Graham Hill was a British racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1958 to 1975. Known as “Mr. Monaco,” Hill won two Formula One World Championship titles and, by the time he retired, held the record for the most podium finishes (36). He also won in American open-wheel racing, winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1966 with Mecom. When he secured victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972 with Matra, Hill became the first—and so far, the only—driver to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport.
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | Norman Graham Hill 15 February 1929 Hampstead, London, England |
| Died | 29 November 1975 (aged 46) Arkley, Barnet, London, England |
Born and raised in London, Hill, despite not passing his driving test until age 24, made his Formula Three debut just a year later. Hill initially joined Lotus as a mechanic but soon earned a drive, making his debut at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. Despite reliability problems early on, Hill secured a full-time drive. After two seasons of non-classified finishes with Lotus, he moved to BRM in 1960, where he scored his first podium at the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix. In 1962, driving the competitive BRM P57, Hill won the season’s first race and claimed three more victories en route to his first championship, outpacing rivals Jim Clark and Bruce McLaren. He finished second to Clark in 1963 and narrowly missed the 1964 title by just one point to John Surtees. Hill remained competitive, securing multiple wins in 1965, though he finished runner-up to Clark again.
After a winless 1966 season, Hill rejoined Lotus, partnering with his rival Clark. Despite helping develop the Lotus 49 with Cosworth DFV engines, Hill struggled with reliability in 1967, though he managed podium finishes in Monaco and the United States. Clark’s tragic death in 1968 left Hill in a tight championship battle with Jackie Stewart, which Hill won at the final race. He became a five-time Monaco Grand Prix winner in 1969, holding the record until Ayrton Senna surpassed it in 1993. Later that year, Hill suffered a serious crash at the 1970 United States Grand Prix, breaking both legs and prematurely ending his season. Though he recovered, Hill never returned to the podium. He raced as a privateer in 1970 before joining Brabham for two seasons, where his only win came at the non-championship BRDC International Trophy in 1971. Hill later founded Embassy Hill, racing with the team from 1973 to 1975, before retiring after failing to qualify for the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix. He shifted focus to team management, mentoring Tony Brise. In his 18 seasons in Formula One, Hill secured 14 race wins, 13 pole positions, 10 fastest laps, and 38 podiums.
Beyond Formula One, Hill competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 10 times between 1958 and 1972, winning the event in 1972 alongside Henri Pescarolo in a Matra-Simca MS670. He also entered the Indianapolis 500 three times, winning on his first attempt in 1966. Early in his career, Hill also raced in the British Saloon Car Championship, winning his class in 1963, and competed in six seasons of the Tasman Series, finishing second to Stewart in 1966.
Tragically, in November 1975, Hill, along with five Embassy Hill team members, including Brise, died in a plane crash while returning from a test session at Circuit Paul Ricard. The plane Hill was piloting crashed in poor visibility near London. Embassy Hill disbanded following the tragedy. Hill’s legacy continued through his son, Damon Hill, who won the Formula One World Championship in 1996, making them the first father-and-son World Champions in the F1 history.
Graham Hill Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1958–1975 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Lotus, BRM, Brabham, Hill |
| Entries | 179 (176 starts) |
| Championships | 2 (1962, 1968) |
| Wins | 14 |
| Podiums | 36 |
| Career points | 270 (289) |
| Pole positions | 13 |
| Fastest laps | 10 |
| First entry | 1958 Monaco Grand Prix |
| First win | 1962 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1969 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1975 Monaco Grand Prix |
Graham Hill Teammates
| 31 Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Allison | 8 | 1958 | |
| Alan Stacey | 2 | 1958 | 1959 |
| Keith Hall | 1 | 1958 | |
| Pete Lovely | 1 | 1959 | |
| Innes Ireland | 6 | 1959 | |
| Jo Bonnier | 8 | 1960 | |
| Dan Gurney | 7 | 1960 | |
| Tony Brooks | 8 | 1961 | |
| Richie Ginther | 29 | 1962 | 1964 |
| Tony Marsh | 3 | 1962 | |
| Gerry Ashmore | 1 | 1962 | |
| Richard Attwood | 4 | 1964 | 1969 |
| AJ Foyt | 2 | 1964 | |
| Jackie Stewart | 18 | 1965 | 1966 |
| Jim Clark | 12 | 1967 | 1968 |
| Jackie Oliver | 12 | 1967 | 1968 |
| Eppie Wietzes | 1 | 1967 | |
| Giancarlo Baghetti | 1 | 1967 | |
| Moises Solana | 3 | 1967 | 1968 |
| Mario Andretti | 6 | 1968 | 1969 |
| Bill Brack | 1 | 1968 | |
| Jochen Rindt | 10 | 1969 | |
| John Miles | 5 | 1969 | |
| Dave Charlton | 1 | 1971 | |
| Tim Schenken | 10 | 1971 | |
| Carlos Reutemann | 10 | 1972 | |
| Wilson Fittipaldi | 10 | 1972 | |
| Guy Edwards | 10 | 1974 | |
| Peter Gethin | 1 | 1974 | |
| Rolf Stommelen | 7 | 1974 | 1975 |
| Francois Migault | 1 | 1975 |
Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1962 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1962 German Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1962 Italian Grand Prix |
| 4 | 1962 South African Grand Prix |
| 5 | 1963 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 6 | 1963 United States Grand Prix |
