 |
| Phil Hill |
Phil Hill
Born: 20 April 1927, Miami, USA
Grand Prix Starts: 48
Grand Prix Victories: 3
Points Total: 98
World Champion: 1961
Having enjoyed success in sports cars and winning Le Mans, Phil Hill made his debut at the 1958 French GP, finishing seventh. He had already caught the eye of Ferrari and was soon signed; he spent the next four years with the team...
His progress was steady: two second places, in France and Italy moved him to fourth in the 1959 championship; in 1960 he dropped one place though he took a victory at Monza.
Having lagged the field in 1960, Ferrari introduced the new 1.5-litre formula in 1961, and by the penultimate race, Monza, the title was up for grabs between Ferrari team-mates Hill and Wolfgang von Trips. The German clashed with Jim Clark's Lotus on the first lap and was killed, along with 12 spectators. Hill won the race and with it the title, but his achievement was overshadowed by the tragedy.
In 1962 Ferrari fell behind the British teams, and the following year Hill joined a Ferrari breakaway team which left to set up ATS. He failed to gain a single point, and a season with Cooper was scarcely better, yielding only a sixth place at Brands Hatch. After that Hill concentrated on sports car racing, and retired in 1967 due to ill health.