Yes, I know. “VaSeLiNe oN LEnS aReNT I OrIGInAl”. It’s the room I’m in. Soon as any light comes in it gets weird. Although my wife did borrow the camera for a zoom call and knowing her she’s touched the lens... Midway through the video I give a temporary fix. Should be fun come summer...

@TKMRacer28

3 жыл бұрын

If it's good enough for George Lucas it's good enough for Story Time!

@Emitremmus29

3 жыл бұрын

If that's the state she left the lens in, then I'd be questioning whether it was actually a Zoom call or if she'd clandestinely begun to moonlight on OnlyFans.

@d00dEEE

3 жыл бұрын

@@caincha Bad genes. Some of us have scabby skin.

@caincha

3 жыл бұрын

@@d00dEEE I thought it could be too much sun or even the lack of thereof… damn that sucks…

@samuel_boivin

3 жыл бұрын

Get a ring light for a beauty queen look 😅

Man, Frank saying he “has to do what’s best for the team” and proceeding to watch them do exactly the opposite for the next 20 years until they had to sell because the team was broke is amazing

I think you missed a hugely important thing about Damon: after Senna's death in 1994, he immediately took over the No1 position within the team, and almost won the WDC. This was something that almost nobody could have done. Just imagine the pressure he had in a car that wasn't the fastest even with Senna! (This only became evident to me after reading Adrian Newey's book)

@LP-ew2bu

3 ай бұрын

A decent driver but was defenseless against Schumacher. He only managed to beat him (fare and square) once in Japan in the wet (in the entire season). The reason why Hill got so close on points is because of 3 DSQs of Schumacher equivalent of 42 points which is huge under the old counting system.

When a college class doesn't get you out of bed but a new Aidan video does.

I interviewed him in London for Sky in 97 just after he'd signed with Arrows. Charming bloke although I got the impression he wasn't totally at peace with himself or the F1 world at that time. I thought he was a bloody tough competitor considering what he was up against (family name, Schumacher, Villeneuve etc.).

Damon also suffered at Williams due to FW and PH's lack of interest in race strategy. Shoey had come from sports car racing and had Walkinshaw on side. Time and again Williams got stuffed on the undercut..

Adrian Neweys book touches on this too. They had decided well in advance of 96 to replace Hill with HHF.

@Nobody7720

3 жыл бұрын

Good book.

@thepsychologist8159

3 ай бұрын

"They had decided well in advance of 96 to replace Hill with HHF" - Yer, and how did that work out for them? 1997 would have been a stella year with JV and DH in that Williams. Fair to say that JV didn't exactly shoot the lights out either and he almost lost the title in 1997 despite having a far superior car.

"Each driver was replaced by a better driver". Coulthard > Senna confirmed.

@thaihoangcfc

3 жыл бұрын

Not very applicable when the former is dead

@mathewhosier9739

3 жыл бұрын

Prost was far better than both hill and even senna, senna had to wreck prost to beat him

@mathewhosier9739

3 жыл бұрын

The uk's labor party was and still is a joke, their fake woke crap divider their own voters that 10% of labor voters voted for a conservative in the last election, they have become almost as bad as the american democrats, the difference is the US is full of idiots who still vote democrat, I'm beginning to lose faith, I thought americans knew better, you would think after 8 years of Obama they would have learned their lesson, biden will bring nothing but censorship, gun control, higher taxes and more fake woke crap

@nigelmurphy6761

2 жыл бұрын

would have been true if villeneuve had been chosen in 1994 ahead of coulthard though (no offence to DC).

@henrywalter4750

2 жыл бұрын

@@mathewhosier9739 During 1993 Hill suffered multiple car failures in races he would have won Spain, Spa, Britain, Germany etc. Plus team strategy robbed him of a win at France yet he was still only 30 odd points behind Prost in his first full season in the same car.

And I've got to stop because I've got a lump in my throat

The thing about Hill that sticks in my memory is not his WDC in 96, or his trials and battles of 94, it's his debut season for Williams in 93. To be fair he did one hell of a good job that year and surprised a lot of people (me included!).

@jamesbehra2690

3 жыл бұрын

I'm reviewing that season and h was chasing Prost in every race after Barcelona's GP. The Frenchman's title became somehow obscured by Damon's performance.

@ReclusiveDuck

3 жыл бұрын

@@jamesbehra2690 I'm not sure I'd say obscured but certainly Prost didn't run away with it which is what was expected to happen. The general feeling was if Mansell could be so dominant then Prost was going to absolutely annihilate everyone, so for Hill to come in and not get blown away was a surprise.

@andreasphotiou1886

3 жыл бұрын

Damon did lots of the development and testing work on the active cars which stood him in good stead for the ‘93 season

@jamesbehra2690

3 жыл бұрын

@@andreasphotiou1886Indeed he drove the FW 14 B for hundreds of miles ... perhaps the best F1 ever.

@jamesbehra2690

3 жыл бұрын

@@ReclusiveDuck Still by far the least impressive of Alain's titles. And Senna didn't help either.

