Damon Hill's 10 greatest Formula 1 races

Damon Hill scored 22 Formula 1 wins and 20 pole positions during his eight years at the pinnacle of motorsport.

The 1996 world champion turned 60 during 2020 and helped us pick out some of his greatest F1 performances.

Here's what we came up with...

10. 1994 Spanish GP, Barcelona

Car: Williams FW16
Started: 2nd
Result: 1st

"Victory for Damon lifts Williams," said Autosport's headline for the 1994 Spanish GP report.

Just as Graham Hill had picked up the beleaguered Lotus team following the death of Jim Clark in 1968 with victory in Spain, so Damon scored an emotional success in the 1994 edition.

PLUS: Graham Hill's 10 greatest races

Michael Schumacher arrived at Barcelona undefeated that season, with Williams still reeling from the death of Ayrton Senna at Imola. The early stages were familiar, Schumacher leading from pole, with Hill unable to stay with the Benetton.

But shortly after his first stop, Schumacher started suffering with a gearbox problem, eventually getting stuck in fifth. Mika Hakkinen's McLaren and Hill overtook the Benetton before Schumacher found a way to lap competitively despite the issue.

"Damon has probably had the hardest time of all, and I think he's shown what a strong man he is" Frank Williams

Hill and Hakkinen had duelled in the early laps and the Finn got ahead during the first pitstops, but he was on a three-stop strategy and Hill on a two. After the McLaren's final visit on lap 45 of 65 Hakkinen was 9.5 seconds behind the Williams, with the two-stopping Schumacher in between.

Although he edged towards Schumacher, Hakkinen could not match Hill's pace before the McLaren's Peugeot engine blew with 17 laps to go. Hill was left to take a popular win, 24.2s ahead of the brilliant Schumacher, with Mark Blundell's Tyrrell nearly a lap down in third.

"In recent weeks I think we've all found it difficult to keep things going, but Damon has probably had the hardest time of all, and I think he's shown what a strong man he is," said team boss Frank Williams. "We needed a win for a million reasons - and number one was to honour Ayrton Senna."

"That was probably one of my most important races," Hill told Autosport in 2014. "It showed that I could be the lead driver. Ultimately, you have got to be able to win races and we got a win in quite early, only a couple of races after Imola.

"For morale, it was so important. And it also boosted my self-esteem and made me believe in myself as being able to carry the load."

9. 1993 Italian GP, Monza

Car: Williams FW15C
Started: 2nd
Result: 1st

After his surprise graduation to a coveted Williams race seat for 1993, Hill took a while to find his feet, but once he did he looked like a winner. Incredible misfortune - engine failure at Silverstone and a tyre blowout at Hockenheim - kept him off the top step until the Hungarian GP in August. That was the start of a hat-trick of successes, with the third win at Monza perhaps his best.

Things didn't start well. Hill was unhappy with his car during warm-up and, from second on the grid, he immediately fell to third and was then hit by Senna's McLaren at the first chicane.

Hill completed the first lap in ninth, but soon started his fightback. On lap 10 of 53 he overtook Jean Alesi's Ferrari for third and, when the engine failed in Schumacher's Benetton-Ford, Hill moved into second.

Just after half-distance, with both their tyre stops completed, Alain Prost led Hill by nearly 20s. But Hill now started setting a string of fastest laps, at just the same time as Prost started to relax in order to secure the world title.

Hill arrived on his team-mate's gearbox with seven laps to go and then backed off, his Renault engine temperatures causing concern.

With less than five laps to go Hill got payback for his previous poor luck when Prost's engine blew up. Hill reeled off the remaining laps to win, having set a fastest lap 0.8s quicker than Prost's best and 1.6s clear of the rest.

8. 1994 British GP, Silverstone

Car: Williams FW16
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

Despite coming close, especially in 1960, Graham Hill never won his home race. Damon's first proper chance to win the British GP continued the trend, as he suffered an engine failure while leading in 1993.

Revised sidepods on the tricky FW16 for the French GP had helped Hill to his first pole of 1994 and he topped qualifying again a week later at Silverstone.

