F1 Legends

F1 champion reacts to incredibly rare video - 'Where did you get this?!'

Sam Cook Friday 6 February 2026 14:43

Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill, at Williams in 1996

An incredibly rare video from 1996 has gone viral on social media, with 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill reacting to the footage.

Hill claimed his one and only championship with Williams in 1996, defeating team-mate Jacques Villeneuve and then two-time world champion Michael Schumacher to the title.

Despite that title win, Hill would be replaced at Williams at the end of that year by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, and would not have another opportunity to win a world championship in the rest of his career.

Now, footage from the pre-season of 1996 has been shared on social media, showing Hill in a variety of places, hilariously acting while a voiceover talks about the beginning of the year.

Hill can be seen pretending to steer a boat, reading a paper about the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, as well as longingly looking around a number of places, in some pretty terrible acting from the Brit.

The voiceover discusses Hill's form going into the season, while also talking about Villeneuve and Schumacher.

And Hill himself was most impressed by the uncovering of the footage, taking to X to comment: "Haha!! Where did you get this?"

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Hill's 1996 season

Following the heartbreak of his 1994 title defeat to Schumacher by a single point, Hill was by far the best driver in the 1996 season.

Schumacher's new Ferrari team had provided him with an inconsistent car, although the German did still manage to win three races and finish third in the drivers' championship.

But Hill blew away the rest of the competition, including Villeneuve who would become champion in 1997.

Hill won eight races for Williams in 1996, and claimed nine pole positions, as the team dominated the season.

Frank Williams' decision to replace Hill at the end of 1996, despite him being champion, was a surprise one and was made even more shocking by the fact that Frentzen went on to only claim a single victory for Williams in two full seasons.

F1 Michael Schumacher Jacques Villeneuve Damon Hill