I was never much of a Damon fan until I read his book. Formula 1 through the eyes of a mere mortal was well worth the price of admission. That a man with depression could win a world title (a malady I also suffer) was hugely inspiring. I'm not British but I have a real fondness for him now. He was also my pick for The Stig until Ben Collins wrote a book of his own too.

as a non Damon Hill fan my opinion changed 180 degrees after reading his autobiography. It's one of the best books on racing, and I highly recommend it!

@paulsontag9233

2 жыл бұрын

Does he explain his 1999 season behavior?

@srxt6758

Жыл бұрын

@@paulsontag9233 I can. Didnt have op car anymore

@paulsontag9233

Жыл бұрын

@@srxt6758 What is op ?

@paulsontag9233

Жыл бұрын

@@srxt6758 Assuming you you meant top car that doesn't explain his childish entitled behaviour at all. The car didn't look THAT bad in H.H.F.'s hands. The British press always wrote about him like he was a paragon of good character (as opposed to Schumacher who was a ruthless morally bankrupt villain) so I'm very interested in how HE would spin his diva attitude in 1999.

Damon was a confidence driver who needed to feel comfortable in order to perform. Trying to over-drive the car in order to negate the damage done by Williams's awful strategy in 1995 led to him making mistakes.

@dst_20

3 жыл бұрын

I agree... his confidence was low after 94 disappointment / trauma, and was only made worse in 95. Benetton never missed a trick on strategy calls. I was still new to the sport at that point, but i always remember schumi coming out from a pit stop and having a massive gap to damon... i couldnt wrap my 13 year old brain round the black magic that had just happened!

@adampetten5349

3 жыл бұрын

The car finished many fewer races. Herbert was more talented than Coulthard but with those busted legs should have been far behind the Scot in the standings. The greatest cars are reliable. The 1988 McLaren was ridiculously reliable for 1988 ...as was the FW14-B for 1992.

@nehylen5738

2 жыл бұрын

@@dst_20 It was strategy, but not only. My own teenage memory recalls that Williams systematically had longer pit stops than any other team (whether it be Benetton, Ferrari, Pacific, or Forti), and I just couldn't wrap my head around that. I was a M.Schumacher fan, so it was "good" from his perspective, but absolutely not understandable that a team with one of the -if not the- best financial situations of them all, couldn't respond to an equivalent Benetton/McLaren of 6-7s, with anything else but a 9-10s stop. I know Benetton illegally removed the safety valve at some point, so of courses they gained a git, but the whole plateau making the Williams mechanics look like they're 30 years older than anyone...? Both Hill & Coulthard lost so many races over that.

@mrdraw2087

2 жыл бұрын

@@nehylen5738 Usually it's the refueling that takes most time, which of course depends on how much fuel is added. Schumacher's stops were quicker either because Benetton short-fueled him, or because he pitted when he still had some fuel left.

I still remember Hungary '97 watching and thinking, "He's gonna do it! He's gonna do it!" And then with about five laps to go, he wasn't slowing down to save the car, he had issues and so it goes. Still aggravates me to this day.

@EfftupSmith

2 жыл бұрын

and all the Senna fanboys banging on about how he nearly won Monaco in a Toleman!! a Toleman!! (in the wet when everyone else fell off the track and nobody gives a shit about Panis actually winning in similar conditions in a Ligier) and yet everyone ignores Hill passing Schumacher and leading on merit for most of this race and still finishing second after a mechanical issue in the last 2 laps.

@theiceman7590

Ай бұрын

​@@EfftupSmithPanis won due to attrition though. Prost was still on the track in 1984. Schumacher, Hill and Alesi all retired on the other hand. Not to mention the Ligier was pretty decent.

Always thought Frentzen was signed in 1996. Williams and disfunctional contract negotiations seems to be synonymous. Lost a bunch of titles and, ultimately, Newey.

@AidanMillward

2 жыл бұрын

Newey wanted Patrick’s job or at least Patrick’s wages. McLaren offered him both so he was off. (How I’ve only just seen this, I’ll never know)

@Cynderfan35

Жыл бұрын

@@AidanMillward I didn't know it either till few years ago and still say, Williams doomed itself, moment they lost Newey to Mclaren, we saw how he turned things around anywhere in any team he got in. Like the most recent Red Bull ground effect car, shows he is a wizard.

I remember staying up to watch the 96 Japanese GP. I was 14 at the time and a massive Hill fan, so much so that I even joined his supporters club. I will never forget dancing around the room in total joy when I first saw JV in the gravel and realised that Damon was now champion. I was so hyped up that despite having been awake since about 9am the previous morning, I absolutely couldn't sleep after the race.

@stephencalvert6040

3 жыл бұрын

And I've got stop, because I've got a lump in my throat.

@dst_20

3 жыл бұрын

I was living in italy in 96. That year my old man took me to imola for my first ever taste of live f1. fast forward to suzuka that year, when damon was crowned champ, i used up the air horns i had left over from imola... needless to say, my Italian nieghbours were not impressed to be woken early sunday morning in such a fashion

@duderama6750

3 жыл бұрын

They only had to sabotage JV to get the title for Hill.

@housesports000

2 жыл бұрын

@@duderama6750 even if JV didn’t retire, it would’ve taken a retirement from Damon himself for Jacques to even have a chance

Asks if we want to stay around Me: that's why I'm here.

