Damon Hill Watching the Wheels

[patmahe]

Finally got around to reading this on holiday, I was 15 when Damon won his Championship and it's very interesting to read what really was going on vs my naieve interpretations at the time. As is often the case things are not as simple as they seem.

But what the book does really well is lay out the story of why and how he even wanted to do this in the first place. I really liked the book as it's open honest and very well laid out.

[Andy S15]

visitinglondon said:

Average driver, who got into F1 on the back of his name and lucked out by being in the best car and then only just managed to win.

An average driver who very nearly won Hungary 1997 comprehensively in an Arrows... That's like 'Nando winning by over a minute in the current McHonda.

[coppice]

Well , whoever was wearing Damon Hill's helmet and race suit at a soaking Suzuka in 1994 wasn't too shabby. In fact it was one of the best Grand Prix drives I have ever seen.

And if you read Damon's book , you will soon learn that his surname didn't exactly create a bed of roses for either his personal life or his racing career . Odd , isn't it , how factors related to personal circumstances mean that Alex Zanardi is now beatified (inspirational man of course but borderline hopeless in F1) and that Damon Hill is demonised just for having the wrong dad ....

[anonymous-user]

coppice said:

Well , whoever was wearing Damon Hill's helmet and race suit at a soaking Suzuka in 1994 wasn't too shabby. In fact it was one of the best Grand Prix drives I have ever seen.

And if you read Damon's book , you will soon learn that his surname didn't exactly create a bed of roses for either his personal life or his racing career . Odd , isn't it , how factors related to personal circumstances mean that Alex Zanardi is now beatified (inspirational man of course but borderline hopeless in F1) and that Damon Hill is demonised just for having the wrong dad ....

I don't think either of your scenarios are correct, most people respect Damon for the man he is and his record and most people (who know anything about racing) consider Alex to be a top line driver.

I became a fan of Alex when I saw him drive the wheels off a Lotus Esprit GT car at Donington well before his F1 and CART career, he was incredible in that Esprit and had an outstanding CART career. He was pretty handy in an F1 car when the car was working well. What he has done since his crash just adds the admiration I have for the guy.

[coppice]

You have a point , but you might find it as irritating as I do that Hill is vilified for his background . Re Zanardi , of course he is an inspiring man, great in US and I too saw him pedal the Lotus so well at Donington . But by the binary standards which prevail in F1 he was unimpressive - like Michael Andretti , also stellar back home .

[Sa Calobra]

The book seems very very modest about Graham Hills driving skills.

Something his wins say the opposite of.

[VladD]

Sa Calobra said:

The book seems very very modest about Graham Hills driving skills.

Something his wins say the opposite of.

From what I recall Damon stated that his father didn't have the natural skill of Clark or Stewart, but made up for the deficit in bloody hard work.

[Eric Mc]

Which is what Graham Hill himself would have said.

[Sa Calobra]

True. I could try with bloody hard work. Many many racing drivers could try with even more focused and talented hardwork.


However he had the talent and could apply himself to different tracks and requirements and......Win Monaco not once....

For me a very talented racing driving can win in different marque's and series. That's a complete talent.

Lewis and Seb are good drivers. I'd like to see either of them win in different series to be one of the best.

[entropy]

visitinglondon said:

Don't understand all the love for this guy - other than his Britishness ...

Average driver, who got into F1 on the back of his name and lucked out by being in the best car and then only just managed to win.

And seems to have moaned about it ever since

I can be critical of Hill and I certainly wouldn't say he was average. Not a great in terms of being gifted but certainly he was talented; he was more than just a #2 driver like Nico Rosberg.

Similarly to Nico, Damon had poor racecraft against top echelon drivers ie. Schumi. He had a car that could win the WDC in 1995 and pretty much threw it away. Never consistently made the most of his equipment and had some poor drives - Silverstone and Spa spring to mind the latter he never took advantage of a damp/wet track on wet tyres whereas Schumi was on slicks and still came off second best!

The turnaround to have winning mentality was fantastic and was very pleased for him after being sorely disappointing.

I would not say Hill was only in F1 because of his name. He did well in F3 and F3000 but he was going un-noticed. Martin Donnelly was very highly regarded at that time.

Now to the book. A fantastic read and near un-put-downable. Fascinating insight into his upbringing as well as the background and behind the scenes. I knew of his biking background but I never knew how much pressure was on him to make his own mark in the wide world being a son of... Dunno about you lot but I immediately had to check YT for his bike racing footage! As much loved as Williams are people forget/don't realise that they can be difficult to please/work with (read Alex Zanardi's autobiography for his version of how Williams tried to get rid of him). He was on a yearly contract which didn't I know or recall so obviously they didn't have much confidence at all and were waiting for the next big talent. Also Hill had backing from Epsom and brought Sega to Williams in 1993 - makes you wonder what all the fuss over pay drivers is all about.

