Damon Hill reveals new TV job after Sky Sports exit

Damon Hill has opened up on his departure from Sky Sports’ Formula 1 coverage.

The 1996 F1 champion was a television pundit for the official broadcaster in the UK for 13 years.

But he has left his role ahead of the 2025 season.

Hill was scrutinised for his criticism of Max Verstappen’s aggressive driving, as the Red Bull driver battled McLaren’s Lando Norris last year.

Hill has since claimed Verstappen would “cry like a baby” if he was on the receiving end of similar tactics.

But he believes his critical words about Verstappen, and Red Bull’s reaction to it, had nothing to do with his Sky Sports exit.

“I would like to think not. I hope not,” Hill told The Telegraph.

“I think I felt like the end was coming anyway, because I was kind of pushed back all last year. 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.”

He laughed: “And it’s TV. There’s got to be a bit of eye-candy factor to it.”

Hill insists Sky Sports are “brilliant at what they do”, and he called Martin Brundle “an absolute genius”.

What’s next for Damon Hill?

“I need to work,” the former F1 driver, now 64, insisted.

But he doesn’t know where.

“I don’t know. I’ve got some offers,” he revealed.

“So I’m doing Network 10 [the Australian TV channel] at the season opener in Melbourne.

“ But I don’t really want to traipse around the world just standing around in the paddock. It’s got to be something that uses your bonce, you know?

“I can’t just stand there and wait for a question to be asked. It doesn’t do it for me.

“I always felt like I had a kind of ill-fitting suit on when I was with Sky.

“I didn’t feel I got to a place where I could express everything I wanted to, like I’m doing in this interview now, because there isn’t the time.

“I mean, they’re brilliant at it. But there are much better people than me at it. I only did it as a temporary job and I ended up doing it for 12-13, years!”

Damon Hill opens door to F1 teams

Hill would want to work in a role with a Formula 1 team.

“I would love that,” he said.

“I’m a natural competitor and I’d love to be involved again in trying to help someone or something be competitive.

“That’s what I understand really.”

Hill represented Brabham, Williams, Arrows and Jordan during his F1 career.

His glory days were at Williams when he won the drivers’ championship in 1996.

Williams seem to be on an upwards curve this year, having paired ex-Ferrari grand prix winner Carlos Sainz with the highly-rated Alex Albon.