"Benson, now a professional Lewis Hamilton fan" 👏

@elliotcrossan6290

3 жыл бұрын

Pretty sure he's always been the world's biggest Alonso fanboy

@stevegreenwood1790

3 жыл бұрын

@@elliotcrossan6290 No, you definitely have to ask Hamilton to bend over if you want a word with Benson

@elliotcrossan6290

3 жыл бұрын

@@stevegreenwood1790 If acknowledging greatness makes you a "fan", then sure, all professional F1 journalists who know what they're talking about are Hamilton fanboys/fangirls. But Benson is a self-confessed Alonso fan.

@racingman3000

3 жыл бұрын

Don't forget his dislike of Raikkonen that almost rivals Coulthard's hatred of him.

@AidanMillward

3 жыл бұрын

@@elliotcrossan6290 there's acknowledging greatness, and there's paragraphs of arse kissing. See also: Nicholas Witchal, BBC Royal Correspondant.

Adrian Newey account of the story in his book was that Frank and Patrick did the deal with Frentzen at the back end of 1995, before an wheel was turned in the 1996 season. This was part of the reason he left Williams, he had in his contract that he would be consulted about race drivers before Williams signed them, and he wasn't. He found out six months later like everyone else when Autosport published the Story. Has he was effectively engineering Hill in the 1996 season, this didn't go down well.

Damon getting replaced was a big factor in Adrian Newey leaving which eventually led to the downfall of Williams. The championship dominating 1998 to 2001 McLarens that would have been Williams winning cars if Newey had stayed. Think of all the Red Bulls that could have been Williams cars. Newey had a great working relationship with Damon and had wanted input into Williams driver line up. But Frank decided to replace Damon regardless of Newey opinion, Newey felt his position was limited so he left. If Frank had asked Newey in 1995 about replacing Damon he would have had a chance of not loosing Newey by keeping Damon another season into 97. Facts are Damon beat Villeneuve in 96 and would have beaten him again in 97. Frenzen was not able to beat Villeneuve in 97. So Frank threw away his best Driver, a superstar F1 Designer and many potential future Newey designed championship winning cars.

There's a thing that worth mentioning: Frentzen was fast, very fast. He had 6 fastest laps in 1997. Villeneuve had 3. Schumacher had 3. And have a look at the 1999 season. Frentzen was very close to winning the title. He needed just 2 wins and a couple of points.

Totally with you on the Jason Newsted stuff. He's massively underrated and is my favourite of the three bass players Metallica had. And he was a huge influence for me when I started playing bass. As always a great inside in the history of F1. I love these videos!

aidan. we follow your channel for your opinion, knowledge, delivery and the format. i could not care less for the room or the camera as long as you keep talking. cheers m8.

Williams also never showed an ounce of faith in Damon outright refusing to back him as number one hence why his confidence was shot to bits in 95

So refreshing to hear the story about Damon's departure from Williams told in full, and also refreshing to actually hear someone with a similar perspective to mine. Similar to you, I was seven when Damon won the title and despite being born and raised in Norway, I just so happened to be living in England during '95-'96. I still have various VHS cassettes with BBC recordings of those years' races thanks to my grandparents who taped them for me. Such a magical time and place to be alive. Thanks for taking me back :)

Ive got alot to be thankful to our Damon. He ignited a love in the sport that is still burning 30+ years later. I used to bunk off school to watch the friday quali. God knows why my parents didnt catch on the the fact that i took every second friday off school for "in service days"

As a massive Damon fan born in the same year as you Aidan, any story time on Hill is a must watch. You never fail to tell it well.

Huge Damon fan when i first got into F1 in 93, i was devastated as a 9 year old kid when Frank sacked him in 96. However watching 95 back it was the right decision for Williams to get rid of Damon.

@BOABModels

3 жыл бұрын

I'm the same age as you and felt exactly the same. I didn't realise he was such a late bloomer though - it makes his 99 retirement a lot more reasonable.

@Doctorgoatboy

3 жыл бұрын

It really wasn’t.

@adampetten5349

3 жыл бұрын

1995 Williams was made out of tissue paper much like the 1999 McLaren. David Coulthard barely outpointed talented ,but nearly legless Johnny Herbert. Brawn made a fool of 'Sir' Patrick Head strategically. Benetton was more durable and strategically superior. Damon made mistakes ,but the team and reliability were far bigger issues. In terms of Villeneuve beating Damon the odd race Jacques killed Frentzen. Frentzen is a good driver like Gasly and Albon, but Newey cars aren't easy to drive. In terms of someone across the pond with talent...Michael Andretti would have gotten 15 points tops in a 1995 Williams given his 1993 performance. That's why Jacques Villeneuve was a risk but his work ethic convinced Williams. Naturally faster...sure. We found out Frentzen was a better number 2 than Irvine but excelled in simple cars. Villeneuve is very talented but no Schumacher and BAR was a much worse scenario than Ferrari in 1996. By 1998 the talented old man scenario hit Damon. Much like DC against Webber in 2007 he outscored his younger teammate, but the qualifying was very up and down. Keep in mind, drivers all develop over time. Jacques was 1.5 seconds slower than DC his first test. F1 machinery, let alone a Williams, was far more refined than IndyCar machinery.