The controversial part of the weekend began when Schumacher overtook Hill on each of the formation laps either side of an aborted start. That earned Schumacher a five-second stop/go penalty, which he didn't serve while the team argued with stewards. Then the German got black-flagged but still he drove on. He would eventually be disqualified.

Suspension problems had limited Hill's running in practice, but he bounced back to pip Schumacher to pole by 0.003s. The Williams led from the start, Schumacher shadowing Hill as they left the rest far behind.

"As race weekends go, it would be just about impossible to improve upon" Damon Hill

Hill made his first pitstop before Schumacher and the Benetton jumped ahead when it rejoined. Both then caught the Ferrari of Berger before it made its stop. Schumacher edged away thereafter but, having previously ignored the black flag, finally came in on lap 27 of 60 for his stop/go, handing Hill a lead he would not lose.

Schumacher fell 22.2s behind. He nibbled away at the gap, later complaining of a downshift issue and flat-spotting his front tyres, but never made significant inroads and finished 18.8s down on the victorious Williams.

"Obviously, his penalty was a Godsend to us," said Hill, "but even without it I think it would have been a close race - a real titanic battle right to the end."

"The Silverstone race was the first time anything had looked remotely capable of running with Schumacher in race trim," wrote Autosport's Tony Dodgins.

"My father had never won the race, but the main feeling was one of relief and joy that it had all worked out," added Hill in 1998. "All the terrible memories of Imola were still fresh in our minds, so this was a piece of very welcome good news.

"As race weekends go, it would be just about impossible to improve upon."

7. 1995 Hungarian GP, Hungaroring

Car: Williams FW17
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

Hill and Williams did not have a happy 1995. There were mistakes and they were repeatedly outmanoeuvred by Schumacher and Benetton, but in Hungary Hill turned the tables.

He took pole and then led team-mate David Coulthard off the line, with Schumacher behind. Just over a second clear at the end of the first tour, Hill was 12s ahead after 10 of the 77 laps, Coulthard struggling with over-pressured tyres and stunned by Hill's pace.

PLUS: David Coulthard's top 10 greatest F1 drives

A mistake by Coulthard at the chicane allowed Schumacher past on lap 13, which he completed 15.5s behind Hill. The gap started to come down before both leaders came in at the end of lap 17. A fuel rig problem meant Schumacher did not get as much fuel as hoped and he was in again nine laps later.

"In the meantime, Schumacher whittled away at Hill's lead, but still Damon looked poised and unflurried," reported Autosport's Nigel Roebuck.

Hill made his second stop on lap 38, after which Schumacher closed right up. Hill ran briefly off line on lap 44, giving Schumacher half a chance, but Hill held onto his lead. Schumacher then lost ground behind Martin Brundle's Ligier before pitting. He lost more time in traffic afterwards and so, after Hill's final stop on lap 58, the gap was 11.5s. And Schumacher had no answer.

"The Williams was working better than the Benetton, and Hill was driving one of the best races of his life," reckoned Roebuck.

Schumacher's Benetton failed him with four laps to go, leaving Hill to beat Coulthard by more than half a minute. Everyone else had been lapped.

6. 1996 Brazilian GP, Interlagos

Car: Williams FW18
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

Hill's unfortunate 1996 Spanish GP performance - going off twice before crashing out while Schumacher took one of his greatest victories - hurt his wet-weather driving reputation.

PLUS: The day Schumacher "made everyone look silly"

But just two months before he had driven a fine race in treacherous conditions at Interlagos - and lapped Schumacher's ill-handling Ferrari.

Hill took a dominant pole in the dry, nearly a second clear of the field. He had to defend robustly from both the Jordan of home hero Rubens Barrichello and Williams team-mate Jacques Villeneuve in the opening seconds, but once clear he simply drove away. After three laps he was 9.4s ahead, despite running a heavy fuel load on a one-stop strategy.

"The race started in conditions so wet that the abnormally brave Alesi was moved to say he was scared, but Hill made no mistakes in a race in which the track was changing lap by lap," reported Autosport.

