Torquing Points: Tracks and throwbacks with Damon and Jacques

From favourite circuits to what might have been, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve revisit the highs, the lows and a few unexpected musical ambitions

Published

16 APR 2026

Est. reading time

4 min

In a special edition of Team Torque, we brought together the duo that made our title-winning 1996 season possible.

Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve sat down to relive their time behind the wheel, and everything that came with it.

From circuits that brought out their very best to races they’d love another shot at, the conversation was packed with stories only a World Championship-winning line-up could tell.

Highs, lows and everything in between

Every driver has those tracks, the ones where everything clicks, and the ones where nothing quite does. For Jacques, Melbourne always fell firmly into the first category.

“Melbourne was definitely one,” he explained. “For some reason, and you’ve had those tracks,I was always quick there. Even in an awful car, first race of the season, somehow it was a track where I would be quicker than my teammate by a lot. Something happened, it was natural.”

On the flip side, not every circuit treated him so kindly. “Then you would have Magny-Cours where even in the best car, I would be at the back, I just couldn’t get it working.”

But when it came to pure driving pleasure, a couple of classics stood out above the rest. “For fun… Suzuka and Spa,” Jacques said. “Those are the tracks where, when you get your car in the window, super precise, you’d be on a different planet. You could get in that zone and it just made you feel special.”

Jacques and Damon on the 1996 Australian GP podium

Damon was quick to agree, though his relationship with Suzuka took a little time to develop.

“Yeah, you got a massive gain if you got it right,” he said. “I didn’t like Suzuka when I first came here, I was scared. I thought it was quite intimidating. I remember thinking, ‘oh my God, what am I doing being a Formula 1 driver?!’ But once you learn it, you get to love it.”

When the conversation turned to tougher tracks, Damon admitted it wasn’t always about difficulty – sometimes it was about excitement.

“I hated the boring ones,” he said. “The ones where there was nothing to get your teeth into.”

Still, there were exceptions. “Some people don’t like Hungary, but I liked it because it was like a big go-kart track. The car could slide around, and I went well there.”

Others, though, didn’t quite hit the mark. “Barcelona wasn’t one of the great tracks for me, because of the constant radius corners,” Damon added, prompting Jacques to chime in: “And we spent too much time testing there as well, so it became boring!”

Looking back further, both shared a soft spot for Estoril – albeit with a reminder of its bite.

“I used to like Estoril,” Damon said.

“I liked Estoril,” Jacques agreed, before adding with a grin: “You said Suzuka was dangerous? Estoril was… pfft… was nasty.”

“I had a big one there!” Damon replied.

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One more shot

Given the chance to relive a race without the pressure of a title on the line, both drivers knew exactly where they’d go.

“For me…” Damon smiled, “if you’re asking that question, I’d have to say Adelaide ’94, and probably wait until Michael parked his car before trying to overtake him!”

Jacques laughed, before offering his own answer – and a moment that could have shifted the course of an entire season 30 years ago.

“Melbourne ’96,” he said. “I would have taken the risk with the engine. Because winning that race over you would have made quite a big difference for the rest of the season.”

From pit lane to playlist?

One fan question took things in a slightly different direction, away from race tracks to musical tracks.

Reading it aloud, Damon couldn’t help but laugh: “‘Both of you guys are professional musicians…’ I would say that’s stretching it a bit!”

Still, the idea of a Williams supergroup wasn’t entirely dismissed. “‘Jacques you have Private Paradise, and Damon has played in The Conrods and Def Leppard – are we getting a Williams album?’

“That’s an idea, isn’t it! We could write some music together… although, for the sake of humanity, we perhaps shouldn’t!”

Jacques wasn’t convinced the duo alone would be enough. “It would take more than just the two of us,” he said, before turning his attention to the current grid. “Do the current drivers play anything?”

Damon pointed to one notable talent. “Charles [Leclerc] plays piano.”

“Yeah,” Jacques replied, “but that sounds very classical, I’m not sure it will go with the heavy guitar.”

As for whether a Williams album is actually on the cards?

“I don’t think we’ll be doing any music,” Damon admitted, before adding with a smile: “But what have we got to lose?”

Catch the full episode now to hear more incredible stories from Damon and Jacques.

Catch up with Team Torque:

Ep. 3 - 1996 Special with Damon and Jacques

Team Torque, presented by Atlassian, is back with a very special episode! Catch up with Damon and Jacques as they reunite in Suzuka...