Damon Hill in 2012

Damon Hill

British · 1992–1999

Photo: Supermac1961 · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

★World Champion(1996)

Hill in numbers

360 official points

1Drivers’ titles

1996

18th of 789 all time

3Constructors’ titles

1993, 1994, 1996

15th of 789 all time

Races66th of 789 all time
115
Wins15th of 789 all time

19.1% of races

22
Poles16th of 789 all time

17.4% of races

20
Podiums23rd of 789 all time

36.5% of races

42

0Drivers’ titles

none

0Constructors’ titles

none

Racesof 115 in the career
2
Winsof 22 in the career
0
Polesof 20 in the career
0
Podiumsof 42 in the career
0

1Drivers’ titles

1996

of 1 in the career

3Constructors’ titles

1993, 1994, 1996

of 3 in the career

Racesof 115 in the career
65
Winsof 22 in the career

32.3% of races with Williams

21
Polesof 20 in the career

30.8% of races with Williams

20
Podiumsof 42 in the career

61.5% of races with Williams

40

0Drivers’ titles

none

0Constructors’ titles

none

Racesof 115 in the career
16
Winsof 22 in the career
0
Polesof 20 in the career
0
Podiumsof 42 in the career

6.3% of races with Arrows

1

0Drivers’ titles

none

0Constructors’ titles

none

Racesof 115 in the career
32
Winsof 22 in the career

3.1% of races with Jordan

1
Polesof 20 in the career
0
Podiumsof 42 in the career

3.1% of races with Jordan

1

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.

CarTeam-mateFinishWinsTitles
McLaren1988Alain Prost-92 ptsP22.20%
Williams1992Riccardo Patrese-16 ptsP2.34.120%
Ferrari2002Rubens Barrichello+12 ptsP1.38.270%
Red Bull2013Mark Webber+1 ptsP1.58.450%
Mercedes2016Lewis Hamilton-106 ptsP240%
Red Bull2023Sergio Perez+32 ptsP1.211.980%
Cadillac2026 · 11th on the gridValtteri Bottas+20 ptsP9.900%

The only one who beats him is Lewis Hamilton in the 2016 Mercedes: 106 points clear over a full season.

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Rating by season

7075808590199219941996199985
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

WilliamsArrowsJordan

Tags

#1996 champion#Williams#Britain#champion's son#FW18

Best year

1996

What would Damon Hill have achieved with a different car or in a different era?

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.

YearTeam-mateIn the raceOn the grid
1992Eric van de PoeleBrabham · 1 race··
1993Alain ProstWilliams · 16 races4-52-14
1994David CoulthardWilliams · 8 races4-08-0
1994Nigel MansellWilliams · 4 races1-03-1
1994Ayrton SennaWilliams · 3 races·0-3
1995David CoulthardWilliams · 17 races3-29-8
1996Jacques VilleneuveWilliams · 16 races5-413-3
1997Pedro DinizArrows · 17 races2-314-3
1998Ralf SchumacherJordan · 16 races3-26-10
1999Heinz-Harald FrentzenJordan · 16 races0-52-14

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.