Thirty years after clinching the Formula 1 world championship with Williams, Damon Hill is rejoining the team as an official ambassador for the 2026 season. The move comes shortly after Jenson Button departed the role for Aston Martin. Hill will join Jacques Villeneuve and Jamie Chadwick in the ambassadorial lineup.
Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula 1 world champion, has returned to Williams as an official ambassador ahead of the 2026 season, marking the 30th anniversary of his title triumph with the British team. Hill spent significant portions of his eight-year F1 career at Williams, securing 21 of his 22 grand prix victories there, including eight in the championship-winning 1996 campaign. He clinched the drivers' title at the Japanese Grand Prix that year, becoming the first son of a world champion—his father Graham Hill—to win the crown himself.
Hill first joined Williams as a test and reserve driver in 1991, earning promotion to the race team in 1993, where he claimed his maiden victory in Hungary. The following year, he helped secure the constructors' championship but narrowly missed the drivers' title after a controversial collision with Michael Schumacher in Adelaide. After leaving Williams at the end of 1996, Hill raced for Arrows and Jordan before retiring.
In recent years, the 65-year-old has served as a Sky Sports F1 pundit, departing at the end of 2025. Now, he replaces Jenson Button, who announced his departure from Williams in February to take up a similar ambassadorial role at Aston Martin, focusing on media, partner, and commercial activities. Button had held the position at Williams for five seasons since his 2009 world title.
The ambassador team also includes Hill's 1996 teammate and 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve, who joined in 2025, and three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, who started in 2024 and advises Williams' F1 Academy recruit Jade Jacquet.
"Williams is truly a special place for me and where some of the defining moments of my career took place," Hill said. "Returning as an ambassador is a real privilege. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the team’s history and help to support its legacy and future."
Team principal James Vowles welcomed Hill back, stating, "It’s an honour to welcome Damon back to Atlassian Williams F1 Team as an Ambassador. Few individuals represent this team quite like him. Damon played a defining role in one of the most successful eras in our history."
The 2026 season introduces major regulation changes and begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8, where Williams aims to compete in the midfield.