@kashsantos12

3 жыл бұрын

Damon getting replaced was a big factor in Adrian Newey leaving which eventually led to the downfall of Williams. The championship dominating 1998 to 2001 McLarens that would have been Williams winning cars if Newey had stayed. Think of all the Red Bulls that could have been Williams cars. Newey had a great working relationship with Damon and had wanted input into Williams driver line up. But Frank decided to replace Damon regardless of Newey opinion, Newey felt his position was limited so he left. If Frank had asked Newey in 1995 about replacing Damon he would have had a chance of not loosing Newey by keeping Damon another season into 97. Facts are Damon beat Villeneuve in 96 and would have beaten him again in 97. Frenzen was not able to beat Villeneuve in 97. So Frank threw away his best Driver, a superstar F1 Designer and many potential future Newey designed championship winning cars.

@adampetten5349

3 жыл бұрын

@@kashsantos12 Fair enough, but youth would eventually put Jacques over Damon. Give Frentzen to a smaller team and get DC back to compete with his friend Villeneuve at Williams.

As a kid (being a massive Damon Hill fan), I often wonder what would happen if Damon stayed at Wiliams for 97

I don't think Damon was the greatest grand Prix driver of all time, but he's far from the worst. 22 wins aren't bad for any grand Prix driver's career.

I have only been a 'fan' of one driver, and that was Hill. I watched the last few laps of Suzuka '96 getting up without an alarm (but a touch too late). I desperately wanted him to do well in 97, it was soul crushing watching the struggle. I watched every race, until about mid season when I was on holiday. Oh well, I can miss a race I mean it's not like he's got a hope in hell. When someone told me he'd qualified third, I thought they were taking the piss, and caught up the F1 news the next day after the race. Which was Hungry...

Not sure if other commenters have also said this, but Williams certainly had the habit of not paying drivers too much. I think Frank and Patrick thought it would be much wiser to spend a few million dollars/pounds on car development rather than using it to cover the salary requests of a fast (and potentially WDC) driver.

I remember this story in 96. as a child i couldn't understand why Damon wouldn't come back and my parents were emotionally invested in Damon doing well because they saw interviews of him and loved him. Got into F1 because of that not ugly ass Ferrari car, but my child brian LOVED the way that car looked.

And while this was all going on he also guested on Def Leppard's Euphoria providing the end solo to Demolition Man for which he was credited as "Demon" Hill in the liner notes.

@benconway9010

3 жыл бұрын

Wha? So Damon Hill was in the band def leopard doing a sound track for the film Demolition Man?? .......man thats pretty cool and i never knew that

@EfftupSmith

2 жыл бұрын

@@benconway9010 don;t know if you are serious but no., the song has nothing to do with the film. But yes, Damon played on that track.

Fun fact: Williams tried to sign Frentzen to replace Senna post-Imola but he turned it down. Frank had his eye on him from the start and probably signed him up for 1997 as early as the end of 1995. That rumour makes a lot of sense considering Frentzen's 1996 was actually very disappointing and ought to have acted as a bit of a warning sign...

I really enjoy waking up to your videos Aidan. It's nice to sip my coffee and listen to you talk about racing. Thankyou for your work, your time, your thoughts. It's much appreciated.

Love your stuff man, keep it up!

I remember this story being featured as part of the Damon Hill: Fight for Victory VHS. As you can imagine it was very one sided.

@BunkerMonkeyUK

3 жыл бұрын

I uploaded this but got a take down from Bernie.

@matiasfpm

Жыл бұрын

@@BunkerMonkeyUK oof...

Part of the reason HH Frentzen got in at Williams has to be because Frank had been in talks with BMW and they wanted a German driver.. Also you made comment about the years with JPM and BMW as poor (can't remember exact words). Can't have been worse than the 98 & 99 engines🤭. Love ya channel. Si, NZ.

Great video. I respected Hill for his dignity and integrity, a good driver who gave it everything.

Pint in hand, Sticking around for another good one! Cheers!

Fantastic content as always.

Just to think I was only 3 when Damon won the title. I did witness his win at Spa in 1998 but because I was a newbie to F1 I thought he'd won the title in 1998 due to Murray Walkers commentary back then. 😂 the joys of being a child.

OMG, I'm 10 years older than you. I was 15 when he was sacked. But, I always remember thinking the 1995 season had already started the ball rolling to find his replacement. If he had won that title earlier in 1996 then it might not have been the same. But, I agree that Suzuka race in '94 proved how good he could be. But, the mistakes in '95 proved how bad he could be. Cheers for the video.

@jasont6287

3 жыл бұрын

And i was 10 years older than you at the time If the willaims team had supported him after almost taking the title in 1994 he would have done alot better but sir frank and patrick d**k head didnt support him they didnt after a tough 94 where damon ended up as team leader with no support if they had listened to Newey perhaps williams wouldnt be a crap team today........they hid the fact they had signed frentzen for a year from him disgraceful damon was too nice to them .

