Contrary to many other sports, in the middle of the summer break before the resumption of their respective activities, the day of Mid-August it often coincided with the date of a Grand Prix valid for the Formula 1 world championship. In the six total races held on Sunday 15 August, the majority of these reserved historic and memorable results: from the title won by Jackie Stewart in 1971 to the constructors’ title of the Ferrari in 2004, passing through the first career successes achieved by three drivers. In 1976, for example, this milestone was reached by John Watson, followed by the spectacular one of the late Elio De Angelis in 1982.
Eleven years after the triumph of the Roman driver, the appointment with the highest step of the podium saw engaged a son of art like Damon Hillwhich celebrated the festivity of Ferragosto in the best possible way 1993 first passing under the checkered flag on the occasion of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Twenty-nine years ago exactly, the Englishman made his dream come true at the wheel of the Williams on the Hungaroring circuit, at a time when the Grove team was absolutely recognized as the team to beat.
In reality, on the eve of the eleventh GP of the season, out of the 16 total in the 1993 calendar, the only one capable of putting Williams in difficulty, despite the technical gap, answered the name of Ayrton Sennathe latest chapter of his legendary rivalry with Alain Prost. The Frenchman, after the sabbatical year taken in 1992, returned to the Circus in 1993 to replace the reigning champion Nigel Mansell, in the meantime retired from Formula 1. ‘Professor’also in his last season, he was able to stand up to the Brazilian of McLaren, in turn threatened by the second Williams of Hill, son of Graham and in his second year in the Circus after his debut with Brabham.
After three podiums and a pole position, the Briton turned up in Hungary, getting the second best time in qualifying right behind Prost, thus signing a front row all Williams. On the contrary, Senna did not go beyond the 4th place, preceded by another future champion like Michael Schumacher, at the time in Benetton. However, even before the start, fate immediately began to smile at Hill: already in the reconnaissance lap, Prost encountered technical problems, remaining stationary on the grid and thus retreating to the bottom of the group by regulation. When the red light went out, Schumacher completely missed the braking in an attempt to overtake Hill, giving Senna second position and slipping into fifth.
For the German, however, it was the beginning of a nightmare race: on lap 4, he spun, losing another five positions, only to retire later due to a technical failure. In all this, even Senna was forced to leave the scene due to trouble at the accelerator, with Prost now far from any chance of victory for a pit stop made mandatory by damage to the front wing. On the contrary, Hill had no problem managing the huge advantage over his rivals, starting with the second Benetton’s Riccardo Patrese and from the Ferrari of Gerhard Berger. The Austrian, after overtaking Derek Warwick, left the Englishman in full battle for 4th place with a surprising Pierluigi Martini, at the wheel of the Minardi. However, the Italian driver also had to give up all hope of finishing at the foot of the podium for another spin, while the top 3 remained unchanged until the checkered flag.
In this way, Hill got his first victory in Formula 124 years after his father’s last success in 1969. At the same time, the result of the Hungarian Grand Prix was also emblematic for Patrese, at his 37th and last podium in the Circus. While the Paduan will then retire at the end of the season – signing the then record of the highest number of GP disputed, 258 – Hill will reach the highest point of his career in 1996, with the conquest of his first and only world title, equaling here too the two world championships won by his father.
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