23-05-2025
Damon Hill's tragic admission about dad's death, net worth, private Michael Schumacher chat
Damon Hill's tragic admission about dad's death, net worth, private Michael Schumacher chat
Damon Hill's crash with Michael Schumacher at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix will go down as one of the biggest controversies in Formula One history
Damon Hill could have won the F1 title in 1994
(Image: Getty Images )
Damon Hill will always be remembered as a Formula 1's legend thanks to his 1996 championship Win.
The 64-year-old was driving for Williams almost three decades ago when he successfully dethroned Benetton's Michael Schumacher, thanks to a remarkable season which saw him claim victory at eight races as well as two second-place finishes. However, Hill may have actually claimed his first title two years earlier, had it not have been for one of the sport's most scandalous happenings which Schumacher was a part of.
Hill trailed the German by just a single point heading into the Australian Grand. While Hill's team-mate and fellow Brit Nigel Mansell qualified in pole position for the race, he lost his lead to Schumacher on the very first corner. Hill quickly closed in on second place, and the positions remained the same up until lap 36.
It was then that Schumacher lost control on the East Terrace corner, briefly skimming the wall before returning to the track. Hill seized the slip up as a chance to attempt to overtake Schumacher from the inside on the very next corner, but Schumacher refused to yield.
As a result, Hill's left tyre rammed into Schumacher's car, sending the German spiralling towards the barriers on two wheels. However, when Hill returned to the pit, mechanics spotted that the suspension on his Williams FW14B was too badly damaged to continue.
With both men out of the race, Schumacher remained ahead of Hill on points in the Drivers' Championship, and lifted his first world title. Hill got his revenge a couple of years later, running away with the title ahead of Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve. More recently he has been a familiar face to F1 fans as part of Sky Sports' coverage, although he stepped back from the channel last year.
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Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, we take a look at some of the most important and notable incidents in Hill's life.
Damon Hill's response to Michael Schumacher
When asked if he ever confronted Schumacher about the incident in 1994, Hill recently told the High Performance podcast: "I did the next day. He was having breakfast and I went up to him. I said, 'Well done, world champion.'
"And he sort of looked at me rather sheepishly and said thanks, but I never spoke to him after that. We had our moments the following year, '95, it was an absolute disaster. I basically got over excited a few times and we had more contretemps, but yeah, I didn't come out too well looking in '95."
Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher collided in 1994
(Image: FORMULA 1 / YOUTUBE )
And while Hill has always insisted that he had no bad blood with Schumacher away from racing, it was a completely different story when the two were lined up on the grid. He previously told German outlet BILD: "Michael and I actually got on well, but on the track we hated each other.
"It was and is not possible to be any other way if you want to become Formula 1 world champion. There was no room for niceties. You have to exploit every weakness of your opponent and wear him down with it."
He added: "Michael was a master of psychological games. He made me feel like I was useless and untalented. And he told the press that too. Because he won a lot of races back then, there was no reason not to believe him."
Damon Hill inspired by his father to race
Elsewhere in his conversation with High Performance, Hill spoke about the passing of his father, Graham Hill, when he was just 15 years old. A legendary driver who earned the nickname 'Mr. Monaco', Graham achieved World Championships in 1962 and 1968 before tragically passing away at the age of 46 in November 1975, when his Piper PA-23 Aztec light aircraft crashed near Arkley while approaching Elstree Airfield in thick fog.
Soon after his father's passing, Hill began single-seater racing and the rest is history. As per Herald Scotland, Hill said: "What was the purpose of me racing? There was an element of me trying to reinstate something that was destroyed or lost.
Damon Hill was just 15 when his dad died
(Image: Sutton Images )
"Maybe I was trying to right some of the wrongs of the past - that was an aspect of what was going on, but I don't think it was the whole thing. You can't entirely concoct motivation - it's either in you or it isn't."
Speaking with High Performance, Hill added: "I was very proud of my dad, and I never got to find out whether he would have been approving of me becoming a racing driver. He did say when I was younger that he was asked by an interviewer, 'Would you like your son to become a racing driver?'
"And he said, 'Well, I think he's too intelligent to become a racing driver,' but he was clearly wrong. In those days it was very dangerous so I can understand if he didn't want me to be a racing driver. But yeah, definitely very proud - a little moment of reflection on that. The meaning of that.
"Sad that he wasn't there to see it happen, my mum was around. But I think that we all felt very much that he was present in some way."
Damon Hill's net worth
Thanks to an incredible F1 career, Hill has managed to rack up an estimated fortune of around £22million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. During his racing career, Hill earned a significant amount of prize money supplemented by lucrative sponsorship deals - however, these most like pale when compared to the sums awarded to modern F1 stars.
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After retiring from racing following the 1999 season, Hill took up tenure as the President of the British Racing Drivers' Club, and has since worked in punditry for Sky Sports.
