Graham Hill

Lore & Background

Hill was born in Hampstead, London, one of two sons of stockbroker Norman Herbert Devereux Hill and his wife Constance Mary. He attended Hendon Technical College and joined Smiths Instruments as an apprentice engineer. He served in the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer on HMS Swiftsure, rising to petty officer. He was a member of London Rowing Club from 1952 to 1954, contesting twenty finals and stroking the London crew in the Grand Challenge Cup. He made his racing debut in Formula Three aged 25. He initially joined Lotus in Formula One as a mechanic, before earning a driving debut at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. He won his first World Championship with BRM in 1962, and his second with Lotus in 1968. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1966 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972. Hill was killed in a plane crash in November 1975.

In Their Own Story

The rain at Silverstone had turned the circuit into a grey mirror, and the grandstands were half-empty, the crowd hunched under oilskin, muttering. In the BRM pit garage, the mechanics had just finished replacing the front suspension after a hard stoppage, and the air smelled of wet rubber and hot oil. Hill stood over the car, his white overalls immaculate despite the spray, and ran a single finger along the nose cone, feeling for imperfections. No one spoke. The team principal opened his mouth to say something — a warning, a plea, a prayer — and Hill simply nodded, climbed into the cockpit with the unhurried grace of a man settling into an armchair, and fastened his harness with two calm clicks. The engine caught on the second pull. He pulled out of the pit lane without a glance back, and the grey mist swallowed the little red car whole. Behind him, in the garage, a young mechanic crossed himself and whispered, 'Not again.' Hill, three hundred yards ahead, was already thinking about the braking point at Maggotts, about the angle of the rain on the visor, about nothing else. The fire would come later. It always came later. And he would always be there when it did, because that was the deal he had made with the road, and he intended to keep it.

Reader's Guide

Hill's career spanned from the late 1950s to 1975. He won the Formula One World Championship in 1962 with BRM and in 1968 with Lotus. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1966 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972, completing the Triple Crown of Motorsport. He achieved 14 Grand Prix wins, 13 pole positions, ten fastest laps and 36 podiums in Formula One. He was known for his race preparation and wit. He founded Embassy Hill and competed for the team until retiring from racing after the 1975 season.

Did You Know?

• Hill won the Indianapolis 500 at his first attempt in 1966.
• He was nicknamed 'Mr. Monaco' and won the Monaco Grand Prix five times, a record he held for 24 years.
• Hill was the first—and only—driver to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport (Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula One World Championship).
• He broke both his legs in a crash at the 1969 United States Grand Prix.
• Hill's son Damon won the World Drivers' Championship, becoming the first father-and-son World Champions.