Watching the Wheels: My Autobiography

This is a great book. Interesting, enjoyable and honest. Damon not only gives us a complete and comprehensive life story but is totally honest and open about so much more, including very personal accounts of depression and emotional baggage that he carried for so many years following the tragic death of his father in 1975 when Damon was just 15 years old and the subsequent legal and financial repercussions caused by reasons he explains with great candour. That he rose to become a Formula One world champion himself is an amazing and inspirational story. That he still had unresolved deeply emotional issues even during the heady years of his F1 career was very revealing but it is how he has dealt with these and through much grit, courage and determination effectively rescued his family, especially his mother, from the awful aftermath of his fathers accident. I am exactly the same age as Damon and met his father 2-3 times in 1975, one of which was to do an interview with him to the crowd at Brands Hatch and remember later seeing the sheer pressure in his face as he watched his team work on the Embassy Hill F1 car which really struck me, even as a 14 year old. I also remember like yesterday seeing the same TV newsflash as Damon on the evening of 29 November 1975 and reading Damon's memories was quite emotional even for me and this part of the book makes me only begin to understand just how catastrophic this awful night was to be for the family, for so long. Damon handles this difficult subject with honesty, sensitivity and emotion. This excellent book is an amazing story of triumph, against the odds, over this tragedy and demonstrates that however long it might take you can prevail. There is no ghost writer here, These are Damon's words and those who read his articles in a specialist F1 magazine already know what a fine writer he has, and everyone will see the same skills in this book. A great guy, family man, brave, determined and deservedly successful, Mr Hill I salute you.

In some it was a tough read, lots of death and the passing of great driver's. And a struggle with mental health issues and distraught feelings .Peppered with great highs and massive achievement.A good read in the end

This book is a refreshingly honest and deeply personal account of Damon Hill’s life, both on and off the Formula 1 track. It delves into his journey through the sport’s golden era, his fierce battles with legends like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, and the profound emotional toll of his father’s tragic death. What makes this autobiography truly stand out is Hill’s raw and unfiltered discussion of his struggles. A compelling read.

I started watching F1 during the 1992 season when I was 9 years old. Watching Mansell and Senna go toe to toe around the streets of Monte Carlo gave me a buzz I hadn't experienced before and I was hooked, but I hadn't yet had a favourite driver as I hadn't watched enough of it. However, in 1993 Mansell had retired and was replaced by another Englishman by the name of Damon Hill. My F1 knowledge was literally non-existent, but I liked Damon's smooth driving style out on track and those white stripes on that dark blue helmet. So that was it. The Williams number '0' was now my favourite car and driver and the next seven years of my life would be filled with absolute joy and painful despair. I started buying everything related to Damon: books, model cars, videos, caps and even his famous 'eyes' T-shirt! Even though he had written his book on his 1996 Championship, I always wondered whether Damon would ever write his official autobiography. As time passed, I thought it would never happen. Now he has, and my goodness it was worth the wait. Excellent writing, structured brilliantly and no subject left off the table, Damon tells his story almost like a confession. Even by the halfway stage of the book, he hasn't got into F1 yet - that's how much of his early life he pours out on paper. The reasoning behind his getting into a racing car, his open admissions that he started out too late and was never a naturally-gifted driver (just like his dad), his battles with his demons which have festered since childhood; every single page is perfectly laid out and well-thought out. He doesn't dwell on things too much - which is good seeing as he's done so much in his life - and keeps you hooked throughout. I thought I knew everything there was on Damon Hill, but how wrong I was. I am now more of a fan than ever; even for the non-F1 person it's an astonishing read about a child who lost his famous father, and then did everything he could to match his achievements and to close a chapter that his dad had left open for over two decades. An absolutely brilliant book. 10/10

A frank and fascinating insight into Damon's life and career. A really good read, whether you are interested in motor racing or not.

A great insightful autobiography from a very honest world champion. The start of the book is a little clunky, with various anecdotes about his childhood, but it becomes more fluid and fascinating as you read on: The most revealing parts I found were Damon's account on his father & the infamous plane crash in 1975 with its ensuing aftermath, along with his roller-coaster time in F1 - including the up-and-down work-relationship with Frank Williams and Patrick Head. Damon's thoughts on Senna, aswell as his conclusion's on the Brazilian's accident at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix are especially interesting. I have read many interviews with Damon in the press before this book was published, and so I thought I knew more than the average bear in regards to his Formula One career, but I was surprised to learn new insights as to how he lost his drive with Williams in 1996. The most startling revelation of all though was his own inner-personal battles following his motor racing career, this is recorded in the Introduction of the book. It needed a bit more proof reading for grammar/punctuation mistakes, but all-in-all this is a deeply fascinating - and at many times very witty - read. A splendid book.

