Damon Hill admitted he spoke with former Ferrari boss Jean Todt about joining the team, but was made an \u201coffer that you have to refuse\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hill said that if he joined Ferrari<\/a>, it would have been as the number two driver to former title rival Michael Schumacher. Hill could not accept such a term, though joked that he \u201cmust have dreamt it\u201d all, as Todt claims no recollection of their meeting.<\/p>\n Damon Hill: The Ferrari offer he had to refuse<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Having won the world championship in 1996, the year Schumacher joined Ferrari, Hill recalls that he had discussions to become the German\u2019s teammate at Ferrari.<\/p>\n Speaking on the Stay on Track podcast, Hill\u2019s reflection began when co-host, and three-time grand prix winner, Johnny Herbert, asked whether he would have ever driven for Ferrari.<\/p>\n \u201cI can imagine there might have been a situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I had, a basically fundamental rule, which was, I want to be in the best car, with the best chance of success.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you know, if it had been one of the best cars\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n But, he claims the terms offered to Hill by then-Ferrari team principal Jean Todt would have broken his golden rule.<\/p>\n \u201cI turned them down,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause, I needed a drive, and Jean Todt said, come and have a word, and we\u2019ll talk about it loosely.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so I did go to Italy, and I met him at a house. He said, \u2018You\u2019d have to be number two to Michael\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n As such, Hill said that was why he rejected a \u201cvery generous offer\u201d.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cIt\u2019s not an offer you can\u2019t refuse, is it? It\u2019s an offer you have to refuse.\u201d<\/p>\n More F1 nostalgia via PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Damon Hill took \u2018worst driver I\u2019ve ever seen\u2019 criticism as a compliment<\/a><\/p>\n Michael Schumacher\u2019s private bar as former \u2018Top Gear\u2019 producer shares wild story<\/a><\/p>\n It is an offer, however, which Jean Todt does not recall, says Hill.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, maybe I should have done it,\u201d he quipped. \u201cMaybe I should have just gone.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyway, it doesn\u2019t matter, because someone asked Jean Todt that years ago, and he denied that I ever went and spoke with him. I must have dreamt it!\u201d<\/p>\n Despite winning the 1996 title title, Hill was dropped by Williams and replaced with Heinz-Harald Frentzen for 1997.<\/p>\n After subsequent stints with Arrows and Jordan, he retired from F1 following the 1999 season.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n