Welcome to our March podcast with 1996 Formula 1 World Champion and current BRDC president Damon Hill.
He played a big hand in securing the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and has an interesting perspective on Formula 1 at the moment, a perspective he’s not afraid to air.
Enjoy… We all certainly did.
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It's a Williams Formula 1 special this month! Simon Taylor has lunch with Patrick Head – who has also taken us through the intricacies of the FW14B, while Nigel Roebuck writes about the team's early days. It's not to be missed.
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Hi Guys,
Damon Hill has to be the most articulate world champ ever.
Excellent podcast again. Please let Nigel smoke mid recording.
i have finally subscribed to the mag (only took me 15 years!), I look forward to many more wonderful excerpts from this sport we love.
Guys
Have to agree with Garry. I always knew Damon was a clever boy just shows that most world champions have that something extra up top. His comments about racing drivers being allowed to express their opinions get to the nub the problems facing modern corporate sport. When racing drivers have to talk like CFO’s then you know things are wrong. Thank God for people like Webber Vettel Kubica and Alonso who aren’t afraid to speak their minds. Final thought Damon Hill in a McLaren? Would have been interesting against Hakkinen in 1998..
Thank you. I’m sure how you can judge the podacsts. They’re all a treat, just different due to the different guests and their lives.
This was yet another great podcast! Took some time off being a tourist in london to listen to it, and it was worth it!
Mario
Thank you guys! it really was a most enjoyable hours listening to start my morning. I have to agree as well i always thought damon was a clever bloke, I have seen alot of his interviews. But having an hour to have a really good chat shows you so much more about the man. he’s so open even about the things that obviously cause him discomfort. Great champion. Great show!
Lastly thanks for asking my question! I hope it’s not to late to vote on murrays corner either lol ^^
He’s a credit to his Mum!
I think Alonso will find Massa a lot more difficult to out-pace than he did Fisichella, Piquet Jr and Grosjean.
Fisichella was never as fast or as consistent as Massa ultimately became, especially in the year prior to his accident. Look at what a mockery Raikkonen made out of Spa Pole-man Fisichella in the final five Grand Prix races of last year and then imagine what Alonso is going to be up against the Lazarus who has nothing to lose in Massa!
Alonso had a tough time getting the measure of a Number 2 like Trulli in 2004 and then was seen off by a mistake-ridden and inexperienced rookie in 2007.
What hope does Alonso have against an even tougher Hamilton three years on? The Ferrari will need to be superior because I don’t think Alonso can beat either Hamilton or Vettel straight up.
Damon was enjoyble to listen to.
Shame that Frank Williams felt that Frentzen was going to be his Schumacher Beater in the absence of the mighy Senna. (You could see Williams’ logic at the time given that Schumacher didn’t have the measure of either Wendlinger or Frentzen at Mercedes.)
I know that Damon was a great tester who worked extremely well with Adrian Newey and i’m certain that he (Damon) would have been a tougher challenge for Hakkinen at McLaren than Coulthard was.
Shame too that Ron Dennis wasn’t keen enough on Damon (for whatever reasons)…but any driver would have had a tough time getting in between Dennis-Hakkinen in the later 90s, especially following the Finn’s near fatal accident in Australia.
I was rather surprised that Damon wasn’t able to dominate Frentzen at Jordan. It was slightly dissappointing to see.
Perhaps Damon can take over from Todt at the FIA at some stage in the future?
Wishing the fine Englishman the best of luck in his endeavours at the BRDC.
I think Damon would be a great head of the FIA to maybe in the future if he wants it he will be. For now lets cross are fingers and hope Jean Todt or as murray always said “Jone Toad”, does a good job and gives the sport the support and consistency it needs.
