F1 champion weighs in on shocking US action in Venezuela

Damon Hill, generic, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 champion weighs in on shocking US action in Venezuela

Damon Hill had a strong take on social media this weekend.

Chris Deeley

Monday 5 January 2026 14:57

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill has weighed in on the US military's recent actions in Venezuela.

The US carried out multiple unexpected air strikes on the South American country, also sending in a team to 'arrest' its president Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are now in New York, being held on charges of weapon and drug offences – including 'possession of machine guns and destructive devices'.

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F1 legend Hill called for Venezuela to be 'given back' to Venezuelan people on social media platform 'X' on Sunday morning, in reply to an Elon Musk post which called the operation 'a win for the world and a clear message to evil dictators everywhere'.

Damon Hill, international diplomat?

"This will only work if you give Venezuela back to the Venezuelan people and do not just help yourself to all the oil and other goodies that rightfully belong to them," Hill wrote.

"Otherwise the USA will have to invade every country on earth to get the leader they want! Cuba next I guess."

US president Donald Trump appears to disagree with the former Williams and Arrows driver, telling a press conference on Saturday that he intends for the US to take control of the country for the time being, promising to 'take a tremendous amount of wealth from the ground' and send US oil companies in.

Despite Trump's bullish claims though, removing Maduro to New York has not resulted in the kind of regime change the US specialises in, with Venezuela's Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, a strong Maduro ally, now the interim president after being sworn in by the nation's Supreme Court.

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