D.Hill - Must do Better
Damon had three months to prepare himself for the first Grand Prix of the season at Kyalami. In the twelve weeks, he would need to get up to speed in all the qualities expected of a top driver. To begin with, he was now attracting media attention from all quarters. Newspaper articles, radio and television interviews, photocalls, news conferences - Damon would have to exercise all his skills of diplomacy and learn how to handle each discipline to both his advantage and to his team's and sponsor's satisfaction. And, being promoted to race driver, did not mean testing was over for him, indeed, if anything, it was to intensify, as Hill could now regard this part of his job in a different light.
"That's the strange thing this time, I've been used to handing it over to someone else, and although it's satisfying to know your work has contributed to the success, it's not the same as having the chance to prove what you can do. I've now got that chance and I'm determined to make the most of it. That's why I have to keep looking for improvement. It's a constant process."
Most of the top Formula One teams were at Estoril in mid-February, for the last big test session before moving to South Africa in March. On his first outing, Hill spun his car, two laps from the end of his stint. He explained "I'm still trying to find out what I can do, exploring the limits. The trouble with testing is that you can get into a rut, going round and round. I was pushing it, but if you step it up too much, this can happen." No harm done, Damon set the fastest time on 18 February, while his team-mate was stranded in the pits with engine trouble and a streaming cold. "I'm not here to be second best and Alain would be the last person to expect me to go into the season any other way. We've still got the edge on the other teams, so Alain has to be the one to beat."
Damon realised that holding his own against Prost in testing was different to beating him in a race. "You don't achieve all that Alain has achieved by luck. So I have no illusions about the task ahead of me. Having said that, no-one knows what I can do and that could be to my advantage. In fact, I am still finding out about myself. That's why I am pushing myself so much in testing. I'm learning all the time, so that I have the database for when we go racing."
Hill was certainly eager to go racing, and had to muster all his patience. "I just want to get into it now. This winter seems to have lasted ten years. It can be frustrating going on and on, yet not racing. I'll be glad when we're in South Africa and getting on with it."
The team were happy with the manner he was approaching his first Grand Prix with them. "We are very pleased with the way things are going. Damon is completely at home with all the technology on the car, and that's a bit like flying a Tornado compared with a Spitfire."
Damon realised that fitness would play a key part in his quest for success. Already a fit man, he did not want to be complacent, knowing that Formula One racing places tremendous stresses on the body. Now at the age of thirty-two, only six years younger than Prost and the same age as Senna, Hill was aware that he would be the oldest rookie on the grid and would need to keep up with the likes of the twenty-four year old, super-fit, Michael Schumacher. "As soon as I landed the Williams drive, I got in touch with Mike Whittingham, the British Olympic Coach, to help me with my stamina and training programme. He has adapted the training routines the likes of Kriss Akabusi and Roger Black go through preparing for the Olympics to suit my needs. The last thing I want is to wilt in the cockpit. When I line up for that first race I will be mentally and physically prepared." Damon went on to talk about possible nerves - "The butterflies won't start fluttering inside my stomach until I'm sitting on the plane to go to Kyalami and think to myself - this is it. Sure, I'll get nervous, but I'll have everything under control. Racing is a bit like acting, if you're not nervous before going on the stage, there's something wrong."
Although Damon had come face-to-face with the fact that danger and motor-racing go hand-in-hand, it was something he could deal with mentally. "I am very ambivalent about motor-racing. On one hand it is very exciting but there is the element of danger. I can't say it is something I enjoy, but if it was perfectly safe perhaps I wouldn't do it. I have driven the first race at Kyalami twenty times in my sleep."
"Nigel has been very good. He told me to trust my instincts and if you want anything done, bang the table. he had the whole Formula One scene sussed. I'm not a table-banger, but I can be if pushed, I try to get round problems by persuasion." Mansell, now in the United States, preparing for his assault on the IndyCar world, felt that Damon had the ability to put together a strong challenge in his first season. "Damon has an unparalleled opportunity of not only winning the first Grand Prix but, maybe, competing for the World Championship crown. I would be the first to congratulate him. It would be fantastic. What people don't realise is that Damon drove more grand prix distances last year than we did in racing. He knows the car equally well and the more laps he does, the better he will get. Alain Prost will be very quick but Damon should have the edge on some circuits because of his understanding of the car. Prost has already said he finds it difficult. No question it is a good car but it's not easy to drive."
