Former world champion Damon Hill has been appointed as an ambassador for Williams, the team with which he won the title in 1996. The Englishman joins former team-mate Jacques Villeneuve and Jamie Chadwick. As ambassador, he will be responsible for helping to promote Williams back onto the world stage. Hill takes over the role from Jenson Button, also a former world champion, who recently moved from Williams to Aston Martin.
“Williams is a very special team for me,” Damon Hill said in a press release. “Some defining moments of my career happened here. I feel privileged to have been part of this sport and to have achieved what I have achieved. That makes it a real pleasure to return now as ambassador. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the team’s history and to contribute to both Williams’ legacy and its future.”
Glory days
Team principal James Vowles added: “It’s an honour to welcome Damon back as an ambassador for Williams. Few people can represent this team as well as he can. Damon played a defining role in one of the most successful periods in our history. He became world champion with Williams and left a legacy that continues to inspire us to this day.”
Damon Hill was the penultimate driver to win a title with Williams. In the mid-1990s he played a key role in the British outfit’s high point. In 1993 he secured— as the son of the late world champion Graham Hill— his first permanent F1 seat with the team. A year later he helped Williams to the Constructors’ Championship and came close to his first Drivers’ title, only to lose it to Michael Schumacher after a controversial collision in the season finale. In 1996 he took revenge and, with eight victories, sealed his first and only world championship.