Also if anyone would like to sign up to the facebook group to support getting a corner named after Murray Walker the website is here.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=304708632233
I (respectfully!) disagree with quite a lot of R Tanveer’s comments…
Re. Alonso’s performance against Trulli and Hamilton, to be pushed hard and often beaten by Trulli in qualifying is no shame. He is acknowledged as perhaps the very fastest over one lap. Monaco was his day of days and even Alonso couldn’t beat him. Indeed I think the Spaniard’s reaction to his crash with Ralf Schumacher showed how annoyed he was at being beaten by a teammate. A portent of things to come… Alonso and Hamilton – lets not go there! Let’s just say I believe the Spanird got a raw deal…
I also think you are far too dismissive of Frentzen. I believe HHF was massively talented, right up there with Hakkinen and perhaps Schumacher. Natural ability is only one component however and I don’t think Frentzen had the toughness, the ambition, the determination or perhaps the moral courage of a true winner. I believe he was far better in many ways than Villeneuve, for example, but just wilted alongside the testosterone-fueled duo of Head and JV. In fairness Hill was also past his best by the time he was paired with Frentzen.
I haven’t heard the podcast yet but am looking forward to it. Damon is one of nature’s gentlemen and I admire his grit.
More Niki impersonations PLEASE :-) and maybe Wattie could have a more regular slot.
Great job on the podcast guys, I enjoy it immensely.
I was and I am an italian supporter of Damon ever since he got in Formula 1 with Brabham in 92.
I also had ” a lump in my throat ” when he clinched the world championship in Suzuka 96.
Thank you to Motorsport for this fantastic interview and all the best to Damon and his family.
Well, Patrick, I think Trulli is/has been hugely over-rated.
Toyota ought to have won at least one Grand Prix in 2009…but they didn’t have a proper driver.
At various stages of the Championship the Toyota was at or near the front and Trulli’s car was either the fastest or second fastest at about two, possibly three, meetings.
The Ferrari F60 certainly wasn’t the fastest or second fastest car AT ANY STAGE of the season yet Raikkonen extracted a win out of a dog in a race Trulli SHOULD have won!
Regardless, Frentzen FINALLY showed in 1999 what Frank Williams thought he saw in him when he arranged for him (Frentzen) to drive a Williams-Renault for 1997.
Frentzen was to be Frank’s Shumacher Beater but, as you say, wilted (for whatever reasons) at a team where they loved their Tough Joneses more than their Moody Reutemanns…
It’s quite obvious that Damon wasn’t interested in it any more by the Spring of 1999 and that disinterest (my term), perhaps, slightly flattered Frentzen’s performances in that year’s reasonably decent Jordan package.
Whatever the case, I do STRONGLY think that the era which followed Senna’s death was one of the weakest driver eras in history.
I went to the Canadian Grand Prix in 1994…and guess what? There wasn’t a single World Champion on the grid and there were only 2 or 3 drivers who’d won more than a hand-full of GPs. Talk about an unusually LOW SUPPLY of Aces!!!
Schumacher and Ross Brawn had virtually no competition except from Adrian Newey designed Williamses and McLarens…until Raikkonen and Alonso came along to drive in proper cars.
As per Alonso getting a raw deal…well, that’s pure bullshit because he (Alonso) was the only one in the car when he messed up in Bahrain, Spain, (an unbelievable) five times in the Canadian GP and then crashed out in Japan. Ron Dennis certainly wasn’t driving that car by remote control, was he?
Alonso should have dominated a rookie who made numerous rookie mistakes but didn’t. He cracked under pressure at various points of the season because he was used to dealing with Number 2 teammates like Fisichella while having the full backing of his personal manager (Briatore).
Good luck to Alonso if he thinks he can beat Hamilton straight up now three years on.
The only way Alonso will beat Hamilton is if the Ferrari is superior.
Heck, I think even Massa is likely to be faster than the Spaniard.
Lazarus Has Risen and has Nothing To Lose.
We’ll see.
Great Podcast.. maybe the best yet. This might be a stretch, but as an American I would LOVE to hear a podcsat with either AJ Foyt or Richard Petty. After all Motorsport Mag covers all forms of racing.
Great podcast guys :D
R Tanveer, I think you misunderstand me re. Trulli. He is a great qualifier, yes, but I fully agree that he leaves a lot to be desired in race conditions. His racecraft is average and I’m not sure he’s versatile enough to handle the changing handling characteristics over a full GP distance.