My only criticism is that it took a while for it to get going with regards to depression and psychology. Nothing against it its just that I was desperate for the biography to get going!

[ralphrj]

I found it a fascinating read and a step up from the usual regurgitation of results that usually pass for autobiographies.

By the way, the kindle edition is currently £1.19 at Amazon if anyone is looking for something to read on the beach this summer.

[ralphrj]

entropy said:

He had a car that could win the WDC in 1995 and pretty much threw it away.

Hill is typically honest in the book about his performance that year but people never seem to remember just how poor the reliability of the Williams was that year. Hill retired twice from the lead of the race with mechanical failure (gearbox in Brazil, driveshaft in Germany) and would have inherited 2nd in Canada but for another gearbox failure. Add back the 26 points that Hill could have taken in those races and deduct the extra points gained by Schumacher and Hill could have won the title by 3 points.

Coulthard suffered even worse in the other Williams with 5 mechanical retirements (electrical in Argentina, gearbox in Spain, Monaco and Belgium, wheel bearing in Italy).

Both drivers were guilty of retiring as a result of errors in the second half of the season but were they overdriving in an attempt to make up for lost points?

[coppice]

Uniquely, almost, Hill has the mental resource to admit that a driver was better than he was - so many just go into denial mode, quoting better equipment, favouritism etc . His drive at a wet Suzuka against Schumacher was his finest hour , and a superb achievement. The book is extraordinary in that it's about the person , the thought processes and the sheer bloody mindedness needed in F1 . Can't remember if I have already made the comparison but the only Formula 1 driver whose book comes close was Peter Revson's Speed with Style . Most of the genre is badly written , self aggrandising junk that belongs in a charity shop

[CanAm]

visitinglondon said:

Don't understand all the love for this guy - other than his Britishness ...

Average driver, who got into F1 on the back of his name and lucked out by being in the best car and then only just managed to win.

And seems to have moaned about it ever since

Damon Hill's first race on four wheels was at an age greater than many who are entering F1, and who started racing karts almost before they started school. I remember qualifying at the British GP in 1993, his first year in a decent F1 car, when he was trading fastest laps with Alain Prost.
Very few drivers have lapped the entire field in F1 and Damon Hill is one of them.
And what he did with that terrible Arrows in Hungary in 1997 shows that his success was not all down to having the best car.

[Sa Calobra]

CanAm said:

visitinglondon said:

Don't understand all the love for this guy - other than his Britishness ...

Average driver, who got into F1 on the back of his name and lucked out by being in the best car and then only just managed to win.

And seems to have moaned about it ever since

Damon Hill's first race on four wheels was at an age greater than many who are entering F1, and who started racing karts almost before they started school. I remember qualifying at the British GP in 1993, his first year in a decent F1 car, when he was trading fastest laps with Alain Prost.
Very few drivers have lapped the entire field in F1 and Damon Hill is one of them.
And what he did with that terrible Arrows in Hungary in 1997 shows that his success was not all down to having the best car.

I don't think he/she probably watched and understood the racing at the time or his background. If Graham hadn't died he'd have been in F1 alot sooner. He hit F1 mid his talent window IMO with alot of life baggage (a fair comment?). Plus when racing drivers start to have children then slow down, he had 2-3 (still he was 'on it's) and was arguably against the three best F1 drivers of their day and maybe all time.

[cuprabob]

For a time, he also preferred to race bikes, which is often overlooked. When he was in F1 I never really rated him and thought he was trading on his family name but with hindsight I was wrong.

[Derek Smith]

Sorry for the resurrection, but I have just bought Hill's book.

It is one of the best motor racing autobiographies I've read. That might be coloured by my reading Newey's book just before Hill's, but it had me enthralled.

There are so many autobiographies that are little more than self justification that one should stay away I reckon, but I went with Newey because I admired him. I knew Hill was vastly underrated, but even that sympathy didn't get me to part with money.

The book seems honest. He appears to want to tell us what it was like for him.

It is probable that his name held him back to a great extent. His problems with depression seemed honest and open.

It is like an autobiography at the start, with chapters dealing with his youth and family situation taking up a fair proportion of the book. However, I felt I got to know him quite well.

An excellent read. I remember his drive at Donington in the rain, lapping his teammate Prost. Not bad for someone who made his way into F1 solely because of his father.

Lots and lots of comments exposing the inside of F1.

You can probably guess that I think the book is a fabulous read.

[davidd]

Always worth a revisit.

[Fortitude]

IMHO, a truly excellent montage of Damon Hill's race clips, with some upbeat music scores...

Damon Hill: A Family Affair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcxvcLYXKnI

[sideways man]

The interview Damon gives for the ‘On The Grid ‘ podcast is well worth a listen. Says he probably wouldn’t have got into racing if Graham had lived.

Never met him, but I was a huge fan. He seems a thoroughly decent chap.