SPORTING RIVALRIES
Hero-versus-villain collision drove F1 into orbit
ONE of the most controversial incidents in Formula 1 history is the signature flashpoint of a bitter rivalry which lit up the 1990s and left spectators crying out for another episode of a soap opera played out at speeds of 200mph. Michael Schumacher was billed as the rule-breaking villain with Damon Hill the softly-spoken hero in the latest chapter of the battle for supremacy between Germany and England with their rivalry emanating amid a dark cloud in the world of motorsport during 1994.
Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger and the legendary Ayrton Senna lost their lives following crashes on the same weekend at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola earlier that year with Hill parachuted into the leading role with the Williams team after Senna’s death.
Schumacher was streaking to the first of his seven world titles midway through the season, however, and the second half looked like a victory parade for the Benetton driver as he led 66 points to 29 before controversy fuelled the birth of a gripping rivalry.
Hill subsequently landed his home Grand Prix at Silverstone with Schumacher back in second but the German would later visit the dock having bizarrely overtaken his English adversary on two occasions during the parade lap and refused to serve his time penalty.
Disqualified
He was later disqualified for dismissing the black flag with a two-race ban – and a US$500,000 fine for Benetton – leaving the door ajar for Hill to make hay and he rubbed salt into the wounds by winning two races in his opponent’s absence after a lengthy appeal by Benetton was thrown out.
Sandwiched in the middle was a disqualification for Schumacher in Belgium after taking the chequered flag in front at Spa-Francorchamps before FIA officials ruled that the mandatory wooden plank under his car (a new safety measure) had worn away more than the permitted 10 per cent.
Hill was the benefactor yet again to take the spoils and Schumacher launched all types of vitriol at him when returning from his ban at the European Grand Prix in Jerez and stating that he didn’t consider him to be a world-class driver.
There was no doubting Hill’s class in Japan, though, when a careerdefining performance in the rain during the penultimate race of the season at Suzuka ensured a grand stand finish.
This was long before Schumacher dominated the sport with an iron fist and he cut a shellshocked figure.
He was living out a nightmare and couldn’t countenance the possibility of letting his maiden world championship slip from his grasp to a driver he considered inferior. Fans couldn’t get enough of it and all eyes were on Adelaide for the final race of the season.
Schumacher had his nose in front (92-91) in the title race heading to Australia and time difference was irrelevant with my older brother making sure that I saw history unfold in the early hours of that November morning.
What followed would never be forgotten and gives me goosebumps even to this day.
The never-ending saga of ’94 had one final plot twist as the pair duked it out at the front over the first 36 laps and traded fastest laps with Hill knowing that he would have to best Schumacher to join his father Graham as a Formula 1 world champion.
Suddenly, disaster struck for Schumacher when he misjudged the East Terrace corner and collided with the wall before bouncing back onto the track. Serious damage was done but Hill was none the wiser when he came upon him seconds later.
Sensing that immortality was just one clean execution away, Hill went for the inside line only for a desperate Schumacher to momentarily regain his car’s equilibrium and fire it into the side of Hill’s at the next turn.
Schumacher was out of the race but he seemed adamant to make one final play to destroy Hill’s title challenge and he found a way to get the job done as the Briton retreated slowly to the pit lane where a buckled wishbone eventually meant that his day was done.
Some called Schumacher a cheat, others likened his actions to playing ping pong with racing cars but just like the dastardly wrestling heel (bad guy), he bent the rules to his desire to make sure that he climbed the motor racing pinnacle aged 25.
Whether the result should have stood is highly questionable but the drama left everyone on the edge of their seats with Hill magnanimous despite suffering a grave injustice in what was front- and back-page news.
Scrapes
The BBC would conduct a survey for ‘The Most Unsporting Moment’ nearly a decade later with the Adelaide incident high in the reckoning and that wasn’t the end of the duel with plenty of scrapes between the pair in the years that followed.
A high-profile clash between the two at Silverstone the following year was another talking point, while Schumacher would accuse him of “purely dangerous driving” after the Canadian Grand Prix in ’98 but revenge would be sweet for Hill.
His vindication came in ’96 when he clinched his sole world championship with Schumacher eating his dust in what was a perfect riposte to the events of Adelaide.
It’s hard to beat a bit of needle and their epic rivalry will forever go down as one of the greatest in anycode.