Hill's eventful F1 career

He proved to be a useful team member, and was signed up for 1993 to partner the experienced four-times world champion Alain Prost.

It was a fruitful year for Hill. He won three times for his team, in Hungary, Belgium and Italy, and notched up four second places and three third places.

He came third overall in the driver's championship at the end of the season with 69 points.

In 1994, Ayrton Senna came to Williams, and Hill coped well with the pressure of working with another former world champion.

But, his relationship with Senna was to be short-lived, when the Brazilian was tragically killed at the San Marino Grand Prix.

It was a difficult time for the team, but David Coulthard, who was test driver at the time, told AUTOSPORT Online at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that Hill helped to pull the team together.

'Only he, I believe, would have been able to have dealt with it in such a good way,' he said.

Hill's first win that year came in Spain, and was followed by second places in Canada and France, and a memorable first at the British Grand Prix, a race he has not won since.

Hill battled with rising star Michael Schumacher, whose season was fraught with disqualifications, and victory in Japan for Hill set the stage for a nail-biting conclusion to the championship in Australia.

Schumacher collided with Hill at the first corner, sending the Englishman out of the race and securing his first championship. Hill had to make do with second place in the championship and 91 points.

The intense rivalry continued the following season, but this time both were using Renault engine power, and in spite of two wins in Argentina and San Marino, Hill played second fiddle to Schumacher for the rest of the season, suffering seven retirements.

Once again, he finished second in the championship with 69 points.

In 1996, Hill faced a new rival in team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, who had just won the CART championship, and was eager to prove himself to his new team.

Hill dominated the first part of the season with five race victories, however he allowed Villeneuve back into the title chase when he suffered a mid-season dip with three retirements.

Hill also had to endure the ignominy of Williams announcing that his contract would not be renewed.

He did not allow this to break his spirit, and when the championship went down to the wire in Japan, Hill won and finally realised his dream of becoming world champion.

In 1997 he moved to Arrows in a move that surprised the Formula One world and his fans alike.

Despite a disappointing season with the team - where Hill retired from six races - he nearly won in Hungary but hydraulic failure robbed him with just a few laps to go.

Hill decision to move to his friend Eddie Jordan's team last year delighted his fans, and his win in Belgium gave Jordan its first F1 victory.

Although he retired from five races that year, the win bolstered Hill's position within the team and set a good tone for the 1999 season.

This year, he was joined by the man who replaced him at Williams in 1997, Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

While the German has enjoyed a successful season winning points in four races, Hill's enthusiasm for the sport has visibly diminished, culminating in his retirement decision two weeks ago.

He intended to race for the remainder of this year, but the embarrassment he must have felt in France last weekend when he was only allowed to race at the steward's discretion and which followed by retirement in the race, was exacerbated by Frentzen's victory.

It has clearly been all too much for Britain's most recent world champion, and with the high standards he has always set himself, Hill has decided to bring an end to an eventful career.