Nice Metallica comparison. I actually saw them in '94 when they came the 1st time to Portugal. The same year Ayrton died. Damn, I'm old. But alive, and that's a plus.

@WideAwakeViking

3 жыл бұрын

Want to feel young again? I saw Metallica playing in clubs with Dave Mustane still in the band before anyone knew who they were.

@jasont6287

3 жыл бұрын

@@WideAwakeViking makes me feel young i first saw Metallica in 89. at 18 years old.

I see a story, I click like.

This is really terrific. Thank-you.

The 1996 car is Gran Turismo 3's Polyphony 001 (if you're us, that is) F1 car! I wouldn't have minded some footage of you taking it out, although, Monaco is pretty much the only F1 circuit in that game...

dropping Metallica references! just when I thought this channel couldnt get any better!!

Damon Hill had the same birth year as ayrton senna right ?

@polycube868

3 жыл бұрын

Correct, 1960.

As a massive f1 fan, I read all the blogs, watch teds notebook and also watch elvis P channel.. This is a great vid. Well done.

First time here, redirected after watching TheRace, pleasantly surprised! Will certainly check your other videos out!

Huge fan of Damon, and it was proven they made a mistake hiring Frentzen, totally destroyed by Villeneuve... and Hill had the driving skills to almost win with... an... Arrows.

He also talks about it a lot in the recent book from Hill and Herbert - Lights out, Full throttle. Well worth picking up.

Excellent Analysis!

One of the most underrated drivers ever. Replaced by Frentzen who did ... nothing.

@bumblebity2902

3 жыл бұрын

Frank has turn eye on him since 1994, he believed that HHF had Schumacher potential because both came out to F1 from same background.

@jamesbehra2690

3 жыл бұрын

@@bumblebity2902 I guess he was disappointed. Both ended up in Jordan 1999.

For many people Damon was the quintessential Williams driver, however, for me I always think of Mansell. Like Hill he was forced out in his championship season.

@jamesreynolds2867

2 жыл бұрын

It is said that at Williams, they never forgive a driver for not being Alan Jones.

@JasonAyalaSpare

2 жыл бұрын

@@jamesreynolds2867 I love Jonesy. So underrated, won more races than anyone from 79 to 81.

7:21 one hell of a burn

Did you just read my mind? I was just thinking about Damon's departure which I think was weird considering he became world champion.

Perhaps for one of your What If episodes, you could consider what might have happened if Damon had accepted Ron Dennis' payment terms.

@JonnoHR31

3 жыл бұрын

Would be rather anti-climatic, Hakkinen would have out paced Hill fairly consistently and if anything it would have accelerated Hill's slow demise into retirement.

@damionlee7658

3 жыл бұрын

@@JonnoHR31 I think you are taking an overly simplified view. This wouldn't just be looking at Damon Hill and Mika Häkkinen. If we presume David Coulthard is displaced, where does he end up, what changes in the driver line up which affects not only that season's championship, but also the following seasons. Coulthard has never been shy about sharing this regret at leaving Williams to join McLaren. Does a more suitable environment improve his performance. (He was also never shy about stating Häkkinen was a more talented driver, but environment makes a lot of difference to a driver). Change affects teams, and going in as a world champion against an untitled team-mate, what friction is caused in the garage when demands start being made? I understand your point of view that Häkkinen would have out-performed Hill, but I reject the idea that this would immediately make the thought exercise anticlimactic.

excellent video, i also have the mini champs model of the 1996 Williams

Would love to hear you cover Damon and the 1999 season, been watching Big Zeddie's 1999 uploads and could see that Hill dropped off a cliff compared to 98. Look like he gave up towards the end of the season.

Yeah I agree Hill wasn't nearly as good as Schumacher, Hakinnen or Villeneuve as a whole but when he was on it he was on it. Even his father Graham wasn't the most spectacular driver out there but he was very methodical in his approach

Love it. I have the minichamps model from 1996 also.

a bit of me wonders if he could have retained the title in 1997, i understand why they made the change but Hill still had a championship run in him

@wellend89

3 жыл бұрын

It's all ifs and buts - if Hill'd been retained, maybe Adrian Newey would've stayed? Imagine a Newey-designed, BMW-engined Williams.

@calumclark1719

3 жыл бұрын

@@wellend89 100% when i read Neweys book the treatment of Hill showed him how little head and willams regarded him and hill like you point out how good it all could have been with Newey in charge of the design of that BMW powered Williams

it permanently altered the fate of Williams, not just until the early 2000s....they lost Newey because of the way they handled first Mansell, then Coulthard, and finally Hill was the straw that broke the camels back....and he was off to McL.....my god they woulda been unstoppable with those BMW engines in a Newey designed car.

Never met Damon, but he seems such a nice bloke!

@TheKwod

3 жыл бұрын

He was a pommel.

Hungary 97 and a few other drives that year proved how good Damon could be. Still the last driver I have truly supported in F1. I liked jenson for sure but for me I'll always be a Damon Hill fan!

Thank you for connecting bass knowledge to F1.