You list all the places Alonso messed up in 07. Fair enough, but it’s not exactly normal for him over a season is it? He was operating in an environment when he was at war with his team and I remember DC commenting that his performances were impressive given these circumstances. I’m not saying he couldn’t have handled it more maturly but the situation was totally mismanaged by McLaren and by Dennis in particular. Also, there was a major tyre reg change in 07 and both Alonso and Kimi – amongst others – were slightly on the back foot. Maybe you’re right and Massa will slaughter him like he did Kimi. I VERY much doubt it though (and that opinion has nothing to do with Felipe’s injury)…
Good Grief Tanveer, been so long away,I come back,and you are still coming up with ridiculous notions…..Alonso not quite up in Hamiltons league….do you wear a bag over your head whilst watching F1 ?
Massa slaughtered Kimi?
Which driver delivered the World Championship?
You mention tyre reg changes. Well in 2007 Kimi adapted from Michelins toBridgestones whereas Massa didn’t have to nearly as much. Kimi also moved to Italy whereas Alonso went from Enstone to Woking.
Another change was KERS in 2009 and the taller drivers like Raikkonen and Kubica suffered in relation to their shorter and lighter teammates (Massa, Heidfeld) when it came to playing around with balast in the front end of the car…and still Raikkonen out-qualified Massa 5-4.
The weight penalty to the taller drivers was so severe that the FIA has changed the minimum weight rule for 2010. Thankfully!
In 2008, Raikkonen was in better shape in the championship … until Hamilton piled into the back of him at the red lights in the Montreal pit lane and then had to give up a commanding win when the exhaust bank broke loose in France.
Then, Ferrari went the other way on the front suspension during the early summer, favouring the understeer-prefering Massa when we all know that Kimi likes over-steer (pointy/responsive front end, lighter back end).
Ferrari fixed it for Belgium and you saw how it was Raikkonen who lead Hamilton at Spa and then rattled him into an error at the front in Fuji.
I doubt Massa would have taken that KERS Ferrari F60 to victory at Spa last year.
Kimi didn’t fit in at Ferrari and di Montezemolo spent an awful lot of money on him without making sure Costa and Tombazis catered to his strengths. It was a waste of money.
In the end I don’t see Massa’s name on the World Championship trophy.
Trulli: So you agree that he’s pretty much uselessly inconsistent in Grand Prix races. Yet he had the measure of Alonso in 2004 until he fell out with Alonso’s personal manager Briatore after the final lap mess-up at the French GP at mid season…and then was fired with 3 races to go.
As far as i’m concerned, Alonso has only beaten Fisi, PK jr and Grosjean…Hardly Aces, are they?
Don’t be surprised if Felipe’ proves to be the faster of the pairing this year.
Dear All,
It’s great that you’re all posting comments, but I would ask if you could keep the posts on subject as much as possible.
I understand that some threads take on a world of their own, however, do bear in mind what the original subject of the discussion was.
We certainly don’t want to stop people having their say, we just want everyone to be able to join in the discussion without fear of making their views heard.
All the best
EF
Sorry Mr Foster…
Back on topic…
It’s a shame that Damon didn’t end up staying at Williams for 1997 and then follow Adrian Newey to McLarens for 1998/9.
Just imagine how many more Grand Prix races Damon would have won?!
Sadly it all boils down to money and to perceptions.
If driver X feels he’s worth, say, 7,000,000 Pounds (because he has a WDC) while, similarly, Team Principal Y feels he can get someone who he perceives to be slightly faster for appreciably less, then Driver X will get screwed.
Frank Williams and Patrick Head had a history of saying ‘bye-bye’ to World Champions who felt they were worth more…and felt they’d rather spend the money on engineering.
Damon was, unfortunately, a victim of the Money-Perceptions game.
There are only a few Golden Years of Earnings in any sport so I suppose Damon was watching out for the financial well-being of his wife and children.
Who can blame him when we’d all do the same?
Another fabulous podcast! I always had a lot of time for Damon and cheered him on during his Williams days. And of course, being an ‘ancien tifosi’, I admired his dad as well, especially his great sense of humor. hearing this podcast makes me think the acorn didn’t fall too far from the tree, but it is probably more to Mrs. Hill and the way she brought him up that Damon owes this.
Somebody frame Damon’s quote in the FIA offices:
“The sport needs venues”
Underline the last word several times and sent a copy to B Ecclestone.
Well, it seems we have managed to entertain you with Damon’s podcast and, as ever, we have ignited a few arguments on the side. All that aside, we should just celebrate having such an articulate and entertaining Grand Prix World Champion.
