Watching the Wheels

2016 marks the twentieth anniversary of Damon Hill's crowning as Formula 1 World Champion. For the first time, he tells the story of his journey through the last golden era of the sport, where he competed against legends like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, ultimately triumphing as World Champion in 1996 while stepping out of the shadow of his legendary father, Graham Hill. Off the track, "Watching the Wheels: The Autobiography" is an astonishingly candid account of what it was like to grow up as the son of one of the country's most famous racing drivers. It also narrates the unwavering story of dealing with the grief and chaos that followed the tragic early death of his father in a plane crash in 1975, when Damon was just 15 years old. Formula 1 drivers have always been aware of their mortality, and the thrill that comes with the danger of racing was as intoxicating for Hill as it was for his father's generation, until he was confronted with tragedy in 1994 when his teammate Ayrton Senna died. The swirling emotions Hill faced in the wake of Senna's death were a defining moment for his generation of drivers, and for the first time, Hill openly discusses the impact Senna had on his life, even as he watched his own son enter motorsport. Bravely honest and profoundly enriching, "Watching the Wheels" is a return to the last golden era of Formula 1 racing, whose image continues to burn passionately for those who love the sport, revealing what it says about human capability in the face of almost certain death.