Mansell didn’t exactly leave Williams he was forced out by Frank signing Prost as number one driver

@jamesshunt5123

3 жыл бұрын

Frank Williams had every intention of keeping Mansell alongside Prost but Mansell didn't want a repeat of the 1990 scenario at Ferrari. An insider in the team tried to make Mansell stay by saying:"You'll get the chance to prove everybody you're better than Prost at Williams and it won't be like at Ferrari." Mansell forced himself out to Frank Williams it was irrelevant whether Prost or Mansell was the 1993 champion.

@bryemycaz

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesshunt5123 I think Mansell also saw a potential repeat of the 86-87 years with Piquet.

@brendanbrown3100

Жыл бұрын

Prost would have beat Mansell. All he had to do was speak French with Renault engineers and Mansell would storm off in a huff and play golf whilst Prost sets the car up.

@MrDannyboyhall

Жыл бұрын

@@brendanbrown3100 on sheer speed alone mansell would kill Prost the one advantage Prost had was he played the political game but on absolute driving talent mansell was a far better driver who quite easily could have been a three or four time champion himself if it wasn’t for bad luck

@brendanbrown3100

Жыл бұрын

@@MrDannyboyhall Rubbish - sure Mansell might be faster at times but over a season he’d never beat Prost. Prost in the 86 Williams and Mansell in the 86 McLaren - who wins?

People forget the unreliability of Newey Machinery. It allowed Johnny Herbert to nearly equal DC in 1995 in points. It allowed Alonso to challenge Vettel in 2012. The Ferrari was slower but Rocksolid. In 1999 Irvine only came close because Brawn knew Strategy and reliability. DC had 6! Mechanical DNFS in 1999 and 5.4 points per race Finish to Irvines 4.8. The Scot remarked that he would hope The Irishman would come close with 15 race finishes( Mika had only 11 by the way) Damon may have been a generational talent that squandered much of it by his late start. He had a good car by 33. Michael was a generational talent and the 6th best ever. However, it was the unreliability , ineptitude and strategic idiocy of Williams that cost them in 1995. They still would have been Constructors champion had Briatore not hired Johnny Herbert. In short three of the greatest British talents. 1. Damon Hill. Insufficient training at the age when it mattered. 2. Martin Brundle. Really wrecked his legs. 3. Johnny Herbert. Really really wrecked his legs. If these guys had prepared like DC with the Scotsmans physical health they would have done even greater things. DC just didn't have quite enough talent. He was very good though, no question. F1 is full of what ifs. If De Angelis was convinced to stay and fight at Lotus he would likely still be alive. The Earl of Bute wouldn't have been humiliated by Senna. The 1995 Williams was the fastest, not the best car. In 1988 McLaren was both. Reliability is crucial.

Fact is that in the immediate post Senna years the only top-notch drivers were Schumacher and Häkkinen, the former saying the latter was the only driver he feared.

In '94 Schumacher should have had all his points deleted and a ban for some time. In a year when two drivers had been killed, He deliberately caused the crash with Hill, and got off Scot free + the Title..

Finally! Someone else who respects Jason Newsted!

@michaelkitchin9665

3 жыл бұрын

The first day I saw Trujillo with them I thought, "You're in the wrong band, mate."

If Damon doesn't get sacked, Adrian Newey might still be at Williams today

@AidanMillward

3 жыл бұрын

This is another myth. Newey was already looking for a way out because he wanted Head’s job, but since Head was a co founder and major shareholder it wasnt going to happen.

Yes Aidan, Jason is my preferred bassist as well. Although it's mad to think the longest serving is now slappy boy Robert. #andjusticeforjason

I literally just thought about this after hearing frank died I type the question of why Damon left and I see your video pop up. Smile immediately came on my face.

The only reason Frentzen was signed for 1997 was because Williams had heard in early 1996 that Renault had announced their retirement from F1 meaning that Williams faced the 1998 season with no competitive engines. Rumors said that BMW were already developing their F1 engine and that it would be ready to race in 1998... By signing a German driver Williams could ensure they got first dibs on it. Benetton were also facing 1998 without an engine - but they had raced with BMW power before in 1986... While Mercedes assured everybody they only wanted to work with McLaren exclusively there were rumors Mercedes wanted to "maximize their chances" by delivering engines to Williams as well (at the time a very enticing prospect given the domination of the team throughout most of the 90's). I don't believe for a minute that either Frank Williams or Patrick Head saw Frentzen in 1995 and thought:"We've gotta sign him, he's clearly a champion in the making." He wasn't a Max Verstappen kind of driver who or even a Sebastian Vettel in his Toro Rosso days.

@MrSniperfox29

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry but I seriously doubt BMW would give someone "first dibs" on an engine purely based on the nationality of the driver, unless you are suggesting that Williams gave up on Frentzen and then signed Schumacher to appease BMW when they finally got the engines in 2000.

@theiceman7590

Ай бұрын

Frentzen was really good in 1995 though. Dont forget he was said to better than Schumacher when they were together in Sauber/Mercedes

Aidan Millward is the only KZreadr I will allow to clickbait me

@AidanMillward

3 жыл бұрын

Because I’m honest about it 😅

All 4 of Williams 90s champions left the team after they won their championships with them.