The vision of another Hill as a possible World Champion was generating enormous hype in the press, which would surely increase the pressure on Damon as the first race grew close. But Hill was trying to play down his chances and lower people's expectation, knowing that it would be his first race at this level in a competitive car. "No wild claims. To expect me to jump in and make the guy who has won more races than anyone look silly is just not on. I think there is a chance of winning the Championship and I will do everything to make it happen. but if I finish second in every race and finish second to Alain Prost in the championship, I'll be quite pleased with my first year. That's not to say I want to be second, but I couldn't complain could I?"
By early March, Damon was ready to race. He was fit, he had tested the car, he had dealt with the media hype. "I've learned a great deal so far about Formula One. But there are so many variables, so many more things to take on board than there are in Formula 3000. And so much more work. In F3000, for example, I hardly had to do any development work. But in Formula One, especially testing with Williams, you have so much new equipment to try. It goes on all the time, with so many different factors to take into account. And it means you have to work very hard, keep your wits about you all the time and the whole process is one big learning curve. What I knew before I came to Williams were the basics. I was up to senior school standard, if you like, but going to Williams was like going to university. I suddenly realised I didn't know anything at all, so I pushed harder and harder all the time until I felt comfortable."
As he headed for South Africa, his prime concern was keeping a level head and staying calm. "I am in a cauldron of anxiety, excitement and yet patience. I want to get on with it and I want to achieve satisfaction. It's all those things mixed up. It was a goal to get the drive. The next job was testing. After that, the race. You have to suppress your emotions, which is why perhaps, many drivers appear bland and characterless. To get the job done, you have to be in control when it would be very easy to get carried away. My private motivation is to fulfil my own potential. I think I've got a lot of it but no-ones's had the chance to see it."
His target in South Africa would be to compare favourably with his team-mate. "The one question mark still hanging over me is how will I do against Alain in a race. He's the master when it comes to race tactics but I'll be giving it my best shot. He's going to be my benchmark for me to aim at. It's been great testing with Alain, but you always have to ask yourself - 'how much quicker can he go?' - and I'm not going to find out until we get to the races. If Alain wins the first race and I follow him across the line, I'll be quite happy."
Damon's message to the betting public was a straight forward - don't bet on me yet as the World Champion. "As much as I want to win, I am going to need to adopt a slightly conservative approach for the first half of the year."
Frank Williams was clear as to exactly what he wanted from Hill. "We need to have a successful year as a team and Damon knows what's expected. We want to see him doing a good job. But the thing we don't want is for him to take wild risks."
At South Africa, Damon once again played down his hopes - "Don't expect too much of me." It was the first time he had driven at the Kyalami circuit, which had been substantially altered since the days his father had raced there. "I'm totally at home in the car but I don't know the circuit. I'm going to have to play myself in."
Prost was fastest during Friday's qualifying with Damon fourth, less than a second behind his team-mate. His day was not all sunshine though, for half way through qualifying, he spun coming into the pit straight. "I was pushing too hard - but I had a good few laps behind Senna which was good fun. He taught me some quick lines through the corners. It was a good start for me." We had problems with the active suspension in the afternoon and morning when a red light came on in the car. That cost me a lot of time and then it was difficult to get a clear lap. I am reasonably pleased - but I can go quicker. I would like to have been higher up and I will be happy when I am ahead of those in front of me."
Hill had started the weekend well and satisfied his team. "He was super, absolutely brilliant. I was very pleased for Damon. It is not easy and he coped well" said his boss. Prost was impressed too. "It is very difficult and it was even more difficult for Damon. It was important for him to stay on the slippery track and do well and he has achieved it. It is good for the team."
More wisdom was on hand from another ex World Champion, the now late James Hunt. "Damon's performance was very good indeed and exactly what was expected. But I don't want to see any heroics from him. He needs a few races - and finishes under his belt before he really goes racing."