Alesi came in two later than Hill, after which the lead was over 25s

The gap was 17s when, with the track drying, Villeneuve made an error defending second from Alesi's Benetton and spun into retirement on lap 27 of 71.

Alesi started closing on Hill, only to make his own mistake and hand second to Barrichello. He was soon back ahead of the Jordan and started chipping away at Hill's lead, but on lap 40 Hill decided it was dry enough for slicks tyres and made his single stop.

It was the right call. Alesi came in two laps later to do the same, after which the lead was over 25s. They traded fastest laps, but Hill's biggest concern was the battling Schumacher and Barrichello - who he came up to lap in the closing stages.

Eventually, Barrichello went off and Hill was able to pass Schumacher in the final 10 laps. He set the race's fastest tour shortly afterwards before backing off to take the chequered flag 18s clear of Alesi.

5. 1998 Belgian GP, Spa

Car: Jordan 198
Started: 3rd
Result: 1st

Forget the nonsense about team orders and Ralf Schumacher being the 'moral' victor of the race. Hill was the deserving winner from the moment Michael Schumacher hit the back of Coulthard and three-wheeled into retirement.

Hill outqualified both Ferraris to start third in the ever-improving Jordan 198, nearly 0.8s quicker than team-mate Ralf Schumacher. In horrible conditions Hill made a bad start but managed to avoid the enormous pile-up triggered by Coulthard spearing into the wall exiting La Source.

Hill made a much better getaway for the restart, snatching the lead and initially holding off Michael Schumacher as both McLaren's suffered offs. Schuey's Ferrari got a good run through Blanchimont on lap eight of 44 to take the lead into the chicane. He soon pulled away, but Hill was still well clear of everyone else, despite a compromised wet/dry set-up in the poor conditions.

When the leader infamously hit the back of Coulthard's McLaren on lap 25, Hill moved back to the front and stayed there, despite a brief moment at the Bus Stop chicane. His team-mate was now second but more than 14s behind, though Ralf had been chipping away at the gap. What eradicated it was a safety car period caused by Giancarlo Fisichella violently hitting the back of Shinji Nakano's Minardi.

There were 12 laps left at the restart and, following a brief challenge from Ralf, Hill pointed out that getting the cars to hold station might be in the best interests of the team... And team boss Eddie Jordan responded.

PLUS: How Jordan conquered F1's craziest Belgian GP

Roebuck had no doubts that Hill, whose best lap was nearly 3s quicker than Ralf's, was the right victor: "A magnificent race, in which he never ran lower than second, which finally laid to rest the suggestion that he only won races because he was driving a Williams-Renault."

"I felt I drove better than I have ever done on this circuit," said Hill. "I would never say that luck didn't play its part, but we were in contention all weekend and we deserved our result."

4. 1994 Australian GP, Adelaide

Car: Williams FW16B
Started: 3rd
Result: Retired

Hill felt the pressure of a title showdown twice in F1. One he lost and one he won, but it's not the successful 1996 Japanese GP that stands out - "Michael Schumacher wasn't in a competitive car and Villeneuve's wheel fell off!" he says.

The revised B version of the troubled FW16 was an improvement and Hill had brilliantly taken the championship down to the finale with victory at Suzuka.

Hill, who now admits his timing perhaps wasn't the best, questioned the support he was getting from the team before the Adelaide weekend and practice didn't go particularly well. Hill only qualified third, more than 0.6s behind both Schumacher and Williams returnee Nigel Mansell. But the race was a different matter.

Both title protagonists jumped Mansell at the start. Schumacher completed the first lap 2.1s clear, but Hill took half a second back on the next tour.

The duo continued to exchange tenths as they left the rest behind once again. After 11 laps, third-placed Hakkinen was 18s behind Hill and the lead duo's fastest laps would be nearly a second clear of the rest by the end of the GP.