@AidanMillward

3 жыл бұрын

Villeneuve didn’t, he stayed an extra year.

@adampetten5349

3 жыл бұрын

@@AidanMillward he enjoyed that. Funny his point total declined to 25% of 1997, but Frentzen 45%. The Mechachrome was closer to what Frentzen was accustomed to. The Jordan was the perfect combination of speed and simplicity for the German. Hopefully Albon and Gasly can find similar cars. All three can't handle pointy Newey cars...that's for sure. Top cars aren't easy. Kovalainen beats an only 32 year old Fisichella one year, then looks like an amateur against Lewis in a McLaren the next two. This underscores how bloody good Button and Rosberg were.

1995 Australian Grand Prix Haft the Driver Hit the Wall at Pit in, and 1/3 of Starters Finished. The 1st race of F1 that I've watch (Austiralia Born)

@MrSniperfox29

3 жыл бұрын

Half the drivers - 1 driver (Coulthard). Herbert and Roberto fecking Moreno managed to avoid it.

Incredible insights from Dr. Rick Dagless

This was funny. I loved the ‘blinds’ cuts 😅

In his book, he talks a lot about how his demeanour probably did him in. He always sounded like someone who need encouragement when his head dropped. Still my favourite driver, though.

"spent three years in tricky cars" Frentzen sure didn't find the Jordan that tricky.

@y_fam_goeglyd

3 жыл бұрын

_After_ Damon dragged that car from the back...

@Olivyay

3 жыл бұрын

@@y_fam_goeglyd Bold way to imply they should've hired him just as a test driver, but fair.

@adampetten5349

3 жыл бұрын

How'd it go with the true tricky car HHF. To be fair he still doubled Irvine in points in 1997. HHF is like Gasly and Albon...good drivers, but not suited to top pointy cars. Gasly and Verstappen in an Alpha Tauri would be close, but not in a RedBull. By 1999 Hill was nearly 40, hated grooved tyres and his mind was elsewhere.

Fully behind you regarding Jason Newstead.

love the cliff burton reference

Well explained

No matter what, I'm a Damon girl. He should have been a 2x champ. Sorry, but much as he has always been a gentleman about _that_ "accident", it's not something that I can dismiss when people gush about Schumacher. After all, he tried it again in '97 - even more obviously - and it nearly worked. It was a miracle that JV's car got to the end, let alone in a high enough position (and I was never a JV fan - just didn't take to him for some reason at the start and felt more vindicated as time went on - but I was glad he won). At least that most cynical of moves did change many minds about the '94 cheat. Those who gave him the benefit of the doubt then certainly had second thoughts if not outright deserted Schumacher as a fan. Had he not made some "dubious moves" in his career, he might not have won so many championships, but he'd have so much better a reputation and those he won cleanly would be held in much higher regard. Besides, had fate gone the way it should have in '94, Damon should have been the champ for everything that he did for Williams. He took on the team leader role with aplomb, and he helped many in that team hold it together despite that it must have been an incredibly traumatic event for him personally, especially given his history. Frank Williams was not going to be given the benefit of any doubt by fans regarding his treatment of any driver, especially Damon, because he had a history of shafting drivers almost as bad as Enzo did. It was something that continued on. Instead of working _with_ a driver to discover what it was which caused an "off day", he'd just threaten to fire them, or just do it - and he'd been like that since the beginning. I think your comparison with today's Mercedes was spot on - their culture of no blame, let's figure it out, is one of the main reasons that they're so successful now. Teams which have always been too quick to lay the blame on one factor (be that a driver, manager or engine supplier - McLaren ) rarely improve matters as soon as they could do. IMHO, Williams could have had many more championships, or just race wins, had they had that mind set. It looks like the new owners might be trying to go the Mercedes route. They're certainly being more pragmatic. And yes, being a manufacturer in the strictest sense was a lovely thing for Williams, but had Frank been a lot less stubborn about 10 years ago (not necessarily as far back as BMW as I don't think they'd have done any better had they bought Williams instead of Sauber), give or take, the team wouldn't have needed to be sold. Buying in more parts so they could focus more on the stuff they couldn't buy would have helped prevent the team plummet to the back. Even in their last years with any success, the writing was on the wall to us as fans, but he clearly would shut his eyes and just dream of those glory days. Ironically, even those ones with Damon in them.

@jasont6287

3 жыл бұрын

he should have been ms cheated.

I always assumed Williams never really wanted to give Hill the seat to begin with. When they signed Prost, they ended up having issues with Mansell, in the middle of this Patrese left for Benetton assuming Mansell and Williams would sort things out eventually and he'd be without a seat. As it transpired, they didn't, and by which time it was to late for Williams to keep Patrese, so they were left with an open seat that they eventually settled on Hill.

