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via Getty

via Getty

The year 1994 witnessed one of the biggest rivalries unfold between two incredible F1 drivers, Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill. The latter, after a hard-fought battle, lost the title to Schumacher at the very last race of the season in Adelaide.

Hill was in the pursuit of his first F1 title, which was ultimately sabotaged by the eventual seven-time world champion after coming together in the title-decider. Controversy engulfed the paddock, questioning Schumacher’s motive, but the stewards found no proof that the German’s actions were deliberate.

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Hence, the Benetton driver managed to keep his championship title, while Hill missed out on the same by just a single point.

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Now, 27 years later since the strife around the title fight, Hill managed to come across an interview starring himself and his then championship rival on social media. The interview took place on the very same circuit in Adelaide, exactly a year after the controversial 1994 title decider.

And unsurprisingly, the then-Williams driver further reacted to the interview, acknowledging the discomfort between the duo. He said, “Jesus. That makes me squirm even after all these years🥴 #f1,” he wrote on Twitter.

What really happened during the race between Hill and Michael Schumacher?

Ever since F1 flagged off the 1994 season, there was intense battling between Hill and Schumacher throughout the season. And as expected, the title fight boiled down to the final race in Adelaide.

Interestingly, neither of them secured pole position, as it was instead Nigel Mansell. However, the duo was just behind the poleman, in P2 and P3. Eventually, as the lights went out, a poor start from Mansell promoted Schumacher and Hill to P1 and P2, respectively.

And, considering the dominant on-track pace, both the drivers pulled away quite significantly from the rest of the pack, and the focus was entirely on the two; then arrived the incident on lap 35.

A poor exit out of turn 5 from Schumacher offered Hill a window of opportunity, as the duo raced side-by-side, going into turn 6. However, an aggressive Schumacher closed the door on Hill, which consequently led to a collision that left his Benetton flying in the air before slamming into the barriers.

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Although Hill managed to keep his car going, the damage was significant. Hence, the Briton retired soon after pitting.

Hence, with both the drivers retiring, the point difference remained uninterrupted, and Schumacher secured the title by one point. Many expected Williams to protest against the stewards’ decision, but with Ayrton Senna’s death in the backdrop, the team decided not to create a fuss and gave up.

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And there are some resemblances showing up between the feisty Hill-Schumacher rivalry to the ongoing Hamilton-Verstappen rivalry. So, will the refreshing battle for the 2021 title lead to such highly intense controversies?

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