"To me that was Suzuka part two until it all went wrong" Damon Hill

Even through their first pitstops, Hill stayed within 1.5s of Schumacher from lap 14 until the Benetton set a new fastest lap on the 29th tour. The gap climbed as high as 2.9s at the end of lap 34, but Hill immediately took nearly a second back.

Then Schumacher cracked, going off at the left-hander of the Wakefield sequence, hitting the wall and damaging his Benetton's right-rear, crucially just out of Hill's sight.

Hill came around the corner and was faced with a recovering Benetton. He dived for the inside into the following right-hander. Schumacher turned in, the ensuing contact flicking the Benetton into the air and then the barriers.

Hill continued but terminal damage had been done to the left-front wishbone and he had to retire, allowing Schumacher to take the title by a single point in an unsatisfactory conclusion to a tumultuous season.

"It was very close and difficult to say who would have won it," admitted Schumacher. "What Damon has done over the past two races has been a proper and fantastic job."

"To me that was Suzuka part two until it all went wrong," reckons Hill. "The pace of that race was so intense and the thing for me was that I put Michael under pressure. He overdrove and went off."

3. 1996 Monaco GP, Monte Carlo

Car: Williams FW18
Started: 2nd
Result: Retired

Two races stand as perhaps the most cruel GPs that got away from Hill. One is higher up this list, but this one has perhaps more emotional significance. Hill's father Graham famously won the Monaco GP five times and Damon deserved to add to the family collection in 1996.

Schumacher's Ferrari beat Hill to pole, but in the slippery conditions on race day nobody could touch the runaway championship leader.

Hill grabbed the lead at the start, Schumacher crashed just before Portier and the Williams completed the first lap 4.3s ahead of second-placed Alesi.

"Hill and the Williams looked at least one class above the rest, drawing away by huge amounts every time," reported Roebuck. After five laps Hill's advantage was 13.3s!

"Damon had done absolutely everything right and the tragedy is that he may never again have a Monaco GP so readily his for the taking" Nigel Roebuck

"You can look at some races and go, 'I did my job as well as I could' and it was really going well at Monaco," recalls Hill.

The Williams pitted for slicks on lap 28 and, when all the leading pitstops had been completed, led by more than half a minute. Hill's fifth win from six 1996 starts seemed assured.

"That was the one time we got the tyre change absolutely spot on and then the Renault engine blew," laments Hill, who exited the tunnel on lap 41 with a plume of smoke emanating from the car's rear.

"Damon had done absolutely everything right and the tragedy is that he may never again have a Monaco GP so readily his for the taking," wrote Roebuck. He was right - Hill would never lead another lap in Monte Carlo.

2. 1997 Hungarian GP, Hungaroring

Car: Arrows A18
Started: 3rd
Result: 2nd

"That's the race people talk about more than any other," says Hill of the infamous 1997 Hungarian GP.

The Arrows-Yamaha A18 had qualified 5.4s off the pace at the Melbourne opener, where the car failed before even making the start. But progress from Tom Walkinshaw's team, one of the few on Bridgestone tyres, was swift.

At the technical Hungaroring, a track on which Hill always excelled, a combination of factors almost brought one of F1's greatest surprise victories.

"It was a fantastic weekend," recalls Hill. "Bridgestone always made a very reliable tyre, with rigidity to the tread that enabled you to push it. We managed to get a balance and you didn't need a very powerful engine in Hungary."

Hill qualified third and jumped the Williams of Villeneuve at the start. Most of the Goodyear runners had chosen the soft compound and this proved to be a mistake. Schumacher's leading Ferrari was soon suffering with blisters and Hill neatly outbraked him into Turn 1 on lap 11.

"Michael couldn't get off the corners," says Hill. "After a few laps his tyres were finished and I managed to get past him and make the break."

Villeneuve made it into second three laps later but Hill was still 7s clear when he made his first pitstop.

His main threat now was the other Williams of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, which had started on the harder Goodyears. But his fuel tank connector departed before his first stop and, with no way of getting in any more fuel, Frentzen was forced to retire.

