12 replies to this topic

[RedFever]

1996 World Champion Damon Hill retired at the end of the 1999 season and has been spotted with a surprise appearance at the San Marino Grand Prix and last week's British GP. He was more talkative at the British GP and was quoted as saying the following about possible management of his own team: "I was asked if I would rule out ever becoming involved again. I just said that I was reviewing my options, wasn't ruling out anything. But the last thing I want to do is to get all tied up. Think if it all went wrong. I don't think everyone could stand a second set of retirement stories!!!". Hill also said that he could return to Formula One: "It was only six months ago that I was pumped up enough to drive a grand prix car. My weight is still 72 kilos and although I have now lost the lump of muscle on the right side of the neck compensating for all the clockwise G-force, I have all this energy. I have got to harness it to something."

[Jaybee]

I also saw the item where Damon (overthe)Hill talked about returning to Formula 1. I can imagine the hollow laugh that would produce from Tom Walkingshaw and Eddie Jordan (and Sir Frank)to name just a few! Please stay off the track Damon. You might do a Gerhard Berger type job with one of the teams but I don't think that you have the business experience for that either, certainly not yet.

[Indian Chief]

The Sad Old Man™ should stay away from F1 for a few years. He just disgraced himself and Eddie Jordan last year with his truly pathetic performances.

[BuzzingHornet]

Indian Chief, what do you think of the performance of Hill's replacement..? Seems to me that Damon was a whole lot closer than Trulli is...

[Todd]

Originally posted by BuzzingHornet:
Indian Chief, what do you think of the performance of Hill's replacement..? Seems to me that Damon was a whole lot closer than Trulli is...

You've got some rose-colored hind sight. After 4 races in 1999, H2F had outqualified DH by a total of 15 positions. That is slightly better than H2F's gap of 17 positions over Trulli, but the story on Sunday is differently. Trulli is equal with Frentzen in points right now. Frentzen was 10 points ahead of Hill after 4 races. Obviously, the '99 car was more competitive. You also need to remember that Damon was the incumbent and Frentzen the team newbie. Now, Frentzen is the one with a full season of experience at Jordan and Trulli is starting fresh. Hill was also sinking into oblivion while Trulli is most likely to improve over the season.

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Forza Michael Schumacher,
Todd

[Toxicant]

What if they brought back slicks? What do you think Hills chances would be then? Driving I mean.

Tox!

[BuzzingHornet]

Tox, my personal opinion is that Hill might still be driving if slicks were still in but...

Todd, thats just speculation though, bear in mind that Hill could have scored lots more points in the first half of the season but he was a bit unlucky; after qualifying ahead of Frentzen in Interlagos, Coulthard stalled in front of him and ruined his great start and then Wurz took him out later in the race... Trulli took him out in Australia too, a race which he may even have ended up winning

Trulli is good but he doesn't look any loser to Frentzen to me, particularly at Silverstone where Hill ran Frentzen very close and would have beaten him if the 1st start hadn't been aborted. I'm unconvinced

[RedFever]

BH, Trulli raced 4 times with the team. He also had DNFs not depending from him. As the season progresses, he will place Hill's 99 performance in an even gloomer light.

[pacman]

British Touring cars: is a good option for Damon,,, he could Race Mansell??????

Were do retired F1 drivers go??.
Pacman.

[BuzzingHornet]

RedFever, yeah but... isn't that why the guy retired?? If he had blown Frentzen away do you think he would have quit..? He was too old and his heart wasn't in it, except at his favourite circuits like Silverstone, Spa or Hungary

Trulli SHOULD beat what Hill did, after all he's nowhere near retirement and meant to be some kind of hotshoe..?

[Bob Nomates]

Damon had been get alot of stick from his wife for racing and she keept asking him to retire all the time ever since he became world champ, she was very wingy in 99 and this hamppered his performance.
Damon was always the first to thank his wife for her support as it helped him alot....but now she wasn't giving him any and it didn't look likely he would win the title again so....he lost his motivation.

[RedFever]

Buzzing, are you asleep???

"Trulli SHOULD beat what Hill did". Yeah and HE IS!!!!!

After 4 GPs in 99, Hill had 3 collisions (!!!) and one 4th place.

After 4 GPs in 2000, Tulli has one 4th place, a 6th place (already one more point) and two DNFs caused by mechanical problems.

Not only he has one point more than Hill and has never crashed his car, but the reliability of his Jordan compared to the 99 model (check HHF's points then and now to get the proper idea) is clearly to the Italian's disadvantage.

SO, yeah, Jordan hired him to better than Hill and with 20% of the experience and a lesser car than Hill, Trulli is already doing better. By year end, the comparison will be humiliating.

[BuzzingHornet]

Yeah sure, comparisons with Hill's 1999 season it probably will be. But Hill was finished! Trulli is not, so you're not comparing like with like. In 1998 Hill won a race and outraced Ralf most of the time... so what does that prove..? Was Ralf crap in 1998 and then suddenly get good? Hill couldn't do it anymore so he quit, end of story. you are fighting a pointless battle there Red, cos even Damon agrees with you!

Hill's collisions with Wurz and Trulli were not his fault (the Ralf one was though, but at least he was having a go)

I said that Trulli SHOULD beat Hill, if he is then Damon and Jordan were proved right... it was Hill that even recommended Trulli as his replacement to Jordan!

As for reliability, that is not responsible for Trulli being outpaced by Frentzen