Damon Hill knows what it takes to win the British Grand Prix, and 31 years after his victory he’s hopeful of another home winner at Silverstone this weekend
Damon Hill is among the dream team of British drivers to win their home Grand Prix – and he’s tipping Silverstone to become the Lando hope and glory on Sunday.
If home advantage is an asset in Formula One, the Brits have harnessed it 29 times down the years since Stirling Moss took the chequered flag at Aintree in 1955.
And Lewis Hamilton turned the British Grand Prix into Groundhog Day, winning nine times in 17 years before his unfortunate close encounter with a groundhog in Canada last month.
But Hill, who won at Silverstone in 1994, believes Lando Norris is likeliest to fly the flag this time after his romp in Austria last weekend while his rivals were picking edelweiss.
“Nigel Mansell used to say the support of a home crowd was worth a second a lap,” said Hill. “And it definitely adds something.
READ MORE: Sergio Perez exposes Max Verstappen grudge as Red Bull ‘very sorry’ over F1 situationREAD MORE: Formula 1 chiefs confirm 2026 calendar change in surprise decision
“If I had to stick my neck out at Silverstone, it’s got to be Lando. It feels like this is his time, I’m sure he’ll be desperate to win it.”
Hill, now 64, is less convinced about Hamilton’s chances of completing a perfect 10 on home soil. “Ferrari have a decent record in the British Grand Prix (18 wins, more than any other team), so you never know.
“But it’s a great place to win, the best feeling. Winning at Silverstone 21 years ago, I like to describe it as completing the Hill trophy cabinet because my father never won there.”
Hill, speaking to promote the launch of his eponymous documentary, released on Sky and streaming service NOW today was in reflective mood as he discussed his life in the fast lane in a unique F1 dynasty.
To date, only Hill has completed the double of father-and-son winning the drivers’ world championship in the most glamorous and dangerous sport in the world.
Even those who sneer at Formula One as a glorified trade fair will be captivated by the spellbinding tale of Hill defying the odds and stepping out of his father Graham’s shadow to become a legend of the track in his own right.
His story is laced with tragedy, not least the night he was watching TV at home as a 15-year-old when the newsflash of a light aircraft crash where Hertfordshire’s commuter belt meets London’s fringes – and he felt his blood run cold.
Two-time world champion Graham Hill and his five passengers were aboard the Piper Aztec which went down in thick fog on the approach to Elstree aerodrome on his return from testing in the south of France.
“We were expecting him home that night and when the newsflash came on, I had this awful feeling that it might be him,” recalled Damon matter-of-factly. “I ran into the next room to tell mum and it was a harrowing experience. To this day I still feel the awful tension, and for a time I was angry at the world.”
In the documentary, Hill confesses a part of him wished he had been on the plane with his father, but in a sport fraught with risk, tragedy was not finished with him.
Almost 20 years later, he lost his team-mate Ayrton Senna in a 192mph crash at Imola and Hill was a pallbearer at the Brazilian deity’s state funeral.
His wife, Georgie, recalls the ghostly, dumbstruck hush on the plane afterwards and Hill said: “The whole team was shot to pieces and it was an immense blow to Formula One. The sport was in crisis.
“Some people used to say they came to watch a Grand Prix because of the crashes, but you always want to see the drivers jump out. They didn’t always jump out in the 1970s. There were a lot of fatalities.
“It’s a lot safer now, although you can never make Formula One completely safe – and if you crash into a barrier at 180mph, it hurts.”
Remarkably, Hill summoned the competitive instincts to take the F1 world championship down to the wire six months later in a duel for the crown with Michael Schumacher in Adelaide.
Schumacher’s manoeuvre, which left both men unable to complete the race, handed the German the tile by a single point, and Hill admits: “I never really got it out of my system.
“Sure, it teed up alter battles nicely and later I crashed into him a few times – always by mistake, there was no revenge intended. It had been a tragic year with the loss of Ayrton, so 1994 was full-on drama, but the way it ended still annoys people.
“I wasn’t expected to be in that situation, and we had a good fight for the title, but the way it was settled still cuts deep.
“People were able to convey their view of how I’d done by voting for me as BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and I was very grateful for their support.
“When I won it again (in 1996) I was a bit embarrassed because Sir Steve Redgrave had just won his fourth Olympic gold medal.
“But that was the year when it was announced, halfway through the season, that I wouldn’t have a drive with the Williams team the following year, whether I won the championship or not. It was a bit baffling. It didn’t add up.”
Hill: Available on Sky and streaming service NOW from July 2
Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky’s new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
