WITH Lewis Hamilton poised to win his first Formula One world title it can – if you are parked in front of the TV in the lazy haze of a Sunday afternoon raceday – seem like British hands on the world championship have remained pretty much a constant presence since the days of Jim Clark, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill, right up to Nigel Mansell.
Snapping out of that haze we realise that we have to go all the way back to 1996 to find Britain's last world champion: Englishman Damon Hill.
Hill – son of the aforementioned double world champion Graham – arrived as a 32-year-old to quickly bla
ze a trail in the sport he graced for six years at the top level. He peaked with that world title in 1996, secured at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, before he bowed out at the same racecourse in 1999.
Hill initially became a test driver with Williams before earning his first Formula One drives with Brabham. He quickly made a surprise return to Williams as one of the two main drivers, replacing Mansell who had switched to CART. A successful partnership was formed with Alain Prost, and later Ayrton Senna, who was tragically killed at Imola in 1994, and a fiercely fought rivalry with Michael Schumacher was forged.
After winning the world title in a Williams, the team dispensed with his services and Hill saw out his career at Jordan, via a stint with Arrows. After a frustrating 1999, the Englishman announced he would retire at the season's end in Suzuka.
There was to be no fairytale end for Hill, however, as he endured a poor race, going off at Spoon and requiring a new front wing. Running down in last place, he decided to finish his final grand prix with at least some dignity, and on lap 21 pulled into the pits to retire.
Despite a disappointing end, Hill's career had been a highly successful one, made even more impressive by its short duration and his late start. In just 122 races he had amassed 22 wins, 20 pole positions, 360 points and, of course, his 1996 World Championship.
Today Hill is President of the British Racing Drivers' Club.
