
Hill in numbers
360 official points
1Drivers’ titles
1996
18th of 789 all time
3Constructors’ titles
1993, 1994, 1996
15th of 789 all time
19.1% of races
17.4% of races
36.5% of races
0Drivers’ titles
none
0Constructors’ titles
none
1Drivers’ titles
1996
of 1 in the career
3Constructors’ titles
1993, 1994, 1996
of 3 in the career
32.3% of races with Williams
30.8% of races with Williams
61.5% of races with Williams
0Drivers’ titles
none
0Constructors’ titles
none
6.3% of races with Arrows
0Drivers’ titles
none
0Constructors’ titles
none
3.1% of races with Jordan
3.1% of races with Jordan
Damon Hill achieved something no one else had: becoming world champion like his father. Son of double champion Graham Hill, who died when Damon was a teenager, he came to motor racing late and always carried the weight of a legendary name and the comparisons.
He stepped up to Williams in 1993 and, after Senna's death in 1994, suddenly became the team leader and Michael Schumacher's great rival. That year he lost the title by a single point in the Adelaide controversy, where Schumacher rammed him. In 1996, aboard the dominant FW18, he did not let his chance slip: eight wins and the world championship.
As had happened to Hill senior, the glory was bittersweet: Williams had already decided to drop him for 1997. He ended his career with one last unforgettable joy, a heroic win with the modest Jordan at Spa 1998. His story is one of persistence rewarded in the shadow of a myth.
What if Hill had another car?
We took his real attributes and put him in the best car of each era: in a real driver's seat, against the team-mate that car actually had. 20 full seasons in each.
| Car | Team-mate | Finish | Wins | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLaren1988 | Alain Prost-92 pts | P2 | 2.2 | 0% |
| Williams1992 | Riccardo Patrese-16 pts | P2.3 | 4.1 | 20% |
| Ferrari2002 | Rubens Barrichello+12 pts | P1.3 | 8.2 | 70% |
| Red Bull2013 | Mark Webber+1 pts | P1.5 | 8.4 | 50% |
| Mercedes2016 | Lewis Hamilton-106 pts | P2 | 4 | 0% |
| Red Bull2023 | Sergio Perez+32 pts | P1.2 | 11.9 | 80% |
| Cadillac2026 · 11th on the grid | Valtteri Bottas+20 pts | P9.9 | 0 | 0% |
The only one who beats him is Lewis Hamilton in the 2016 Mercedes: 106 points clear over a full season.
Rating by season
- First season
- 76 1992
- Peak
- 85 1994
- 1999
- 79 Jordan
8 seasons in the database, from 1992 to 1999. Our own rating, from 50 to 99.
Teams
Tags
Best year
1996
What would Damon Hill have achieved with a different car or in a different era?
Hypotheses featuring Damon Hill
Related drivers
His team-mates
9 team-mates across 8 seasons. When both finished the race, Hill was ahead in 22 of 43; on the grid he started ahead in 57 of 113.
| Year | Team-mate | In the race | On the grid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Eric van de PoeleBrabham · 1 race | · | · |
| 1993 | Alain ProstWilliams · 16 races | 4-5 | 2-14 |
| 1994 | David CoulthardWilliams · 8 races | 4-0 | 8-0 |
| 1994 | Nigel MansellWilliams · 4 races | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| 1994 | Ayrton SennaWilliams · 3 races | · | 0-3 |
| 1995 | David CoulthardWilliams · 17 races | 3-2 | 9-8 |
| 1996 | Jacques VilleneuveWilliams · 16 races | 5-4 | 13-3 |
| 1997 | Pedro DinizArrows · 17 races | 2-3 | 14-3 |
| 1998 | Ralf SchumacherJordan · 16 races | 3-2 | 6-10 |
| 1999 | Heinz-Harald FrentzenJordan · 16 races | 0-5 | 2-14 |
The first number is always Hill's. A team-mate is whoever started the same race for the same team. "In the race" only counts races both finished, because a retirement says nothing about who was quicker. "On the grid" is the starting position, with penalties already applied.
Compare Hill with another driver
Titles, wins, poles and podiums side by side, against any of the 789 drivers in history.
Keep reading
Where Damon Hill comes up in what we have measured, with our own numbers.
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