The Observer

When Damon Hill walked away from Formula One at the end of 1999, he was a tired man, apparently sick of motor racing. No one expected to see him back in the sport any time soon.

The incessant pressure, the full-on commitment of F1, and the intense media attention - it had drained Hill. In that final year, he was a shadow of the man who had picked up the baton from Nigel Mansell as Britain's great F1 hope and run so well and so hard for six packed years.

At the end of that final season - the tetchy indecision over his future, the jaded lack of conviction behind the wheel - he was not the only one to feel relief when it was all over. Even for his adoring public, it was time to move on.

And yet six and a half years later, Hill's passion for motor racing, which fuelled him through his arduous climb through the junior categories, is apparently still alive. If it wasn't, how could he accept his nomination to become the next president of the British Racing Drivers' Club?

I wasn't the only one surprised over the Australian Grand Prix weekend to learn that Damon was being lined up for perhaps the most prestigious job in British motor racing. Sir Jackie Stewart, who will step down from the presidency at the club's AGM on April 28, made it clear that Hill is the right man to succeed him. Now it is down to the members to agree at that meeting.

The thing is, since he quit racing, Hill has hardly shown that he has rediscovered his love for the sport - at least publicly, anyway. Freed from the shackles of corporate F1, he let his greying hair grow long, sported a beard and found a new level of contentment. His look, more ageing rock star than F1 World Champion, has visibly distanced him from his former life. And it suits him.

He has popped up from time to time in the racing world, most regularly with appearances at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It's the perfect event for him: his family heritage in the sport gives him a cast-iron link with racing history far beyond his own 1996 World Championship.

Damon Hill, March 22nd 2006 © DTM Media

But he has shown little inclination to race at the Goodwood Revival, an obvious event (you would think) to have some fun without too much pressure. What a coup it would be for Lord March to coax Damon to race one of his father Graham's former cars. Instead, Hill has been content with sedate runs up the Festival hill.

But he has driven a contemporary single-seater, evidence perhaps that the fire for the sport does still burn. Hill tested a GP2 car at Paul Ricard last year as part of a publicity drive to help his protege Steven Kane land a seat. His interest in Kane's career is proof that he wants to give something back, although Kane hasn't made it into GP2 yet. He will be one of four Brits in the Renault World Series this year.

We gained another clue to his continued interest at Brands Hatch last month. Hill has never been afraid to voice his opinions, and did so to Autosport when questioned about F1 at a DTM test. Damon was a guest of Mercedes and could test one of the C-class tin-tops at some point in the future.

He was genuinely excited by the competitive races we have witnessed this season, but pinpointed fundamental flaws in F1: "From a spectacle view, I still think there's a long way to go. F1 suffers in that it's difficult to discern from your armchair which drivers are really special. You can't see their talent. You can see it in a motorcycle race; you can see it in the Commonwealth Games; you can see it in downhill skiing.

"I watched [downhill skiing star] Bode Miller, and he's totally out of control but stays on the track! That's what you want to see in F1. You can tinker with the aerodynamic regs, whatever, I don't care. When I turn on the TV and watch cars going around for 10 laps without any passing, at least I want to feel like the guy I'm watching is really on the edge.

"Quite how you resolve that, I haven't got the answer, but I think attention needs to be paid to that part of the sport."

His words brought two responses from me. The first was, this doesn't sound like a former world champion, someone who knows and understands the sport from the inside. His time and distance away from racing has given him the voice of the ubiquitous 'man on the street'.

The second response was, actually, that time and distance away has given him a healthy perspective. By not being involved he can see things from a bigger perspective, relate closer to spectators and TV viewers.

Perhaps that standpoint will actually work in his favour as president of the BRDC.

The reasons why Stewart targeted Hill for the role are clear. Club chairman Stuart Rolt told me earlier this week: "The great thing is Damon has no political, internal club agendas, and of course he has a very high profile. We believe it is important for the president to be a racer and a man people will recognise."

He is not being employed for his business acumen - big decisions on the future of Silverstone won't be solely his responsibility. Rolt: "He has experience of running his own businesses, but the club structure means that a strong board should be making the business decisions. It is more important for the president to have a strong profile."

The BRDC want Hill for what he represents. "Above all, this marks a shift of generation," said Rolt. "He is a young man by BRDC standards. I mean, I'm 56 and I'm considered a young member! This is a tremendous change. There is a perception that BRDC members are out of touch with the modern world, and that is something we have to dispose of."

Hill would be the first BRDC president to have played in a punk band! His attitude to the sport, having led very different lives before and after his career as a racing driver, gives him an alternative perspective. For a body as conservative as the BRDC, his appointment would actually be quite radical.

But will he enjoy it? Even at the height of his fame, Hill did not sit comfortably in the spotlight. Given that his role as president would be as a figurehead, an ambassadorial focal point, this role would push him firmly back on to centre stage. Maybe he's missing the attention after all...

And even if he isn't required to be a great business brain, he would be jumping into one of the stormiest eras in the BRDC's history. The internal battle over the future of the club, the British Grand Prix and Silverstone itself will force him into a role as peacemaker. Can he play the diplomat, winning over the trust and support of the various factions within the club?

And if he has strong views - which surely he will have, if he doesn't already - will he be allowed to have an influence? If not, won't he find the limitations of the presidency too frustrating?

His get-out clause will be that the BRDC presidency is voted upon annually. If he doesn't like it, he can step down in 12 months' time.

But still, given his 'drop-out' attitude to motor racing, I'm surprised he needs the hassle that will come with the presidency of the BRDC.

He really must care after all.