reach the ranks of F1.

Damon Hill came to professional motorsports relatively late: he began racing motorcycles in 1983 at the age of 23. The following year, he won the 350 cc Clubman's cup at Brands Hatch. In 1985, he moved on to four-wheel single-seater racing with Team Van Diemen in the Formula Ford championship, before moving up into the UK Formula 3 championship in 1986. After three seasons in Formula 3, where he won four races, Hill ascended another tier of open-wheel racing by joining Mooncraft in the International Formula 3000 championship, where, although often competitive, he never won a race.

Hill started his Formula One career in 1992 with the then uncompetitive Brabham team. His debut race was at the British Grand Prix where he qualified on the back row. He took the first of his 22 victories at the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix for the Williams team the following year. In 1994, he won the British Grand Prix, a race his father had never won in his long and successful career. During the mid 1990s, Hill was Michael Schumacher's main rival for the Formula One Driver's Championship, finishing runner-up in the German's 1994 and 1995 title seasons. The two had a series of controversial clashes on and off the track, including the collision at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix that gave Schumacher his first title by a single point. Hill took eight victories and the world championship in 1996. Despite this, Williams decided in mid-1996 not to renew Hill's contract for 1997. He went on to record the Jordan team's first ever win at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, and came within a few miles of being the only driver to win a Grand Prix for the Arrows team and their Yamaha engine supplier at the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix. He retired from the sport at the end of the 1999 season, after 122 races. In 2006, Hill became president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, succeeding Jackie Stewart.

Hill's son Josh is a racing driver.

Formula One results

change

Races in bold indicate pole position

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points
1992 Motor Racing Developments Ltd. Brabham BT60B Judd GV 3.5 L V10 RSA
MEX
BRA
ESP
DNQ
SMR
DNQ
MON
DNQ
CAN
DNQ
FRA
DNQ
GBR
16
GER
DNQ
HUN
11
BEL
ITA
POR
JPN
AUS
NC 0
1993 Canon Williams Team Williams FW15C Renault RS5 3.5 L V10 RSA
Ret
BRA
2
EUR
2
SMR
Ret
ESP
Ret
MON
2
CAN
3
FRA
2
GBR
Ret
GER
15
HUN
1
BEL
1
ITA
1
POR
3
JPN
4
AUS
3
3rd 69
1994 Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW16, FW16B Renault RS6 3.5 L V10 BRA
2
PAC
Ret
SMR
6
MON
Ret
ESP
1
CAN
2
FRA
2
GBR
1
GER
8
HUN
2
BEL
1
ITA
1
POR
1
EUR
2
JPN
1
AUS
Ret
2nd 91
1995 Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW17, FW17B Renault RS7 3.0 L V10 BRA
Ret
ARG
1
SMR
1
ESP
4
MON
2
CAN
Ret
FRA
2
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
HUN
1
BEL
2
ITA
Ret
POR
3
EUR
Ret
PAC
3
JPN
Ret
AUS
1
2nd 69
1996 Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW18 Renault RS8 3.0 L V10 AUS
1
BRA
1
ARG
1
EUR
4
SMR
1
MON
Ret
ESP
Ret
CAN
1
FRA
1
GBR
Ret
GER
1
HUN
2
BEL
5
ITA
Ret
POR
2
JPN
1
1st 97
1997 Danka Arrows Yamaha Arrows A18 Yamaha OX11A 3.0 L V10 AUS
DNS
BRA
Ret
ARG
Ret
SMR
Ret
MON
Ret
ESP
Ret
CAN
9
FRA
12
GBR
6
GER
8
HUN
2
BEL
13
ITA
Ret
AUT
7
LUX
8
JPN
11
EUR
Ret
12th 7
1998 B&H Total Jordan Jordan 198 MugenHonda MF-301 HC 3.0 L V10 AUS
8
BRA
DSQ
ARG
8
SMR
10
ESP
Ret
MON
8
CAN
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
AUT
7
GER
4
HUN
4
BEL
1
ITA
6
LUX
9
JPN
4
6th 20
1999 B&H Jordan Jordan 199 MugenHonda MF-301 HC 3.0 L V10 AUS
Ret
BRA
Ret
SMR
4
MON
Ret
ESP
7
CAN
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR
5
AUT
8
GER
Ret
HUN
6
BEL
6
ITA
10
EUR
Ret
MAL
Ret
JPN
Ret
12th 7