Saturday qualifying went the same way as the first - Prost and Senna on the first row ahead of Schumacher and Hill. The two old hands had improved their times by well over a second, whereas the two cubs could only find a few tenths.
On the Saturday night an enormous thunderstorm did it's best to interrupt the drivers beauty sleep, but worse, it would wash away two days worth of rubber on the track, making the circuit rather more slippery than preferred.
For the race, Damon would be sporting the number zero on his car and hoping his prospects were somewhat greater than that. Prost would run in car number two - the number one, traditionally left for the World Champion would not run in Mansell's absence.
Senna led through the first corner followed closely by Damon! Prost had the first of what would turn out to be a season of bad starts. Hill, though, was just a smudge too close to Ayrton's McLaren and the disrupted airflow caused him to lose downforce and spin, rather embarrassingly at the first corner of his first race for Williams.
Damon admitted it was his fault. "For years I had dreamed of racing at the front of a Grand Prix field but never had I imagined doing it backwards at 160mph." Even in failure, the Hill humour was evident. "I had set off with the intention of bringing my Williams Renault home in the first six. I had made an absolutely brilliant start. In fact it almost caught me by surprise. Suddenly the car spun. It was gone in an instant and then I was going backwards with the field bearing down on me. I won't tell you what I said. But you can guess." Damon managed to keep the engine going during his little excursion and rejoined the melee in twelfth position - not where he wanted to be, but it could have been worse. "I had to assess the situation. This was not Plan 'B', it was more like Plan 'Z'."
Kyalami is notorious for it's lack of overtaking opportunities. If you are not in front to start with, there is not much chance of getting there. Hill in twelfth was now following Phillippe Alliot in a Larrousse, which was a good two seconds a lap slower than the Williams. On lap 17, Damon was put out of his misery, when Alessandro Zanardi's Lotus, in an ambitious attempt to outbrake Hill, hit him side on. Both cars exited the race there and then. Damon took it on the chin. "He'd been taking big lunges at me for several laps, and eventually he hit me. But this sort of thing can happen in midfield, and it's my own fault I was back there."
At the front, Senna held Prost off until lap 24, the Frenchman then pulled out an enormous lead, lapping all except the Brazillian. Given another lap, even Senna would have been consumed. As it was, he finished one minute and nineteen seconds behind Prost. Mark Blundell ran a commendable third in his Renault powered Ligier. Said Damon after the race. "I was very, very disappointed, particularly for everyone who had put their faith in me. But in a way, I feel stronger for the experience." Yet he was looking forward to the next Grand Prix: "With the lessons learned this weekend, I hope to take my turn in Brazil on Sunday week. I've tried it going backwards. Now I intend to do the job properly."
Back in England, Damon was helping promote the European Grand Prix which was to be staged at Donington in April. Hill tried a few laps of the circuit in an Austin Ulster which had taken second place at Donington's first race in 1933. The contrast was enormous between it's 35hp and the massive 800hp power output of the Williams Renault. "I've raced most things on two and four wheels around here but nothing quite like that. It'll be good to be racing in the Grand Prix here because I know the circuit." Damon could remember his days of racing bikes around the Donington track. "We were banging elbows down the back straight, really crazy stuff. It's a challenging circuit, it has a lovely flow and a great combination of corners."
As the teams arrived in Sao Paulo to ready for the Brazilian Grand Prix, Mansell was busy talking to the British press about Damon. "I think Damon can be great; in fact I think he can be sensational. But he's got to be given the right environment to feel comfortable in and, without trying to cause any controversy, he's not in that environment at the moment. Prost controls everything and I feel sure Damon feels a little bit left out at times. But given the right environment and opportunity, I can't see any reason why Damon can't be World Champion." Referring to Hill's disastrous Williams debut at South Africa, Mansell said: "My message to Damon is 'that's history - the only race that matters is the next one, so go out and be great in that.'"