| 7 | 1964 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 8 | 1964 United States Grand Prix |
| 9 | 1965 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 10 | 1965 United States Grand Prix |
| 11 | 1968 Spanish Grand Prix |
| 12 | 1968 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 13 | 1968 Mexican Grand Prix |
| 14 | 1969 Monaco Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC | Points1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Team Lotus | Lotus 12 | Climax FPF 2.0 L4 | ARG | MON Ret | NED Ret | 500 | BEL Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||||||
| Lotus 16 | Climax FPF 2.2 L4 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | POR Ret | ITA 6 | MOR 16 | ||||||||||||||
| Lotus 16 (F2) | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | GER Ret | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1959 | Team Lotus | Lotus 16 | Climax FPF 2.5 L4 | MON Ret | 500 | NED 7 | FRA Ret | GBR 9 | GER Ret | POR Ret | ITA Ret | USA | NC | 0 | ||||||
| 1960 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P25 | BRM P25 2.5 L4 | ARG Ret | 15th | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| BRM P48 | BRM P25 2.5 L4 | MON 7 | 500 | NED 3 | BEL Ret | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | POR Ret | ITA | USA Ret | ||||||||||
| 1961 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P48/57 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | MON Ret | NED 8 | BEL Ret | FRA 6 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | ITA Ret | USA 5 | 16th | 3 | |||||||
| 1962 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P57 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | NED 1 | MON 6 | BEL 2 | FRA 9 | GBR 4 | GER 1 | ITA 1 | USA 2 | RSA 1 | 1st | 42 (52) | ||||||
| 1963 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P57 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | MON 1 | BEL Ret | NED Ret | GBR 3 | GER Ret | USA 1 | MEX 4 | RSA 3 | 2nd | 29 | |||||||
| BRM P61 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | FRA 3 | ITA 16 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1964 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P261 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | MON 1 | NED 4 | BEL 5 | FRA 2 | GBR 2 | GER 2 | AUT Ret | ITA Ret | USA 1 | MEX 11 | 2nd | 39 (41) | |||||
| 1965 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P261 | BRM P56 1.5 V8 | RSA 3 | MON 1 | BEL 5 | FRA 5 | GBR 2 | NED 4 | GER 2 | ITA 2 | USA 1 | MEX Ret | 2nd | 40 (47) | |||||
| 1966 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P261 | BRM P60 2.0 V8 | MON 3 | BEL Ret | FRA Ret | GBR 3 | NED 2 | GER 4 | 5th | 17 | |||||||||
| BRM P83 | BRM P75 3.0 H16 | ITA Ret | USA Ret | MEX Ret | ||||||||||||||||
| 1967 | Team Lotus | Lotus 43 | BRM P75 3.0 H16 | RSA Ret | 7th | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Lotus 33 | BRM P60 2.1 V8 | MON 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lotus 49 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | NED Ret | BEL Ret | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER Ret | CAN 4 | ITA Ret | USA 2 | MEX Ret | ||||||||||
| 1968 | Team Lotus | Lotus 49 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA 2 | 1st | 48 | ||||||||||||||
| Gold Leaf Team Lotus | Lotus 49 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ESP 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Lotus 49B | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | MON 1 | BEL Ret | NED 9 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER 2 | ITA Ret | CAN 4 | USA 2 | MEX 1 | |||||||||
| 1969 | Gold Leaf Team Lotus | Lotus 49B | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA 2 | ESP Ret | MON 1 | NED 7 | FRA 6 | GBR 7 | GER 4 | ITA 9 | CAN Ret | USA Ret | MEX | 7th | 19 | ||||
| 1970 | Rob Walker Racing Team | Lotus 49C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA 6 | ESP 4 | 13th | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Brooke Bond Oxo Racing – Rob Walker | Lotus 49C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | MON 5 | BEL Ret | NED NC | FRA 10 | GBR 6 | GER Ret | AUT | |||||||||||
| Lotus 72C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ITA WD | CAN NC | USA Ret | MEX Ret | |||||||||||||||
| 1971 | Motor Racing Developments Ltd | Brabham BT33 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA 9 | 21st | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Brabham BT34 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ESP Ret | MON Ret | NED 10 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER 9 | AUT 5 | ITA Ret | CAN Ret | USA 7 | |||||||||
| 1972 | Motor Racing Developments Ltd | Brabham BT33 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG Ret | RSA 6 | 15th | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Brabham BT37 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ESP 10 | MON 12 | BEL Ret | FRA 10 | GBR Ret | GER 6 | AUT Ret | ITA 5 | CAN 8 | USA 11 | |||||||||
| 1973 | Embassy Racing | Shadow DN1 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP Ret | BEL 9 | MON Ret | SWE Ret | FRA 10 | GBR Ret | NED NC | GER 13 | AUT Ret | ITA 14 | CAN 16 | USA 13 | NC | 0 |
| 1974 | Embassy Racing with Graham Hill | Lola T370 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG Ret | BRA 11 | RSA 12 | ESP Ret | BEL 8 | MON 7 | SWE 6 | NED Ret | FRA 13 | GBR 13 | GER 9 | AUT 12 | ITA 8 | CAN 14 | USA 8 | 18th | 1 |
| 1975 | Embassy Racing with Graham Hill | Lola T370 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG 10 | BRA 12 | RSA DNQ | ESP | NC | 0 | |||||||||||
| Embassy Racing with Graham Hill | Hill GH1 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | MON DNQ | BEL | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | USA |
Sources:
- Graham Hill. Wikipedia.com
