For most aspiring racing drivers, being called the \u201cworst driver I\u2019ve ever seen\u201d by a multiple-time grand prix winner would not have instilled much confidence.<\/p>\n
Yet, when Damon Hill was given that tag, since it came from Ren\u00e9 Arnoux after an incident with his prot\u00e9g\u00e9, Hill actually took it as more of a \u201ccompliment\u201d than anything else. Hill also expressed complete satisfaction that he raced in the era that he did.<\/p>\n
Damon Hill called \u2018worst driver\u2019 Ren\u00e9 Arnoux had seen<\/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 After swapping the motorcycle racing scene for four wheels, Hill worked his way through the junior categories. It was during his Formula 3000 days that he irked Arnoux, the former Martini, Surtees, Renault, Ferrari and Ligier driver.<\/p>\n Hill had been asked on the Stay on Track podcast, whether during his broadcasting career after retiring from Formula 1, he had incurred the wrath of a driver, or another member of the F1 paddock.<\/p>\n Hill confirmed that he had not, but recalled his encounter with Arnoux, the seven-time race winner.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was racing, I had Rene Arnoux came up to me, because I had crashed into one of his drivers, or I didn\u2019t crash into him, I did something.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he\u2019d been managing a driver in [Formula] 3000. He came up to me and he said: \u2018You\u2019re the worst driver I\u2019ve ever seen in my life!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cBut, I thought from Rene Arnoux, coming from him, I thought that was quite the compliment.\u201d<\/p>\n Hill did alright for a driver given that tag by an obviously frustrated Arnoux at that time.<\/p>\n More F1 nostalgia from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Le Mans \u201999: The terrifying Mercedes crashes that could have threatened Lewis Hamilton\u2019s F1 future<\/a><\/p>\n Former Top Gear producer \u2018bollocked\u2019 Kimi Raikkonen in hilarious stand-off<\/a><\/p>\n An F1 debutant in 1992, Hill went on to reach the top of the sport as 1996 World Champion. Asked if he would have preferred to race in the modern era of Formula 1, his answer was clear.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I was very happy to have driven when I did.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I would have wanted to drive much earlier than that. Although I still think the ground effect cars, although they were incredibly dangerous, they looked like they were quite fun to race.<\/p>\n \u201cI actually drove one of the early Williams\u2019 around the Saudi track.<\/p>\n \u201cThe old [Ford Cosworth] DFV is quite a nice little motor, but with the V10 Renault engine that I had, was absolutely brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n Hill found his era to be a more \u201csimple\u201d way of racing, adding: \u201cAnd I thought that I had something to give, in terms of how I understood setup, and what I wanted to do with the car, in order to get the best out of the tyres and so forth.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are my little skillsets. My very special little toolbox that I had.<\/p>\n \u201cBy \u201999, my last year in F1, it was starting to come in where the engineer started to say, \u2018We\u2019re going to set up the car according to what we see on the data\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I remember thinking to myself, \u2018Well, what do I do?\u2019 Because I thought, \u2018Well, that\u2019s the end of that then\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Hill pointed to how current F1 drivers will come over team radio to ask what the team\u2019s plan is, adding: \u201cIt\u2019s not really a question that I want to hear coming from a racing driver.\u201d<\/p>\n The game changes again for the stars of F1 2026. With sweeping regulation changes coming into force, the use of active aerodynamics, and increased energy management\/deployment, will serve as new factors which the drivers must adapt to.<\/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