.jpg) A Hill GH1 in 2017 | |||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Lola/Hill | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Andy Smallman | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Lola T370 | ||||||||
| Successor | Hill GH2 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications[1][2] | |||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminiummonocoque, with engine as a fully stressed member. | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbones, coil springs over dampers, anti-roll bar | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Single top links, twin lower links, twin trailing arms, coil springs over dampers, anti-roll bar | ||||||||
| Axle track | 1,626 millimetres (64.0 in) (Front) 1,600 millimetres (63 in) (Rear) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 2.573 millimetres (0.1013 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | FordCosworth DFV 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in) 90°V8,naturally aspirated,mid-mounted. | ||||||||
| Transmission | Hewland TL 200 5-speedmanual | ||||||||
| Power | 485 brake horsepower (362 kW) @ 10,600 rpm 363 newton-metres (268 lbf⋅ft) @ 7,000 rpm | ||||||||
| Weight | 603 kg (1,329 lb) | ||||||||
| Fuel | Esso | ||||||||
| Lubricants | Esso | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Embassy RacingWith Graham Hill | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |  Rolf Stommelen Graham HillTony Brise Alan Jones | ||||||||
| Debut | 1975 South African Grand Prix (as Lola T371) | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. | |||||||||
TheHill GH1 was aFormula One car used byEmbassy Hill during the1975 Formula One season. It was designed byAndy Smallman.[3] The car was initially designated as theLola T371,[4] but when Smallman leftLola to work full-time for Embassy Hill it was renamed as the Hill GH1.[5] GH1 cars participated in 12 World Championship Grands Prix in 1975, with 21 entries in total using six different drivers. Two points finishes yielded 11th place in theWorld Constructors' Championship, with three points.
The car was not ready for a Formula One appearance until the third race of the season, theSouth African Grand Prix, whenRolf Stommelen finished seventh on the car's debut.[6] At theSpanish Grand Prix,Graham Hill did not drive soFrançois Migault took the second car alongside Stommelen. Stommelen led the race until the rear wing on his car broke, sending him into the barrier, ironically at the point that theEmbassy Hill mechanics had worked on it. He bounced off it and back into the road, hitting the barrier across the way, and flying over it. Five spectators were killed by Stommelen's car with the driver suffering a broken leg, a broken wrist and two cracked ribs. Migault finished 10th of those still running when the race was stopped but was 11 laps behind,[7] and was officially not classified.
As a result of the accident, the grid was staggered and in addition, would be restricted to just 18 cars for the subsequentMonaco Grand Prix.[8] This last change affected Graham Hill's chance to qualify, the five-time Monaco winner had practice problems and failed to qualify by 0.377 seconds.Tony Brise replaced Hill, and Migault returned to replace Stommelen, for theBelgian Grand Prix. Brise, on his debut, gained a fourth-row start but spun at the chicane and retired shortly afterwards (lap 18) with piston failure. Migault retired with Suspension failure on lap 58.[9]
Vern Schuppan drove the second Hill alongside Brise for theSwedish Grand Prix. Brise was showing little respect for his elders, overtakingMark Donohue andRonnie Peterson and challenging championship leaderEmerson Fittipaldi. Then his gearbox jammed in fourth and he was re-passed by Donohue, but in his third Grand Prix, gained his first World Championship point and Graham Hill's first as a constructor. It would prove the only point of Brise's F1 career. Schuppan Retired with Transmission failure on lap 48.[10]
Alan Jones drove the second Hill alongside Brise for four races. The first was theDutch Grand Prix when Brise finished seventh and Jones 13th.[11] At theFrench Grand Prix, Brise finished seventh and Jones 16th.[12] Prior to theBritish Grand Prix Graham Hill announced his retirement as a driver after 17 seasons and 176 races to concentrate on running the Embassy Hill team. Jones finished 10th and Brise 15th despite him,Wilson Fittipaldi (Fittipaldi),Dave Morgan (Surtees),John Nicholson, (Lyncar),Brian Henton, (Lotus),Carlos Pace (Brabham),Jody Scheckter (Tyrrell) andJames Hunt (Hesketh) going off at Club Corner and the race beingred flagged.[13] TheGerman Grand Prix saw the Hill team's best result with Jones 5th but Brise retired through accident.[14] Stommelen returned for the rain-shortenedAustrian Grand Prix where he finished 16th and Brise 15th.[15] At theItalian Grand Prix Brise pleased theEmbassy Hill team by gaining a third-row spot. but both he and Stommelen retired with accidents.[16] TheUnited States Grand Prix was the final race for Brise and the Embassy Hill team, which only entered Brise who retired through accident on lap five.[17]
On the evening of 29 November 1975, Hill was piloting aPiper Aztec light aircraft from France to London. His passengers were team manager Ray Brimble, driverTony Brise, designer Andy Smallman and mechanics Terry Richards and Tony Alcock. They were returning fromPaul Ricard where they had been testing theHill GH2 being prepared for 1976. They were due to land atElstree Airfield before onward travel to London to attend a party. Shortly before 10pm, the plane hit trees beside a golf course atArkley in thick fog. In the ensuing crash and explosion, everyone on board was killed.[18][19] As Embassy Hill now only consisted of the deputy team manager and two mechanics, it was impossible to continue, and so the team closed down.[20][21]
(key)
| Year | Entrants | Engines | Drivers | Tyres | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Embassy RacingWith Graham Hill | FordCosworth DFV 3.0V8 | G | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | USA | 3 | 11th | |
| Rolf Stommelen | 7 | Ret | 16 | Ret | ||||||||||||||||
| François Migault | NC | Ret | ||||||||||||||||||
| Graham Hill | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tony Brise | Ret | 6 | 7 | 7 | 15 | Ret | 15 | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||
| Vern Schuppan | Ret | |||||||||||||||||||
| Alan Jones | 13 | 16 | 10 | 5 |
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Driver | Tyres | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Embassy Racing With Graham Hill | FordCosworth DFV | G | ROC | INT | SUI | |
| Rolf Stommelen | 9 | 12 | |||||
| Graham Hill | 11 |
| Founder | |
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| Noted personnel | |
| Notable drivers | |
| Formula One cars | |
| Events | |