Friday qualifying saw Damon eclipse Ayrton Senna on his home circuit by nearly a second to join Prost on the provisional front row of the grid. Throughout qualifying and warm-up, Alain was in searing form, one to two seconds ahead of the rest of the field, including Damon. Although he was unfamiliar with the Interlagos circuit, Hill's performance on the first day must have greatly improved his confidence. "I think today was good for me. I felt I did a better job than at Kyalami, although it is obviously difficult to explore the limits of the car on a circuit on which I have no previous experience. I should be able to make even more progress in the second session. While the horsepower we have from the Renault engine is important, the aerodynamics of our car are better suited to the high speed corners on this track."
With final qualifying complete and the two Williams sharing the front row, with Senna and Schumacher tucked behind, Damon's priority was to ensure he finished the race. To justify his position, it was suggested that discretion might be the proper course of action, especially if Senna were to pressure him from behind.
Damon: "I seem to remember Nigel Mansell went out after a couple of laps of the first race in 1986 and he almost won the championship that year. You haven't seen the best from me yet. My first target is to finish but I like to think I could be at least fourth. I used up a lot of my nine lives with what happened at Kyalami. Hopefully that was my mistake for the year. It doesn't do me any good to worry about Prost's speed. After all, he's won three world championships - I've only done three Grands Prix. I can't afford a repeat of the trouble I got into at the start of the last race. Making it through the first few corners is the first hurdle for me."
Prost believed that Interlagos would give Damon ample opportunity to demonstrate his talent. "What happened to Damon at Kyalami is not a realistic reflection of what he can do. I knew he was the one I had to beat for pole. He will be closer to me in the races to come."
Ayrton Senna was not confident he could match the Williams cars in his McLaren. "Unless the Williams have problems, it is unlikely that we will be able to beat them. This is a power circuit and we do not have the power to compete with Williams. That is why they have opened a bigger gap here."
Damon was quick off the line, but Senna stormed past him to tuck in behind Prost through the first corner. Further back, all hell was let loose when Andretti and Berger touched and both collided with the concrete wall causing the yellow flags to fly for the first few laps while the marshals cleared the track. Prost pulled away from Senna, while Damon began to challenge the Brazilian. "I had a small advantage in that I knew all about Senna, whereas he didn't know about me and what I was likely to do in a wheel-to-wheel situation. Perhaps that's why he didn't make it unduly difficult when I took second place on lap eleven."
By lap 21, rain had started to fall. Senna came in to the pits on lap 24 for a stop-go penalty for an infringement under the yellow flag rule. Ayrton was dismayed at the decision. "It seems I was punished because I overtook someone under a yellow flag. I think it was Comas, and the guy lifted off in front of me to let me through."
Damon pitted on lap 25 for wet weather tyres. Next lap round, he found himself leading the race. Prost had a mix-up over orders for his tyre change and stayed too long on slicks resulting in a spin. Prost explained "I was on my way into the pits and I heard my engineer on the radio. I did not understand very well what he was saying. I thought I was being advised to continue for another lap as Damon was in the pits." With Prost out of the race, many thought the track too perilous and that the race should have been stopped. Suzuki, Katayama and Fittipaldi crashed at various points, leaving wreckage everywhere, but instead of stopping the race, the Safety Car was despatched to keep the cars speeds down while the circuit was again cleared. Damon, in the lead had about six laps to consider what he should do when the Safety Car pulled off, with all the cars bunched up behind him. "To us, it seemed like walking pace but the guy in the Safety Car was driving flat out. The track was still very wet and more than once I watched him slide sideways... I was sure he was going to spin off next."
Hill managed to keep Senna behind him but with the track drying, Ayrton pitted for slicks. Damon changed tyres on the following lap and rejoined just ahead of Senna. But the Brazilians tyres were already up to racing temperature and he was able to get ahead of the Williams. The two cars stayed within 10-15 seconds of each other for the rest of the race. Hill: "The track was still treacherous. I was nervous about spinning off. I couldn't keep up with him in the closing stages, so I concentrated on keeping my second place."
Senna took the chequered flag followed by Damon, with Schumacher thirty seconds behind him. Hill picked up six points and was now joint third in the World Championship. "Having finally scored points and registered a finish, I can put that in the bank and get on with the job. It was a fantastic race, very exciting for me. I had a chance to win but lost out a bit in the traffic. But at the end of the day, I'm extremely pleased to have finished second in only my fourth Grand Prix."
