Damon Hill recalls being called ‘worst driver ever’ by F1 legend Arnoux
Photo: Race Pictures
Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
Damon Hill has shared an anecdote involving René Arnoux, recalling a rather unfriendly remark he once received that he took as a compliment.
“He came up to me and he said: ‘You’re the worst driver I’ve ever seen in my life!’”- Damon Hill
Speaking on the Stay on Track podcast alongside Johnny Herbert, the 1996 world champion revealed that he was once labelled the “worst driver ever seen” by René Arnoux — one of Formula 1’s most iconic figures from the late 1970s and 1980s.
“When I was racing, I had Rene Arnoux came up to me, because I had crashed into one of his drivers, or I didn’t crash into him, I did something,” Hill explained, referring to an incident that took place during his Formula 3000 days.
“And he’d been managing a driver in Formula 3000. He came up to me and he said: ‘You’re the worst driver I’ve ever seen in my life!’ But, I thought coming from him that was quite the compliment.”
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Despite never winning a world title, the Frenchman earned widespread acclaim, above all for his legendary duel with Didier Pironi at Dijon in 1982 — a battle that remains one of the most iconic moments in Formula 1 history.
Photo: Race Pictures
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