In the tumultuous 1960s, British drivers seized control of Formula 1 with six world titles, shared among four drivers. These were tough men with diverse personalities, but they all shared one common trait: their boundless passion for motor racing. Today, we present a portrait of one such driver: Graham Hill.
In the 1960s, the British national anthem was increasingly heard at the end of Grand Prix races. For a long time, Alfa, Ferrari, and Maserati had dominated Formula 1, but more and more British manufacturers began to build faster racing cars. Cooper, Aston Martin, BRM, Lotus. From Down Under, Brabham and McLaren joined the ranks.
‘Garagistes,’ Ferrari scoffed. Tinkerers who didn’t even build their own engines. Yet, he had to watch as they gradually took over, with British drivers at the helm. Six times in the Sixties, a British driver became the Formula 1 world champion. But it was also a dangerous time…
Graham Hill, the Joker
Graham Hill was the first British world champion in the Sixties. He drove for BRM, as it was known at the time. Hill, born in 1929, was a late bloomer. Initially, he worked as a mechanic for Lotus, but after persistent requests, he was allowed to drive. Chapman was immediately convinced of his talent, so Hill made his Formula 1 debut for Lotus in 1958.”Perhaps because he experienced World War II very consciously, Hill is above all a bon vivant. He enjoys being the jovial joker. Lotus mechanics find him in Zandvoort, singing rugby songs in a pub, after which he stirs everyone up to go swimming in the sea. But on the circuit, he works hard and meticulously. He always carries a black notebook in which he notes every detail regarding the setup of his car for each circuit.
In 1962, BRM finally has a fast and reliable car. Yes, Clark’s Lotus breaks down in the final, decisive race, and a hard crash at Goodwood has ended the career of Moss, the greatest British racing hero of the fifties, but Hill keeps everything intact in 1962, wins four of the nine Grands Prix and is therefore the rightful champion.
In 1964, he competes for the title again, but in the final race, he is nudged by John Surtees’ teammate, Lorenzo Bandini, after which he has to have the exhaust cut off and is therefore out of the running. Hill is not amused and sends Bandini a booklet titled How to Drive a Racecar…
In 1967, Hill returns to Lotus, in the shadow of Clark. But when Clark dies in 1968, Hill takes the team by the hand and wins his second world title. In a severe crash in 1969, Hill breaks both legs. He informs his wife that he won’t be able to dance for the next two weeks. He remains in Formula 1 until 1975, but never reaches the top again. At the back of the grid, he discovers, people are much nicer. In 1973, he starts his own team. In November 1975, he and a large part of his team die in a plane crash.
To this day, Hill is the only driver to have achieved the Triple Crown of Motorsport: Formula 1 world champion and victories in the Indianapolis 500 (1966) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1972).”