After the race, Hill said "You don't really have time to think about it, but something in the back of your mind is saying 'you just passed Senna in his home Grand Prix.' I did feel rather disappointed and deflated at not winning. Obviously it is good to get some points on board, but I am a racing driver and I want to win races. Something seemed to happen to the car with about fifteen laps to go. I was tired but there were problems with the gearbox and it just lost it's advantage. Now I can go to Donington for the European Grand Prix with the intention of closing the gap on Alain. I'm sure this race has made me a couple of per cent better driver."
Frank Williams was laudatory: "I was astonished, I thought Senna and Schumacher would overwhelm Damon in the wet because of their greater experience, but it was quite the opposite. He outpaced them and that was not down to horsepower - that was down to him."
The two weeks between Sao Paulo and Donington allowed Damon to reappraise his performance. "It was when I got back to England that I began to tell myself that finishing second in the treacherous conditions we had in Brazil for what was only my fourth Grand Prix wasn't that bad after all." He was feeling good about the next race which would be on a track he was very familiar with. "It will be an emotional occasion, racing on home ground. I remember Silverstone last year, my first ever Formula One race. I completed the final lap behind Nigel and saw the crowds climb over the fence and make a bee-line for him. I remember saying to myself that I would like to be in his shoes one day."
History would be made one way or another on 11 April, as it would be the first Grand Prix held at Donington since 1938 and also the first Formula One race in Britain to start without Mansell for a decade. "I do feel in a way that I need to recreate the phenomenon Nigel created for the British, but I'm different. He captured a certain feeling in British motor sport. He was a real fighter. It was great watching him race. You knew he was going to lay it on the line. I'm not saying that I won't do that, because I am equally determined, but I am a totally different character to Nigel and my style is different too."
Damon continued "Being in the same tight team as Nigel was last year and being of the same nationality, it is tempting for people to think I can just jump in and take over where he left off. Well, it is not going to happen. I would just ask people to look at this as a new chapter, not as me being some sort of understudy."
New chapter or not, Damon was still as determined as ever to win. "I have been drafted into the Williams team and I am expected to produce results. They are pretty unforgiving if you do not do that, but Frank Williams has taken me on because he sees I have got potential. Nigel was taken on alongside Keke Rosberg at Williams because they thought he had potential. But I have got very limited time because, if I do not show some pretty strong potential by midway through the season, you are going to be well into the rumour-mongering part of the year and there will be all sorts of talk about Nigel coming back and Senna coming to Williams and the rest."
Quite reasonably, you could almost rely on England in April to produce rain. The prospect of this and concern over the safety of the Leicestershire circuit was being voiced by a number of drivers, Prost among them. "I am not happy about going there. I think there could be a problem if there is a crash."
Damon, however, had no such doubts. "It is a terrific circuit to drive on, it is a beautiful feeling, driving into the hairpin and I feel more comfortable coming to a track I am familiar with. I felt what it was alike to be ahead in Brazil and it set something off in me. If I get to the front again, I will be better equipped to stay there a little longer. I don't feel under pressure - on the contrary I feel the pressure has been lifted by my second place finish in Brazil."
"Both there and at Kyalami I was slightly uneasy. I am never satisfied unless I have given everything I've got and used the car's potential to the full. That hasn't been the case - at least not yet. But because I know the circuit well, I feel I can go deeper into my driving and I feel there are as many as four places it is possible to overtake."
A cold, windy and drizzly Thursday practice saw Hill just 0.1 seconds behind the fastest man, Prost. Friday's qualifying was carried out in conditions better suited to water-skiing. The incessant rain would suit cars like the McLarens while the Williams would lose their advantage. Senna was rubbing his hands at the prospect of a wet race: "It's our only chance. We need the slippery conditions to compete, but we need it not only to be wet, but also to be raining. Water around the track is what we need." Senna displayed his mastery in the wet to take provisional pole with Damon just 0.03 seconds behind.