Next month we will not be having a special guest. We, that’s Nigel, Damien, Ed and myself will be looking back at the opening races of a new season and trying to make sense of the early form. There will, we know, be a lot to talk about.
Meanwhile practice is underway in Bahrain and, while these Friday morning times are relatively meaningless, the McLarens and the Ferraris look as good as they did in Jerez. The Mercedes is up there too. But a long way to go………………
In closing, I should say thanks to Alastair for a very nice card in appreciation of our podcasts. Makes it all worthwhile……….!
RW
Not to get too far off topic (eventhough it was discussed towards the end of the Podcast) but looks like I was correct about Lazarus Rising.
Massa is indeed faster than Alonso. Felipe’ was over 3-10ths faster than the Spaniard in final qualifying.
I’m not surprised one single bit.
Damon Hill/The most dignified WDC in history:IMHO
Bravo! Remarkably candid interview–gave us some real insight into the man.
No better proof of D. Hill’s character than his extremely generous enthusiasm for Schumacher’s talent, and the very warm, uncomplicated way he expressed himself on this point. I’ve disliked (read:hated) Schumacher ever since Adelaide ’94. Hearing Hill speak about his rival without the slightest bitterness was bracing (made me ask myself, “So why am I still holding a grudge?!”)
If they awarded the WDC based on character, D. Hill would have walked away with a cabinet full.
Wonderful stuff–thanks fellas!
Fantastic to see so many comments in support of Damon Hill.
For me this man is not only an articulate, cerebral advocate for our sport, but also a landmark talent.
Having battled his way to the top, without any sponsorship privileges, he pushed Prost, replaced Senna successfully, provided Jordan with their first win after having taken Arrows to heights never before experienced.
In a world where we often celebrate unsportsmanlike behaviour as “genius” (a la Schumacher, Senna etc) it is fitting that a true sportsman gets the credit he deserves.
I expected Damon to be articulate and insightful and he did not disappoint. He has a humanity which is rarely seen in top sportsmen- an awareness of his own quality-no false humility – but also the ability to praise his peers. Racing drivers are normally only good at one thing , which is why even ghosted autobiographies are usually utterly dire.The only exceptions are Peter Revson’s Speed with Style and Tommy Byrne’s book. The latter was certainly warts and all -if too much emphasis on the warts . But I do wish DH would do an autobiog- he has the sensitivity and intelligence to write the definitive GP book I suspect
Another great podcast. Fascinating stuff from Damon. What a traversty he didn’t get the chance to defend his championship in 1997.
The hairs on my neck still stand up when I watch the end of Suzuka 96 and hear the immortal words from Murray “I’ve got to stop because I’ve got a lump in my throat…” What an emotional roller-coaster of a season that was.
Another great podcast, nice job guys, it’s always good to listen to Damon.
Much more entertaining than the race at Bahrain……..
What a good bloke Damon is. Absolutely straight and nom political which would rule him out of any position with the FIA in future…
Listening to this interview got me thinking about how Schumacher would have shaped up to Damon on bikes – a different story I think!
As for R Tanveers comments about Trulli, I must admit that up to this year I was inclined to agree with him. However, I now believe he is the best thing to hit the track since Mika Salo and Alessandro Zanardi in Australia 1994!
Hi
Liked it immensely, well done.
Useless bit of information:DC has just gave an outstanding performance in the RB. in Belfast.
Hearing Damon was such an insight into the man and his experience. I second the comments above appreciating his ‘character’. Those with skill but lacking sportsmanship count so little.
Thank you all for these podcasts. Unique. Whether a driver present or not, they can’t come often enough.
Well now, this is hard to believe, but Motor Sport magazine is somehow back to what is was in the 60′s and 70′s, I somehow can’t believe it. It’s as if I am 14 years old and hurrying to the newsagent to grab the mag and read Jenks and to scrutinize the practice times for the Targa Florio, or the BOAC 500 (my first race) or reading about Graham at Monaco. Welcome back, it’s been a long time. How nice to hear intelligent people getting Bernie and Ron and Micky and Nige and nanny Todt into some sort of perspective. I almost feel I’ve never been away.
Sincere thanks.
Andrew