1996 Japanese Grand Prix : 1996 Japanese Grand Prix: Not Without a Fight
By Jeremy McMullenBy the middle of the 1996 Formula One season it appeared as if Damon Hill would run away with the championship. In many respects Hill was sticking it to the hierarchy of his team who had considered replacing him toward the end of the 1995 season. But then there would be Jacques Villeneuve, Hill's teammate. Brand new to Formula One, it would take a little while for the Canadian to come, but he would do just that. He too wasn't going to just give his teammate the championship, not with a fight anyway. Both men were looking to land the killer blow. This set the stage for what was figured to be a titanic Japanese Grand Prix.
Damon would not be like his father. He was not the larger-than-life, party hard character his father had been. In fact, from 1994 onwards it seemed controversy and gut-wrenching battles spiraled around the Brit. It had to be expected though. Coming to drive the second car within the dominant Williams team, everyone, especially those living on the British Isles, expected success. At the same time, Williams was the target, the goal that every other team was looking to knock off from the top perch.
It would begin in 1994 with the death of Aryton Senna. Williams would be heavily blamed for the accident that ended up taking the life of the wildly-popular driver. Taking up the mantle from his fallen teammate, Hill would mount a late challenge of Michael Schumacher and the quest for the World Championship. It would all literally come together in Adelaide when Schumacher and Hill collided. Both men would be out of the race. The championship would belong to Schumacher. The animosity would belong to Hill as he believed Michael deliberately crashed into him to bring the Brit's challenge for the championship to an end.
But what would start out in 1994 as feelings of support and admiration from the Williams team would quickly turn to accusation and censure toward Hill the following year. In 1994 there were mitigating circumstances that led to the loss of the Drivers' World Championship. In 1995, Williams still had one of the best cars in the paddock and fully expected Hill to take back the championship mantle. Instead, a dominant Schumacher and some controversial races for Hill would help result in Williams not only failing to retake the Drivers' Championship, but losing the Constructors' Championship as well.
The criticism wasn't without merit, and, had it not been for the fact Hill had a contract through 1996, it likely would have led to his being replaced by up-and-comer Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
But while Damon would not be considered a chip off the old block when it came to fun-loving and questionable off-track activities, the one character trait Damon would inherit from his father would be tenacity, that unwillingness to go down without a fight. And, despite some lingering acrimony toward him from members within the team, and his own toward those same members, he would return for the 1996 with a focus and a determination that wasn't about to let anything, or anybody, get in his way.
Frank Williams was looking for a driver with that drive and determination but believed he had already hired that driver when he signed the Canadian Jacques Villeneuve. If there would be one character trait that had to run through the Villeneuve family line it would have to be tenacity. Highlight reel after highlight reel of some of the best battles in Formula One are filled with Gilles Villeneuve going wheel-to-wheel. His son Jacques would prove he had the same kind of fight earning victory in the Indianapolis 500, as well as the Indycar championship for 1995. Villeneuve wasn't a promoted test driver. He was already a proven winner. He wouldn't go down without a fight.
The two Williams drivers would start out the 1996 as strong as a team could get. At the Australian Grand Prix, Williams would come away with a one-two. However, it would be Hill that would land the first blow taking the victory. This was not necessarily a surprise, or that big of a deal, given his greater experience within the team. In fact, in many ways, it would be a victory for Villeneuve coming away with a podium result in his very first race.
But if there was any doubt as to Hill's conviction, those doubts would be laid to rest over the next four races. By the end of the 5th race of the season Hill had secured victories in four. Villeneuve remained in the fight but had just one victory to his credit. At that time, Hill would lead in the championship by 21 points, but he wouldn't stop there. Following a couple of retirements, Hill would rebound and put questions of his fortitude to bed as he would take three more victories over a four race period in the middle of the season.
Unfortunately for Hill, Villeneuve would remain in striking distance over those same four races. In fact, he would not only take victory in one of those four races, but in the fifth, he would also take another. Combined with a 2nd place and a victory in Portugal and the Formula One World Championship would arrive in Japan with just 9 points separating Hill and Villeneuve. Many would believe Villeneuve was exhibiting the character traits of a champion and Hill was just enjoying the fruits of Williams' labor. Such rumors would only be enflamed following qualifying for the race.
Throughout the majority of qualifying, absolutely nobody could come close to the pace of Villeneuve. His Williams-Renault was locked in and perfectly set up for the 3.6 mile long circuit. Hill, on the other hand, would be struggling to find pace. As things looked, it appeared as though it would be Villeneuve that would land that last killer blow and steal the championship away from Hill. This, in the minds of people like Frank Williams, would be only right and confirming of what was realized the year before. But Hill wasn't about to get knocked out. Though appearing to be clinging to the ropes, Hill would put in a late charge in qualifying to show his teammate was going to trounce all over him.
Villeneuve would still end up taking the pole for the 52 lap race. His lap time of 1:38.909 would certainly be a flyer. However, Hill's late charge would make things closer than what they had been. Hill's lap time of 1:39.370 would be over four-tenths of a second slower but it would be fast enough to give Hill the second spot on the front row.
The title contenders would be aligned along the front, right there for all the world to see. Villeneuve's pace suggested an epic and tight battle that potentially would go down to the very last lap of the race. For Hill, starting from the front row would be important as it kept his rival close at hand. It would also enable him to pounce if the opportunity presented itself.