"That was fun" said Damon climbing from his car. "I like the wet. I was pleased to get the opportunity to give it welly in the rain. I feel a whole lot better for getting it out of my system. In the wet you are wary of being caught out. You drive by the seat of your pants and if you are thinking too much it is not possible to get the maximum from yourself. I can't afford to drive like that all the time. It is OK at the front of the field, but in the middle, you are taking your life in your hands. It is a massive gamble. You cannot see a thing. I came up behind one car and the only reason I knew he was there was when some sparks flew out of the spray. It really is a big risk with a lot of cars close together. If you spin, you don't drop speed - you slide for miles and that means you might hit something hard."
Damon's fastest time came four laps before the end of the session. "With a limited number of laps you feel some pressure on the last one and I felt I had to commit myself more as I was running out of time. In that sort of situation, you really have to pull all the stops out. On the first run, you just want a banker, a good time - you don't want any mistakes. But on the last lap, it doesn't matter if you go off trying. I'm pleased I've qualified where I have, because if it rains tomorrow I'll be starting on the front row, which I think could be very important here.
Saturday brought sunshine and blue skies. Perfect conditions for the Williams to dominate the field. Prost set fastest lap for pole with Damon 3/10ths behind. Schumacher and Senna would line up three and four on the grid - both over a second slower than Hill.
The weather for race day was back to the rain and cold of Friday. In warm up, Damon set the fastest lap, albeit nineteen seconds slower than the previous day. Off the line, it was Senna, feeling completely at home in the wet conditions who was to set the pace. On the first lap, he passed Schumacher, Wendlinger, and through Coppice, overtook Hill. Prost, in the lead, already had a dodgy gearbox and Senna sneaked past him at the Melbourne hairpin.
All the cars had started the race on wet tyres, but by about lap 20, in drying conditions, most were changing to slicks. By lap 24, it was raining again, so the pits were busy changing back to wet rubber. After a few more revolutions, the rain stopped and once more the cars changed tyres. This time, Senna's mechanics had a problem and he lost the lead. Only another six laps went by before the rain returned. Prost and Hill re-tyred, but Ayrton, decided to stay with slicks. When on lap 47, the shower had passed by, Hill and Prost changed back to slicks. Prost struck disaster when he stalled and had to wait while the engine was re-started and watch the plume of spray which was Senna, go by and leave him a lap down. Eight laps from the end, everyone, including Senna were back again for wets. There had probably never been a race like it for pit stops. It called for the greatest skill and bravery from the drivers, speed and organisation from the pits, superb team tactics - and umbrellas and boots from the spectators. Senna eventually won, by about 1minute 24 seconds over Damon. Prost and all the others were one or more laps down.
"It was a nightmare said Damon, I wanted to get out of it. It was driving me crazy. The weather kept changing all the time. At one point I was laughing on the radio. I had just come out after a tyre change and I told the pit crew I don't believe it, it's raining again. Get the wets out. With all this toing and froing, I had no idea I was second. I even found it hard to read my pit board in all the spray. It was so difficult to take everything on board. It was one of those races that only years of Grand Prix experience could help. I didn't really notice the fans during the race because I didn't want to make a mistake, so when I saw them clapping at the end I thought maybe I'd done all right"
Damon's second place took him to within two points of Prost in the World Championship in only his fifth Grand Prix. Two podium finishes in two races and people were beginning to wonder when his first win would be. "I know I have a win inside me. It's a matter of not being stupid and taking my chance when it comes. Maybe I'll have to stop holding back. But my responsibility to the team is to get among the points without taking silly chances. I'm learning all the time and being in the same team as somebody as experienced as Alain Prost is obviously of great value." Hill received a great welcome from the Donington crowd on his last lap and comparisons were drawn with Mansell. "Nigel was a great driver. He's a hard act to follow and everybody the world over loved him for his courage and his outstanding skill in Formula One. But I'm a different type of person. I'm more withdrawn and quieter. But it doesn't stop me wanting to be a bigger success than Nigel was. I know people think I'm a bit retiring, but until I've got a few wins in the bag I'm not going to come out with any audacious remarks."
