F1 champion shocked as footage emerges of near crash with a dog

Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill, at Williams in 1996 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Social

F1 champion shocked as footage emerges of near crash with a dog

A forgotten memory for a F1 champion has resurfaced

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 16 August 2025 22:56

Most F1 drivers would remember coming into contact with an animal out on the racetrack, with groundhogs and lizards all featuring over the years.

However, for world champion Damon Hill, a near miss with a dog at the 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix completely escaped his memory - which in the context of the era is completely fair!

For one, there were no social media accounts to diligently clip up the animal encounter, and instead, it was a moment that would have been limited to a giggle from the viewers at home.

Article continues under video

Now however, we have the power of the internet and social media, where any clip or memory can be retrieved. This time we have Hill’s former colleague on the grid to thank for a nugget of F1 history, after Heinz-Harald Frentzen shared a video of the champion's near miss with a dog.

The former F1 driver posted a clip of Hill’s encounter with the Hungarian hound on social media, tagging the champion in it and writing: “Damon Hill nearly hit a dog at the Hungarian GP 1994. Do you remember?”

In the video, Hill was seen driving around the Hungaroring in the wet, when an imposing black hound trotted onto the main straight and into the path of the British driver.

Thankfully, before Hill reached the animal at full-speed, the dog was led away by an observant marshal and a yellow flag was waved.

Clearly astounded by the clip that had escaped his memory, Hill shared the video and wrote: “Blow me down with a feather! I have no recollection of that!”

Hill and the 1994 F1 championship

1994 was a significant year for Hill in F1, where he found himself as Williams’ lead driver following the tragic death of team-mate Ayrton Senna at Imola.

As the season progressed, Hill was embroiled in a fierce title battle with Michael Schumacher, aided by a series of mistakes from the then Benetton star.

Hill managed to close the gap in the championship after Schumacher was given a two-race suspension and lost his race victory at the Belgian GP, with the fight for their first world title going down to the wire in Adelaide, one point separating the two drivers.

However, their title fight ended under controversial circumstances when Schumacher hit the wall, with Hill trying to pass his damaged Benetton only for the German to turn in on the Williams.

Both drivers retired from the race, but Schumacher held the point advantage and was crowned champion for the first time in 1994.

Needless to say, with the hunt for a first world title and his tense rivalry with Schumacher, Hill can be forgiven for forgetting a near encounter with the Hungarian hound.

F1 HEADLINES: Christian Horner 'set' for Sergio Perez reunion as shock team told to sign axed star