Ahead of the start of the race Hill would state that it would be 'down to me whether I want to win the race really.' By the time the lights would go out, Hill would emphatically prove what his preference would be given the opportunity presented to him.
That opportunity would come right at the start of the race…well, the second start of the race. First start of the race would see all of the cars lined up on the grid ready to do battle when suddenly David Coulthard's McLaren-Mercedes would stall on the grid causing the field to set off on another pace lap of the circuit. This would only heighten the tension within the stands and amongst the two drivers sitting at the head of the field. By the time the cars would form back up on the grid the feverish work of the McLaren mechanics would enable Coulthard to get restarted and join at the tail-end of the grid.
The stage would be set…again. The lights would come on one by one; the engines would come up to a screaming roar. The lights would then go out and immediately the landscape of the championship would change. Villeneuve would make the worse start of his whole season not getting the rpms high enough prior to engaging 1st gear. The result would be the Williams would be swallowed up by the rest of the field. The other Williams would be driven by a pilot unwilling to concede anything. He would get his start absolutely perfect and would emphatically declare his intention of taking the championship by sliding over to the racing line to lead the field into the double right-hander at the end of the straight. Though not overly dramatic, and by no means controversial, Hill would assert himself in a position for the record books, not only as a World Champion, but as the first son to follow in his father's footsteps in Formula One.
Hill would land the killer blow right at the start of the race. He would leave no doubt he was in the mood for a fight either when he slammed the door shut on Gerhard Berger turning into the chicane at the end of the 3rd lap. Pulling out an advantage, it suggested all that was left was to wait for the count. Hill would lead the way through the first 10 laps of the race while Berger, Hakkinen and Schumacher battled it out for 2nd place. Villeneuve would complete the first lap in 6th place but would climb up to 4th by the 12th lap of the race. Though down on the mat, there was movement. It would take a number of laps, but the Canadian would begin to try and get up passing Irvine and lapping the circuit at a rate one second faster than Hill. Following a stop that would lose him a good deal of positions on the track, he would return with his foot absolutely buried to the floor wrestling with his Williams in hopes he could get back up to challenge. Still, the count continued.
Schumacher would take over for Hakkinen in 2nd place by the 20th lap of the race. Villeneuve would climb back up to 4th place but would become somewhat stalled in that position. The count continued and grew ever-closer to that final ten-count. Hill stayed focus while in his corner at the head of the field.
With each and every lap that title grew closer and closer at hand. Hill was fighting his fight. He had exercised his strategy to near perfection. The misstep of Villeneuve at the start of the race had only further played into his hands. Hill would enter the pits. The stop would take place without any errors or miscues. However, Hill would be delayed from rejoining the race as a result of other cars coming down the pitlane. When it was all said and done, Hill would rejoin the race just ahead of Michael Schumacher. Villeneuve would be in 4th place and within sight of his teammate. The bruised and knocked about fighter was beginning to stir, but still, the count continued.
Just past half distance, Hill would still be in a commanding position peering of his wounded teammate from the lead of the race. Villeneuve would continue to show movement but would still be stuck on the mat down in 4th place.
Hill would continue to look stronger and stronger as the race wore on. The count was reaching the ten-count and would reach nine when Villeneuve's Williams began to suffer from a rear puncture. This would result in the Canadian needing to lap a bit slower than normal and then come into the pits for new tires. The chance of the rookie stealing the championship from his teammate had nearly come to an end.
Hill would come in for his second stop. Everything with the stop would go perfectly and he would manage to come out onto the circuit still in the lead. Villeneuve would be on the charge desperately fighting with everything he had to climb to the top and hope for Hill to suffer some kind of mechanical problem.
But then, with 16 laps remaining in the race, the full count would be reached, the knock-out ensured as the rear tire on Villeneuve's car would come loose and then totally come off of the car prior to turning into turn two ahead of the 'S' Curve. The count had been reached; the fight was over by a knock-out. No matter what happened from then on Hill would take his first World Championship.
The race, however, wasn't over for Hill, at least not yet. Surely he could coast home or just stop and take the title, but he still had another battle he wanted to come out on top of, and this one was to prove a point.
Prior to the race it was already well known Hill would be replaced by Frentzen for the following season. In addition, Hill would make the audacious move to Arrows. Not knowing for sure about the decision to hire Frentzen until late in the season, Damon would be left with little time to find a competitive drive for the following season. And though he may never have admitted it to be his intention or motivation, by going out a winner, in more than one way, would be a clever way to stick a jab to his detractors. He had led the championship from the very beginning. A victory in the last race would make sure there was no doubt as to who was actually World Champion for 1995.
In the remaining few laps, Hill would continue his storming drive increasing his advantage to just over 6 seconds. As he carried onto the final lap of the race the Williams mechanics and Damon's wife would begin to spill over to the pitwall to gain the perfect spot in which to witness history being made.
Crossing the line with both hands raised, Hill would certainly be the champion on that day. He had come out of his corner ready to fight and he punched his way, as he had all season long, right to not only the top step of the podium at Suzuka but of Formula One as well. Much maligned just a year previous, it would be this disparaged son of a two-time World Champion that would not only take the Drivers' Championship crown, but also, would help restore Williams to the top step amongst the constructors. Fighting back tears on the podium, Damon had come ready to fight. He would leave World Champion.