Although Damon was expected to step into Mansell's shoes at Williams, his salary certainly did not match Nigel's - in fact it was not even ten per cent, but this did not seem to worry Hill unduly. "I've known the high life, but I've also known what it's like not to have a penny to my name. you just get used to learning to do without things. The money I've earned is safely in the bank and that's where it's staying until I've got myself sorted out and have really established myself in the business. I'm not daft, let's face it, it could all blow up in my face. If I don't get it right. If I don't do the job to everybody's expectations, I could be out in the cold next year. And that's when I will need the money. I'm not a millionaire, not yet. But I'm sure I'll be able to alter that."
At Imola, two weeks later, Hill got straight down to work in the Friday qualifying session to claim provisional pole over Prost and Senna. This was another circuit he was familiar with, having both tested here and tried to qualify in the Brabham. "It's a fantastic feeling to see your name up on top and taking this provisional pole is a milestone for me. I have been feeling more confident overall since Donington and I felt this circuit would be good for our car and for me. But I am not taking anything for granted and I am not over-estimating this. I know Alain has done a great job to get within two-tenths after not getting any running this morning. Things could change in the final session - but right now I am elated."
Derek Warwick, fellow Briton and Footwork driver said of Hill after the first session "Some people may have criticised him for lack of aggression in his driving but I think he just needed to build his confidence. We have now seen what he can do with confidence. On Saturday, Alain Prost raised his game just enough to pip Damon for pole. Hill was hampered by traffic while on his flying lap: "I really thought there was an opportunity here and it was a close thing, but at the end of the day, Alain is on pole. I am a little disappointed, but not too much. My first run was a complete waste of time and Alain's lap was a pretty quick one in these conditions."
Behind Hill were Schumacher, Senna, Wendlinger and Andretti. Senna had already spun off the track three times since arriving on the Thursday morning - he was obviously pushing very hard. After two sun-blessed days, race day was overcast and threatened rain. As the cars lined up on the grid, not a slick was in sight. Prost was slowish off the blocks, with a minor clutch problem, which allowed Hill and Senna through. Senna was right up with Damon through Tamburello and Villeneuve but once round Tosa, the Williams opened it's stride and by lap five, had pulled out an eight second lead. Behind Hill, Prost was pestering Senna and eventually passed the Brazilian who promptly pitted for slicks.
Prost did the same next time round, rejoining behind Senna. The racing line was drying fast and Damon maybe stayed too long on wets, possibly not wanting a repeat of Donington, and when he did re-tyre he soon found Senna and Prost on his tail. They both passed him out of Tosa, relegating him to third place. On lap 19, Rubens Barrichello span just in front of Damon, missing him by inches. Next time round, approaching the Tosa corner at about 200mph, Hill called for the brakes only to find they were not all there. The consequence of this discovery was a trip to the gravel trap and no return - finishing his race but luckily unhurt, except his pride. Hill, who was visibly annoyed at his predicament, stalked disconsolately away complaining: "When you arrive at a corner, your brakes aren't where they should be and it is slightly damp, there's not much you can do. I had fun out there in front, but it's meaningless if you don't finish."
The race was won by Prost after Senna suffered an hydraulics failure on lap 42 but Damon was still annoyed with himself "People said to me afterwards that I had had a good weekend but obviously I'd rather have had a bad practice and a good result. That's what people remember. I certainly won't forget that fraction of a second at 200mph that seemed like it was going to last forever."
His team, though, were fully supportive of his efforts. Patrick Head, said "Damon has been looking really very good and was unlucky on Sunday. He has handled the switch from testing to racing very well and remains very cool. During the race, we radioed Damon to come in to change from wet to slick tyres. He allowed a silence before he answered and we asked if there was something wrong. He replied 'No, I am thinking about it' which shows how relaxed and mature he is about it all." Team owner, Frank Williams also had encouraging words "He is doing a terrific job for the team. The first win will make all the difference to him. It will come. Just wait and see."
After the race, Ayrton Senna invited Damon into his motorhome to talk about the start of the race where Damon had held off the Brazilian. Senna advised Hill that he was not to weave in front of him again - ever. Damon calmly pointed out that Senna had used that tactic himself in the past. "That was beside the point" said Senna "The point was, that he was not to weave in front of Ayrton Senna again, understood?" Although admiring Senna greatly, Damon had laid his marker down and shown that he was not going to be intimidated by an ex-World Champion.
