Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, Australian Grand Prix 1994
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Michael Schumacher is widely considered one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the sport's long history, and by many the Greatest of All Time. Statistically, he is the greatest, with an unparalleled seven world championship titles to his name.
The German showed a masterful handling of rainy conditions that few drivers before or since have. But he was also iconic for his aggression – an aggression that sometimes saw him use not the most ethical or sporting of tactics to win.
This incident dates back to the Australian Grand Prix of 1994. Unlike the current Formula One calendar, where the Australian GP opens the racing season, it was then the sixteenth and final race.
The two frontrunners for the championship title had been Schumacher, with Benetton-Ford, and British driver Damon Hill of Williams, who was only one point behind the German in the standings. A win for Hill would have meant he won the championship.
Although Nigel Mansell, Hill’s teammate at Williams-Renault, had qualified on pole, it was Schumacher who took an early lead in the race, with Hill right behind him. They remained in formation for a little less than half the race, at which point Hill charged to narrow the then-Benetton driver’s lead.
Hill attempted to take a jump on Schumacher at the fifth turn of the track, when Schumacher turned inwards, effectively ending the race for both himself and Hill.
Michael Schumacher won the 1994 World Championship, the first of his seven, and also the first time a German had won the title. With the crash adjudged a racing incident, no action was ever taken against Schumacher, who maintained his own innocence, while Hill has since gone on record to say he was “100% sure it was intentional.”
It is widely considered one of the most unsporting moments in Formula One history.
