Michael Schumacher’s ‘brutally controversial’ Damon Hill move that decided the 1994 F1 championship

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Michael Schumacher wasn’t shy of a controversial manoeuvre during his career as a Formula 1 driver, with his move on Damon Hill to secure a maiden world championship in 1994 serving as one of the most contentious endings to a season ever.

A racing driver through and through, the German driver wasn’t worried about whose feelings he hurt on his way to greatness, as experienced by Damon Hill during their title fight during the 1994 F1 season.

Schumacher took the advantage over Hill in the opening half of the campaign, stretching out a 37-point lead over the Williams driver after the first seven rounds of racing.

Hill struggled with reliability issues in the FW16, and following the fatal incident involving Ayrton Senna at Imola, the British constructor made amendments to their chassis in the form of the FW16B.

The Brit found his form at the wheel of the updated Williams F1 car and started to claw his way back into championship contention. Hill was aided by Schumacher’s disqualification in Belgium, where he was told that he actually won the race at Brussels airport.

READ MORE: Damon Hill recalls the off-track Michael Schumacher moment he found ‘embarrassing’ during their Formula 1 title fight

Murray Walker once recalled Michael Schumacher’s ‘brutally controversial’ move on Damon Hill at Adelaide in 1994

Heading into the season finale in Adelaide, the Bennetton star was one point ahead of Hill in the standings, meaning that the Williams man had to outscore the championship leader by two points for the title to be his.

In Murray Walker’s 2002 autobiography, Unless I’m Very Much Mistaken, the world-renowned commentator gave his version of events during an assessment of Schumacher’s darker side when it came to wheel-to-wheel battles.

Walker wrote, “Of course, Michael Schumacher is not the perfect paragon of virtue, without faults. Like Senna, he is ruthless on the track, and because of his determination to win, has been involved in more brutally controversial moves than most.

“Take Adelaide 1994, where he took out Damon Hill to win the World Championship (by trying to regain his racing line I believe, to general derision from my hardened and cynical media friends);

“Jerez 1997, where he rammed Jacques Villeneuve, this time to lose the championship and be rightly excluded from its final classification as a penalty, and regularly chopping across the track from pole position at the start to block his rivals.

“‘Legal but unfair,’ the experts say. ‘Are we racing or playing children’s games?’ retorts Michael. Personally, I strongly disagree with it being allowed as I think it is both dangerous and unsportsmanlike, but rules are rules and what Schumacher consistently does is not against them.”

The class of the losing driver, with respect to the 1994 championship, was shown through Hill’s words to Schumacher on the morning following the German driver’s clinching of the title.

Known for his tendency not to let his competitors get too close to him on and off the race track, Schumacher was approached by Hill at breakfast, where the Williams driver congratulated him on his feat despite the questionable tactics in play.

READ MORE: Benetton’s 1994 cheating scandal that marred Michael Schumacher’s first F1 championship

Damon Hill was able to clinch his first F1 title two years later, dominating Michael Schumacher in the process

Hill and Schumacher’s rivalry continued in the ensuing season, with the Brit still on the hunt for his elusive first world title as his rival went on to secure a second consecutive championship in 1995.

They butted heads again during the 1995 campaign, with a clash at the British Grand Prix seeing tensions boil over. An ill-timed overtake attempt on lap 46 saw the Williams driver make contact with his fierce rival, ending both their races prematurely.

Having been ousted from the race whilst in the lead, Schumacher marched over to Hill and hit his cap in an incident that the Brit deemed ’embarrassing’ upon recollection.

Hill was able to take home the bragging rights in the following year, with his championship rout seeing him take home the title with an advantage of 38 points over Schumacher down in third place.

Jacques Villeneuve split the two rivals in second place, marking a very impressive debut season in the sport. The Canadian would go on to win the title in the following season.