1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill says it was a joy to race alongside Michael Schumacher despite the duo sharing a fierce rivalry in the 90s.
Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher shared a fierce rivalry in F1 during the 1990s. Their rivalries defined the era that saw the end of Prost, Senna and Mansell and spawned a new generation of racers.
Damon was the son of Graham Hill, who was an F1 champion himself. Hill joined Brabham in the 1992 season while he was a test driver with Williams. He would team up alongside triple World Champion Alain Prost.
At the same time, Michael was with Benneton. The duo sparred in the 1994 season as the two went head-to-head for the 1994 season.
Schumi had a great start winning six of the first seven races. While Hill and Williams were coping with Ayrton Senna’s death. However, Hill would keep putting consistent performances and get closer to the title contention.
H would win the 1994 British GP in Silverstone. And the penultimate race of the season in Japan. Hill who crossed the line ahead of the German in a rain-soaked event calls it his “greatest race win.”
Hill is just one point behind the German before the last race of the season in Adelaide. But Schumacher collided with Hill while the Brit was going to make a pass. This controversial move resulted in both drivers ending their races.
Schumacher won the 1994 title. Damon Hill reacted to this by saying, “My attitude to racing was to win the race fairly and squarely by being quicker. And I was just not ready for some of his tactics.” “It marked him out as being pretty ruthless in his approach to racing”
Damon Hill got death threats to not overtake Michael Schumacher
Despite Michael Schumacher colliding and ending Hill’s title hopes, the Brit did not hold himself back. He was asked if he ever held grudges against Michael for winning the title in such a fashion.
Hill said, “I don’t look at it like that. I am not carrying some sort of awful burden”. He was always hopeful of catching up in the 1995 season
But 1995 was not his year and Schumacher won his 2nd title that year. Their rivalry only reignited after Hill collided with Schumacher under braking at the British and Italian Grand Prix.
Hill recalls, “I got death threats before the German Grand Prix. The Police came and saw me and told ‘We have to take it seriously.’ Because someone wrote a letter stating if I out-qualified him, I’d get shot.”
He would however get his revenge and long destined achievement when he won the F1 title in 1996. The Williams car was the quickest on the grid. Hill started from the front row on all races and won 8 GPs.
Schumacher joined Ferrari. Although he’d only finish 3rd, he’d win 5 consecutive titles with the team in from 2000 to 2004.
And in typical Hill fashion, he claimed, “It was quite sweet to win the World Championship and cross the line with Michael behind me.” But he still holds a lot of respect for the 91 GP winner with whom he shared a memorable rivalry.
Also Read: Damon Hill thinks Ayrton Senna was himself responsible for his tragic death
