DAMON HILL dramatically increased his chances of winning his first world championship after an exciting victory in the German Grand Prix in Hochenheim yesterday.
Benetton driver Gerhart Berger had led the race from the start until the third last lap when his engine blew, handing the 35-year-old Hill his seventh win of the season.
Jean Alesi finished second and Jacques Villeneuve third, just ahead of local hero Michael Schumacher. Rubens Barrichello claimed a single championship point for Jordan, one which could have gone to Eddie Irvine had his Ferrari not suffered a blown engine after half distance.
Yesterday's win stretches Hill's lead in the championship to 21 points over his Rothmans Williams Renault team mate. With five races remaining and 50 points up for grabs, he can now clinch his longed-for first world drivers' championship as early as two races time at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. He would need to win there and in Hungary in a fortnight with Villeneuve collecting less than It points from the two races.
Hill was delighted with his win: "I'm very pleased to have won. I've had my share of bad luck here. I was leading by 30 seconds in 1993 when I had a puncture on the last lap. It is a great shame for Gerhart and it would have been an exciting few laps but these things happen in motor racing," he said.
Hill had driven hard to get onto Berger's tail after a late second stop for fuel. The closing laps of the race were a gripping duel as the tough veteran Berger used every trick in the book and a few more to keep the charging Hill behind. Once or twice Hill slipstreamed alongside but Berger blocked his every move. Wheel to wheel they battled at over 200 mph.
The Austrian was desperate to give his team their first win of the season, but as the pair accelerated out of Ost curve just 10 miles from the flag, Berger's Benetton bellowed out a massive cloud of white smoke as the engine cried enough.
Hill swept by: "I heard a funny noise from Gerhart's engine. In fact I wasn't sure whether it was his or mine - and then it blew."
Local fans had something to cheer about with Michael Schumacher's Ferrari lasting to the finish, even though yesterday's result makes it crystal clear that he will lose his World Championship title - having just 29 points to Hill's 73.
Schumacher finished fourth, while Eddie Irvine also looked in line for a points finish until the engine blew on the 35th lap. The engine had been blowing out oil from early in the race.
"It was a hard race from the beginning," said Barrichello. "The tyres were wearing fast and the brakes fading a lot. I went off the track three times. It wasn't a good race performance - we were pretty slow compared to the others," said the 23-year-old Brazilian.
