Damon Hill lands new job in F1 just hours after Sky Sports confirmed his replacement in huge broadcasting shake-up
DAMON HILL has landed a new job just hours after Sky Sports F1 announced his replacement.
Hill, 64, had worked as a pundit for Sky Sports on their Formula One coverage since 2012.
But last November it was announced the 1996 F1 world champion was leaving the broadcaster.
Johnny Herbert, who was dropped by the broadcaster in 2022, claimed Hill was pushed after accusing world champion Max Verstappen of “using dangerous tactics” during the Mexico Grand Prix.
Tributes from Hill’s colleagues poured in at the time, before Sky announced earlier this week that three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, 26, would join the broadcaster for 2025.
However, Hill has not wasted any time in landing a new job of his own.
But instead of being in front of the camera, Hill will be working as a radio pundit with BBC Sport.
The Beeb announced Hill would join their radio coverage for the 2025 season starting with this weekend’s season opener at the Australian Grand Prix.
It came alongside an announcement that BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds had secured the exclusive Formula 1 UK radio rights for the next three seasons.
Jennie Gow, who has bravely battled back to the pitlane after suffering a stroke in 2022, and Rosanna Tennant will be on the presenting team.
Meanwhile, Harry Benjamin and Ben Edwards will serve as the commentators.
Hill will also be joined on punditry by Formula E driver Sam Bird, former W Series driver Alice Powell and former McLaren race mechanic Marc Priestley.
On the upcoming season, Gow said: “With Lewis Hamilton moving stables to Ferrari, Max Verstappen going for a fifth consecutive title, and Lando Norris hoping to win his first drivers’ championship, it’s got all the elements to be the best season in history.”
The first practice sessions of the 2025 season got off to a chaotic start as Ollie Bearman crashed out in the first practice session to mark a horror start to the rookie’s season.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton was outshone by Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, while McLaren duo Lando Norris and home-favourite Oscar Piastri looked sharp Down Under.
On the end of his time at Sky Sports, Hill previously said: “I think I felt like the end was coming anyway, because I was kind of pushed back all last year.
Who is Jamie Chadwick?
Jamie Chadwick is one of the world's most decorated female racing drivers.
She has broken barriers and made history at every level of the sport she has taken part in.
Chadwick is a three-time W-Series Champion, MRF Series Champion, the only female racer to ever win an INDY NXT road course and British Formula 3 race and the first ever female and youngest ever driver to win a British GT Championship.
A Williams F1 Racing Academy driver since 2019, she is regarded by many as a strong candidate to become the first ever woman to race in Formula One in the modern era.
She is a figurehead for women in the sport and is hugely passionate about supporting the next generation of girls on their journey into racing and increasing the participation of young girls in karting.
Jamie is currently racing in ELMS and will compete in the Le Mans 24hr this season. She is also continuing her development role for Williams Racing F1.
In 2025 she will drive for IDEC Sport in the 2025 European Le Mans Series.
She recently launched the Jamie Chadwick Series, an initiative encouraging more young girls to enter racing at the grassroots level, aiming to balance the gender gap in participation.
In its first year, the series has reached over 450 girls and seen a dramatic 1900% increase in competitive participation.
“I was doing the less attractive races. And they’ve got younger, fresher names. They’ve got Jenson [Button], they’ve got Nico [Rosberg]. And that’s fair enough – I completely get it.
“They’re closer to the front line than I am. And it’s TV. There’s got to be a bit of eye-candy factor to it.”
On replacing Hill, Chadwick told the Daily Mail: “I hope that anyone who switches on the TV screen and sees female pundits – they see female mechanics, engineers, and drivers hopefully in the future.
“I think now the key is going to be trying to transition that female fan base into actual female participation – actually being involved in the sport across the board.
“And I really don’t think that’s going to take too long, given how quickly we’ve seen the fan base change.
“But it’s fantastic for the sport. You turn up to races now and you see so many different people watching and enjoying our sport.”