Damon Hill's Goodwood Celebration Wasn't Actually About Him

“It's brilliant,” Damon said to Karun on the Goodwood balcony, “because unfortunately, my dad wasn't around when I became World Champion, so I got a chance now to experience these things with my family, which is very important to me.”

Damon’s inspiration and desire to race came after the passing of his father, two-time F1 Drivers’ Champion Graham Hill, in 1975, when Damon was just 15 years old.

“My father’s death made me want to follow in his footsteps and start racing,” he explained in a 2016 interview with The Guardian. And follow in his father’s footsteps he did, as in 1996 Damon and Graham became the first father-son pair of F1 Drivers’ Champions. 

The 1996 season was truly a dominant one for Damon, who claimed eight wins out of 16 races, including an incredible three in a row to start the season. He and his then-teammate, Jacques Villeneuve, stayed neck-in-neck in the standings until the very final round in Japan, where Damon won the race and the title. 

And to commemorate the occasion, Damon’s children, Josh, Tabitha and Rosie, arranged for the trophy their father won in Suzuka that year to be brought to Goodwood today as part of the celebrations. Damon, of course, wasted no time in ushering them and his wife, Georgie, to the balcony for a family photo with the trophy.

And indeed, motorsports have been a family passion for the Hills since the beginning. Throughout his autobiography, Watching the Wheels, Georgie is an even-present pillar of support for Damon. She was there in his early days of racing, when a lack of funding threatened to end his career until a Beatle stepped in. And she was there today on the Goodwood balcony. In 2025, the couple worked together to create Hill, a documentary of the 1996 F1 season. During his interview with Karun, Damon immediately invited Georgie out to the balcony when the film was mentioned, making sure she received the recognition for the role she played in both his career and his successes.

He also made sure that each of his children got their own moments on the balcony as well, taking care to mention that his youngest daughter Rosie was the one that drove the FW18, the car that he won his Championship in, to the collecting bay before Damon took to the iconic Goodwood Hillclimb. Also driving the FW18 were Jamie Chadwick, Luke Browning and current Williams team principal James Vowles. 

On the importance of sharing this moment with his children, Damon said, “Rosie came after the championship, but Tabitha's born just before, and so this is a great opportunity for them to kind of realize what dad did when he was at work, and not just at home.”

He also took the time to praise his children’s involvement in his own career today,  saying “Rosie designs my merchandise, so well done Rosie, and Josh does my social media, so we're trying to get them involved in the company, in the family business.”

On the thirty-year anniversary of his Championship, Damon could have spent the Goodwood Festival of Speed reminiscing about the best season of his F1 career. But instead, time and time again he shifted the focus away from himself and onto his family, sharing the celebration with those who matter the most to him. From remembering his father to giving his wife and children their own moments in the spotlight, Damon showed that while a Championship is won by one driver, it is rarely accomplished alone.