Everything to know about Damon Hill, including unique F1 record, Michael Schumacher rivalry, and more

Damon Hill is one of Formula 1’s most recognisable and likeable figures having made the crossover between driver and TV pundit, so here is all you need to know about him.

The British driver is the son of F1 world champion Graham Hill, and made his debut in F1 with the struggling Brabham team in 1992.

He would later go on to drive for Williams, where he clinched the 1996 World Championship after a battle with Benetton’s Michael Schumacher.

Hill was one of Great Britain’s last World Champions in the 20th century, with it being a 12-year wait before Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button would add to the tally back-to-back.

Damon Hill started off his motorsport career on motorcycles

Hill started his motorsport career in motorcycle racing in 1981, however, his mother was too concerned about the dangers of it and persuaded him to take up racing cars instead.

After a series of sporadic races in single-seaters in 1983, he graduated through to British Formula Ford and went on to win six races in 1985. He would also take third place in 1985 at the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.

Hill would move to British F3 in 1986, and after a couple of seasons, he finished third in the 1988 British F3 championship. The next step was Formula 3000, however Hill did not have enough sponsorship to fund a full-time drive.

After a couple of podiums with a midfield team, Hill would earn a drive at Middlebridge Racing for 1990, where he took three poles and led five races. Alongside his F3000 exploits, Hill would also compete in the British Touring Car Championship, finishing the one-hour endurance race at Donington Park in fourth place.

Damon Hill made his F1 debut with Brabham in 1992

Hill started his F1 career as a test driver for Williams while competing in F3000, but midway through 1992 he earned a drive with Brabham who were about to go under.

After replacing Giovanna Amati after three races because of her lack of sponsorship, Hill would go on to match teammate Eric van de Poele by qualifying for the British and Hungarian Grands Prix.

Brabham would later collapse due to financial difficulties after the Hungary race, leaving Hill back in his test driver position for Williams.

Damon Hill made Williams debut in 1993

Following a dispute between Nigel Mansell and Williams after they signed Alan Prost for the 1993 season, the Briton left the team because he did not like working with the Frenchman.

With Riccardo Patrese also leaving to join Benetton, it meant Hill was the only driver with enough experience to race the FW15C.

Back then, defending champions would use the number ‘1’ on their car, but because Mansell had left, Hill was assigned the number ‘0’ to use, while Prost would use the number ‘2’ on his car. This made Hill only the second man in the history of F1 to use the number 0 after Jody Scheckter in 1973.

After a difficult start in South Africa when he spun in front of the field and collided with Alessandro Zanardi, Hill would go on to take a string of podiums behind the wheel of the highly technical FW15C.

Damon Hill took his first F1 win with Williams in 1993

Hill looked odds-on for his first victory, but he was denied twice; first by an engine failure at Silverstone and again by tyre failure at Hockenheim.

It wasn’t until the Hungaroring midway through the season that Hill would earn his breakthrough victory, following up it up with wins at the Belgium and Italian Grands Prix.

Prost would go on to win his fourth and final title in F1 before retiring at the end of the 1993 season, leading to Hill being partnered with one of the greatest drivers of all time: Ayrton Senna.

Senna’s tragic death at Imola after just three races in 1994 cut short their partnership, with Hill playing a similar role to his father when Lotus teammate Jim Clark died in 1968.

Damon Hill’s rivalry with Michael Schumacher

Hill put in a credible title bid in 1994, but his main rival was Michael Schumacher driving the infamous Benetton B194.

After a run of good races in the middle part of the season, Schumacher would later be served a one-race ban for his antics at the British Grand Prix. Later in the season at Spa, Schumacher would be disqualified for excessive plank wear on his car.

Hill would later win against Schumacher in a soaking Suzuka, a win that would prove vital to his title chances as he moved to within a point of the German at the season finale in Adelaide.

It would prove to be a controversial end when Schumacher crashed Hill out of the race to seal the title, with Williams choosing not to protest the result while mourning the death of Senna.

Damon Hill wins first and only F1 World Championship with Williams in 1996

The 1995 season was a tough one for Hill as he was one of the favourites to win, but inconsistent results eventually led to Schumacher taking a second and final title with Benetton before leaving to go to Ferrari.

The 1996 season would be Hill’s final at Williams, and it would be the one where he delivered them the title.

Hill enjoyed his most successful season in F1, taking eight victories and never qualifying outside of the top two places. He was close to winning the Monaco GP, having led until his engine failed and handing the victory to Olivier Panis.

Teammate Jacques Villeneuve was his only title challenger and by the Japanese GP he was looking good with a pole. But Hill took the lead at the start and won the race and the championship after the Canadian retired from the race.

Hill would equal the record for starting all 16 races of the season from the front row, matching Senna in 1989 and Prost in 1993. Even though Hill had won half of the year’s races, Williams dropped the bombshell that they would be replacing him with Heinz-Harald Frentzen the following season.

Eventual F1 retirement and foray into punditry

Hill would spend much of his title defence in 1997 at the back of the field racing for Arrows, but in Hungary, he came close to glory. After improvements were made to the car and better Bridgestone tyres, he would lead the race in a car that was regularly outside of the points. Could he win it?

He passed Schumacher and dominated most of the race out in front, but on the final lap, he would strike some cruel luck. A hydraulic component on his car failed, effectively handing the victory to Villeneuve.

Hill would move to Jordan the following year and achieve their first ever victory at Spa Francorchamps in heavy rain from teammate Ralf Schumacher.

For the 1999 season, Hill would grow frustrated by the lack of pace from Jordan and announced his retirement at the end of the season. Hill went on to serve at the president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, where he played a role in securing the future of the British Grand Prix.

He would later join Sky Sports F1 as a pundit in 2012, before leaving its coverage at the end of the 2024 season.

What is Damon Hill’s unique record in Formula 1?

Hill is one of four drivers to share a unique record in F1, which is the only father-son pairing to win a world championship.

Hill won his title in 1996 while his father, Graham Hill, won two titles in 1962 and 1968. They share the record with Keke and Nico Rosberg.

Keke Rosberg was world champion in 1982, while his son, Nico Rosberg, would win the title 34 years later in 2016.

How old is Damon Hill?

At the time of writing, Damon Hill is 64 years old. He was born on the 17th September in 1960.

Damon Hill’s net worth

Hill has amassed a great fortune from his F1 career, with his net worth approximately £22 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. His earnings were generated by prize money and sponsorship deals throughout his F1 career.

Damon Hill’s F1 career stats

Hill would go on to have an impressive F1 career with four different teams between the seven years he was active in the sport.