Damon Hill, a former driver and champion in Formula 1 in 1996, shared a curious incident involving another former F1 driver, René Arnoux, who called Hill “the worst driver I’ve ever seen in my life.” The statement occurred during Hill’s days in Formula 3000, a category that preceded Formula 1 in the past, when he had an incident with one of the drivers from Arnoux’s team.
During an appearance on the Stay on Track podcast, Hill recounted that the meeting where the criticism took place happened after a collision with the car of one of Arnoux’s drivers: “He came up to me and said, ‘You’re the worst driver I’ve ever seen in my life!'” Hill said, explaining the context of the Frenchman’s words. However, contrary to what many might feel when faced with such harsh criticism, Hill took Arnoux’s words as a compliment: “But, coming from him, it was a great compliment,” Hill said with humor.
Arnoux, although he never won a title in Formula 1, is widely recognized as one of the great names in the category, especially for his famous dispute with Didier Pironi at the 1982 French Grand Prix, one of the most iconic duels in the history of the category.
Hill, who shared the track with Arnoux at various points in his F1 career, explained that during that period, Formula 3000 was a grid of fierce disputes, and such a comment, as negative as it was, only reinforced the intensity of the competition and the respect between drivers.