@King_Ears

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly this. I've always felt the same. He just happened upon the seat due to outside circumstances as the options for Frank were limited. Still a shame he got binned off though as he definitely earned a shot at defending his title in 97

@jamesshunt5123

3 жыл бұрын

Williams actually had intended to sign Mika Hakkinen for 1993. Here's what Alex Graham of Autosport says about this whole deal: "At the end of 1992 it seemed a foregone conclusion that Mika would go to Williams, and a contract to that effect had already been drawn up, but machinations from Peter Collins at Lotus (the team Mika was leaving) started a battle that not only lost Mika to Williams but to Lotus too. It then seemed that Mika might sign for Ligier but Rosberg eventually negotiated for the McLaren seat instead. Mika got his first chance to drive in F1 through Lotus but it soon became clear that Peter Collins was putting his money on Johnny Herbert, and in a small team that meant Mika would possibly be left out in the cold. According to Keke Rosberg, the situation at Lotus had reached a point where it was time for the Finn to make a career change if he was to advance in F1. Once the rumours began that Mika would be going to Williams, Lotus began a concerted effort to negate Mika's worth by pointing out his weaknesses to other teams. Later Collins admitted to Rosberg that this was merely a negotiating tactic as he tried to retain Mika at Lotus, not his true opinion of Hakkinen. Collins then claimed Hakkinen already had a contract with Lotus, although later it was ruled that rather than a contract, there was in effect an agreement that an agreement would be made. Everything was looking promising with the contract for Williams ready to be ratified and Mika set to drive alongside Alain Prost. Then the bombshell dropped. Williams was late in registering the team's entry for the 1993 season, and was about to be left out of the running. The only way for Williams to be permitted to participate was by special agreement, which needed the consent of every team in the competition. Peter Collins, seeing a golden opportunity, refused his consent if Williams persisted in signing Hakkinen. Frank Williams was prepared to negotiate for the Finn but Collins announced that Mika was not for sale. Willams cancelled the contract."

@MrSniperfox29

3 жыл бұрын

@@jamesshunt5123 I take it Collins assumed if Hakkinen didn't join Williams he'd just merrily accept being at Lotus?

@geckowizard

3 жыл бұрын

Frank Williams favoured giving the drive to Hakkinen and discussed this with Prost. Williams said Hill was popular with the engineers, though. He then lukewarmly 'presented' Hill in a presa conference and made it seem like he wasn't too bothered but maybe the fact Hilk was English would mean something to the press.

Agreed by the way. I miss Jason-era backing vocals.

Hill beat Villeneave 13-3 in qualifying. If it wasn't for the engine blow out at Monaco and the teams F-up at Spa he'd easily have been champion b4 Suzuka. Also you state Coulthard was faster in second half of 95 yet from British GP onwards they went 5-5 in qualifying, Hill being ahead on the grid in the final 2 races. Hakkinen had been at Mclaren 2 years in 96 so you would expect him to have edge over Coulthard as he knew car better. Still coulthard outdrove him in the races and was ahead in the standings till last few races. He beat Hakkinen in 97, and 2001 also getting close in 2000. Great vid other than that though. As a Hill fan I think he is vastly underrated.

4:35 Rob Trujillo gets my nod, he’s flawless. Lars might sit behind the drum kit, but Rob’s the band’s timekeeper

Williams' lack of support for Hill at the end of 1994 and throughout 1995 was astonishing. Hill was one of the better drivers back then, but even he needed all the help in the world to stand a chance against Schumacher. Instead, there was too much infighting, so Schumacher won by quite a big margin (although the championship was more exciting than the final standings would suggest). Luckily Schumacher switched to Ferrari (and Ferrari made a terrible car), so Hill could win the championship in 1996. Still I don't understand why he didn't move to McLaren. Häkkinen vs Hill would have been very interesting.

@georgiosioannispappas6311

Жыл бұрын

Simple. Damon would have been paid by McLaren ONLY in case of a winning race. If he doesn't take P1, no pay.

@mrdraw2087

Жыл бұрын

@@georgiosioannispappas6311 McLaren must have been really desperate for a win after three win-less years to make such a contract. In hindsight, Hill should have gone for it anyway. Instead, he chose the money and probably regretted this decision, as throughout most of the 1997 season he repeatedly remarked that driving at the back was no fun.

@georgiosioannispappas6311

Жыл бұрын

@@mrdraw2087 No, McLaren's offer was for 1998.

Also, Montoya took a test drive in 1997 for Williams Renault.

A huge Williams fan right from their first win in 1979 - but Frank made some poor decisions over drivers and Adrian Newey in the 90s from which the team never really recovered.

cool damon model bro (lit.) where u get it?

My dad has that Minichamps model at 11:10!

Prost only beat Mansell at Ferrari due to underhand tactics. If Mansell hadn't had a tyre blowout in 1986 and had stayed in 1993 he would have 3 titles to Prost's 2. Btw I'm not saying Mansell was better, just that these things could very well look a lot differently.

I'm surprised it's even controversial to say that Prost was better than Mansell. The number of titles and race wins in Prost's favour should say it all

@tomcharlton586

3 жыл бұрын

Probably because Mansell is more well supported, he was exciting to watch but not better. People are always gonna talk up the drivers they like.

@curbyi76

3 жыл бұрын

Watch Senna explains a lot

@truantray

3 жыл бұрын

Opinions get skewed in Britain, another good example is James Hunt.

@squilldx5055

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I was about to say the same thing and scrolled down to see if anyone else thought that too.