S1 E9: Schumacher v Hill - 1994's controversial ending

Bring Back V10s - Classic F1 stories

The Race Media Ltd

Sports

4.9 • 764 Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2020

⏱️ 50 minutes

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Summary

Michael Schumacher's 1990s rivalry with Damon Hill ignited at the end of the 1994 Formula 1 season. In this episode Andrew van de Burgt and Edd Straw join Glenn Freeman to look back at the final three races of '94, when Schumacher returned from his two-race ban with just a one-point lead over Hill. Schumacher won comfortably on his return at Jerez, but why was Hill fuming with his Williams team, and left him 'pulling teeth' trying to get an apology from management? Why didn't Williams make it clearer it believed in Hill? How did the dynamic at Williams change when Nigel Mansell returned? How did Hill pull off the drive of his life in the rain of Japan to set up the famous Adelaide decider? Who did he ask for help at the start of the crucial final lap - and what phenomenon did he experience over the first part of that remarkable lap before he 'took back control'? Why did he lash out at Williams in public before the finale in Australia? How did Williams get on terms with Benetton? What made Schumacher's car harder to drive in the title decider? What was Schumacher's explanation for the controversial collision that decided the championship in his favour, and was he telling the truth? How did Hill find out Schumacher had already hit the wall? What did he think when he first saw the footage? Did Williams consider taking action? What did Hill do the following day - that Schumacher used to his advantage when he returned to Germany? And did the right man win the championship that year?

HAVE YOUR SAY: Next week we start our 'Ask us anything' finale - which will now be in two parts! Get your questions in using #BringBackV10s to @wearetherace on social media.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	In the wake of Imola 1994 and the death of Ayrton Senna, Formula One was short on star power.
0:11.0	In the previous two years, it had lost Senna, Nigel Mansell and Alan Prost from the grid, all drivers who helped generate mainstream coverage in F1 in their own ways.
0:25.6	Unfortunately, we were robbed of the prospect of a Senna versus Michael Schumacher era,
0:28.4	but F1 needed something to step into the breach,
0:31.0	and the next two years were all about a new rivalry,
0:33.3	as Damon Hill went to battle with Schumacher,
0:37.9	and Williams v. Benetton became the main story in the middle of the 1990s.
0:43.2	On this episode of Bring Back V10s, we'll be looking at the first explosion in this rivalry when the 1994 World Championship was decided in controversial fashion on the streets of Adelaide,
0:49.3	and Schumacher took the first of his seven world championships.
0:52.8	As always, we want to hear your thoughts on this
0:55.1	episode and our series in general. And our next episode is the much anticipated series finale
1:00.7	where we'll be answering your questions. So there's still a little bit of time to get in touch
1:05.1	with at We Are the Race on social media using the hashtag bring back v10s so you can let us
1:10.3	know the questions you want to put to us
1:12.2	in our final episode. So joining me for our latest trip down memory lane are a returning Ed
1:18.0	straw and leaving his debut until very late in the series, Andrew Vanderberg. So welcome,
1:23.9	Andy, and you can have the first question as you're the newbie.
1:35.4	We could devote an entire series to the events of 1994 and there'll be many more episodes in the future about this season.
1:40.3	But when you think of the conclusion of the title fight, what's the first thing that springs to mind for you?
1:47.0	I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is that image of Schumacher up on two wheels and the car being parked up against the road and then later cutting to Schumacher as he's
1:55.4	standing there at the side of the track doing his best daytime soap opera actor as he's trying to pretend to be
2:03.8	simultaneously upset and mystified and delighted all at the same time and not really convincing
	...

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