He was 34s ahead of Villeneuve with three laps to go when a leak in the hydraulic system started giving him throttle and gearbox issues

Hill was left in command, increasing his lead even through the next round of pitstops. He was 34s ahead of Villeneuve with three laps to go when a leak in the hydraulic system started giving him throttle and gearbox issues.

Villeneuve finally caught him and went by on the final lap as Hill limped home to second, perennial non-winner Arrows denied victory once again.

"To get within one lap of the end and for something to happen was cruel, but at least we got to the finish," concludes a philosophical Hill.

1. 1994 Japanese GP, Suzuka

Car: Williams FW16B
Started: 2nd
Result: 1st

Towards the end of a tragic year, in which he had been thrust into a team leadership role following Senna's death, Hill found himself needing to beat rainmaster Schumacher in appalling conditions to maintain a realistic chance of winning the world championship. His performance at Suzuka helped convince Hill that he belonged at the sharp end of F1.

"It was tense," recalls Hill. "We had been steamrollered at Jerez [the previous round]. I looked pretty defeated after that race, but it later transpired there was a problem with the fuel rig and I'd been carrying an extra load of fuel that affected performance.

"I confronted Frank Williams and Patrick Head because they were a bit disgruntled I hadn't done so well and I had to say, 'You know why I didn't do well, don't you?!' So it was tense within the team as well. I got the sense they had given up on me, exacerbated by the fact they kept bringing Nigel Mansell back."

Schumacher and Hill qualified on the front row and, once the Benetton had chopped across the front of the Williams, headed off into a race of their own. After two laps, Hill was 9s clear of the pack.

"I thought if I lost sight of his rear light then he would get away," explains Hill. "The whole race was on another level to any other race I've ever driven in.

"Somehow I was in awe of Michael as well as determined to beat him. He was getting the car all out of shape and up the kerbs. Any other driver would have lost it, but he managed to bring it back every time. He just kept it up lap after lap, astonishing."

Others weren't able to keep their cars on the road as conditions worsened and there was a safety car period between laps four and nine. Schumacher made a fine restart to get away from Hill and started to build an advantage. But more accidents brought out the red flags, with the race to be decided on aggregate.

Schumacher had a 6.9s advantage for the 37-lap part two and he led at the restart before pitting. Hill stayed out seven laps longer, taking fuel and three new tyres as the right-rear refused to come off - "I was totally unaware of that, they didn't tell me," recalls Hill.

Schumacher had struggled on a heavier fuel load, allowing Hill to rejoin ahead. The championship leader soon started closing on the Williams, retaking the lead on aggregate.

"It was an astonishing experience, driven by the championship situation. All my energy went into that performance" Damon Hill

But Benetton had gone for a two-stop strategy and Schumacher had to come in once more, while Hill motored on having made his only scheduled pit visit.

At the end of his out-lap Schumacher was 14.6s behind with nine tours to go. The aggregate gap came down: 14.2s, 12.0s, 10.1s, 8.4s, 7s, 5.2s, 4.2s. With one lap to go it was 2.5s.

"I was watching the gap come down and it got a bit too close for comfort, so I thought I had to pull something out of the hat," recalls Hill.

"I said, 'Ayrton, if you're up there, I could do with a hand - I am spent!'. The next thing I know, I'm flying around the Esses, like someone has got my foot and stuck it on the throttle, to the bulkhead.

"I got as far as Degner 2 or the hairpin and I thought, 'I can't keep this up'. I came back to being a bit more cautious and had to hope it was enough. It was almost as though I had let my instinct drive the car. It was an astonishing experience, driven by the championship situation. All my energy went into that performance."

It was enough. Hill extended the gap on that final lap to take overall victory by 3.4s, complete with very worn right-rear. Even Schumacher was moved to come and congratulate him.

"I did not exude the confidence that Schumacher did or some of the great drivers," adds Hill. "I wasn't confident in myself. I'd got a late entry into F1 at 32, I was a substitute driver. And I was fighting for a world championship when I thought I'd be team-mate to Ayrton Senna.

"That race underscored to me that - in the heat of battle in some of the toughest conditions, in F1 in a title fight - I could do it."

 

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