Damon Hill bares his soul in this riveting read. If you've ever wondered how difficult it is to start from nowhere and succeed in motor racing, just read this book. The best motor racing autobiography since Niki Lauda's 'To Hell and Back.' Damon describes in detail his struggle to succeed initially in motorcycle racing and then in single seater racing cars. As one who tried Formula Ford myself I know how terribly difficult it all is. The big difference we learn is that Damon didn't give up. Persistence is the key even in the face of perversity and the apparent impossibility of achieving your goals. There's a lesson to be learned here for us all. Don't give up! It's easy to recognise and empathise with the human element in this story. Damon lays bare his feelings in a brutally honest and articulate manner which is rare amongst humanity in general and even more so when you consider that he is in fact a Formula One World Champion. Two things to finish this report. Firstly, I met Damon at Brands Hatch at a very early Formula Ford event. I wished him luck with his career and subsequently followed it with interest. It was great to see him triumph against all the obstacles life throws in your way. Finally, I was fascinated to discover that both of us had blown up virtually the same chemistry experiment whilst at school. It just goes to show that both incompetent racing drivers and World Champions are rascals! It's a marvellous book and I highly recommend you read it. Clifton Hughes.

It's impossible for us as mere mortals to comprehend what it must be like to be a celebrity; the day in and day out public focus and everyone wanting a piece of you everywhere you go. I've heard people say that they probably "get used to it". Well maybe that's true to a degree but the relentless nature of it must be tiring and the inability to escape from it must affect your headspace. Sure there are the upsides and for someone like Damon, that's the sporting glory of competition and winning, but that is short lived and over a lifetime, for any sports person is going to be a relatively small window in time. However, the spotlight remains on you for long after the celebrations are over. Precede that lifestyle with the added intensity of growing up with a famous father; always being "Graham Hill's son", being there but being somewhat in the background also. Questions and expectations being asked of the champion's offspring from early years that really, at that age, who could have an intellingent, measured answer for? What they really wanted to hear is "I want to be a racing driver like my dad". And then, just as you are emerging from childhood and forging new and more adult relationships with the great man, a bombshell; and your whole world literally explodes before your eyes. Life would never be the same again. How do you cope with that? How would any of us deal with such a tragedy within our family? Now imagine that life changing event exposed to the world for all to see and the media attention that ensued. That's got to have a huge impact. I'm not so sure how I would handle it. All that, the highs and the very lows, you would expect to have its toll on the person, and yet, when you meet Damon, you could not meet a nicer guy. I wish I'd read a lot more of this autobiography before I met him though. Georgies is also a lovely person and it is clear that as a couple, they are a united force and they work hard for the things that are important to them and their family. So much in this book I didn't know. There are some things I could relate to my own life but so much more I have nothing to compare to. I found this book fascinating, but as an F1 fan and someone who followed Damon's career, I guess I was keen to find out a bit more about him and his life. I would thoroughly recommend the book to anyone, as it's much less a book about motor racing and far more about Damon's life and upbringing.

Il libro mi è arrivato in ritardo, ma a causa delle poste italiane, ci vorrebbe il tracking, il venditore è sempre stato sollecito nelle risposte riguardo l'ordine. Per quanto riguarda il libro, nonostante il mio inglese a livello scolastico l'ho trovato molto interessante. Soltanto Damon Hill, poteva scrivere un libro così avendo vissuto la formula 1 dagli anni 60 tramite il papà Graham formidabile pilota e campione del mondo e aver frequentato campioni del calibro di Jim Clark, Stewart e tanti altri. Un libro per appassionati di corse, andrebbe tradotto in tante lingue.

Excellente biographie qui retrace la vie d’un champion

One of the best F1 biographies written to date. Very open and honest about his struggles with depression; learning more about his father's untimely death and his eldest sons Downs Syndrome, it is not a book about self pity or woe is me. He writes with a clarity equally found in Niki Lauda's books. The nice thing was that he doesn't openly character assassinate as did Mark Webber in his book, but he is respectful of others even if the relationship didn't go well. He comes across and very sensitive and caring which is the antithesis of an F1 driver. I had the chance to briefly meet Damon and his wife many years ago in Montreal when he started with Williams and he was a well mannered, respectful person.

Very engaging to read with a good insight into F1 in the 90s. A few pictures would have been nice.

One of my favourite drivers. Brings back some good f1 memories .. a really amazing insight into the mind of a champion driver. Awesome read!