With the Spanish Grand Prix looming, Damon thought long and carefully about his strategy for the coming race. With two retirements and two second places in his pocket, should he go flat out for his first win or should he drive conservatively and consolidate his place at Williams as No.2 driver. "It is very important for me not to get a DNF (did not finish) against my name again. To some extent I am in damage limitation mode." But the thought of beating Prost still clung to his mind. "It would have been nice to put one over on him at Imola. He is the only yardstick I have and I feel I am getting closer. If the opportunity comes to overtake Alain, I will grab it - but it has to be a clean manoeuvre because I don't want us both to go off."
"I have not been told to play second fiddle to Alain. I realise Formula One needs competition to make it a spectacle. No-one wants to see formation driving. It is up to me to be more aggressive and give Alain a real battle. My confidence is getting higher but there are always people in the pit lane who feel they would be doing better if given my car."
After the first days qualifying at Catalunya, Damon was third fastest behind the two ex-World Champions. "I am a little disappointed and not happy to be where I am" said Damon. "I am mystified as to why we were not as quick in the afternoon as we were in the morning and we shall have to work on it overnight. The car is not handling as well as we know it can do here. It is almost as if it is not getting enough heat in the tyres - and I had some problems with traffic on each of my runs too."
On Saturday, Hill was one second faster in the unofficial session and his time in final qualifying was initially enough to put him on pole. But Prost put in an electrifying lap towards the end of the session to steal pole back. Damon said: "I thought I'd done enough to get pole this time because I was some way ahead of Alain. But you can never underestimate him. I got more aggressive and that fired him up. It made him more aggressive and reach out for more than in the past. It's amazing what a bit of adrenaline can do. I don't know where he found that extra half a second, but I'm going to have a look at his data to find out. Perhaps I was a bit complacent and hadn't got the killer instinct."
This would be Prost's fifth pole in succession and Damon's fourth alongside him. Senna, on the second row and 1.5 seconds behind Hill was not happy with his own performance: "I'm having to drive past my limit, particularly into corners, and to be honest, it's a great relief at the moment to step out of the car in one piece. The risk elements are far too high to justify to myself, but sometimes your heart speaks higher than your reason."
The race. Hill made it to the first turn ahead of Senna and Prost, the Frenchman re-taking Ayrton at the next left-hander. The two Williams proceeded to pull away from the rest of the field. On lap eleven, Prost outbraked Hill into the first right-hander without a fight. Damon: "Alain got a good tow coming down the straight and I thought it was better to let him pass rather than fight him in that corner. I thought I would see what he did because after all he has got a lot more Grand Prix experience than me and then, when the end of the race was in sight, I would have a real go."
After initially pulling slightly away from Hill, by lap 22, Damon was back in Prost's slipstream. For another twenty laps Prost and Hill sliced their way through the backmarkers almost as if they were one. At the end of lap 41, Prost was alone, Damon's engine had expired and he slowly drove his car back to the pit garage. "Everything had seemed fine. Temperatures, everything. But then the engine made an awful noise, and that was that. My first win was definitely on the cards. I was having a bloody good race and was well in control. I was matching Alain's every move, looking for a clear opportunity to go past him. I'm confident if I had kept going I would have found a way round."
Prost, in an increasingly badly handling car went on to win followed by Senna and Schumacher. After the race, Senna, without naming names, attacked drivers who continued to spread oil on the track after their engines had blown. No doubt a thinly cloaked dig at Damon from a man whose World Championship prospects were beginning to look dimmer as he realised he was helpless to match the Williams-Renaults with his Ford engine.
Alain Prost had been impressed with Hill's drive that afternoon: "If Damon had been able to stay with me I would have been in real trouble for sure. He was forcing me to drive on the limit and I was beginning to get cramp. Had he carried on coming there'd have been little I could have done to stop him. I know I couldn't have continued at the speed we were running. If Damon could, he would have won, for sure."
Copyright 1994 & 2000 Mike Baldock