As Formula One returns to the United States for this weekend’s race to a growing American fanbase, it’s worth looking back at one of the country best drivers — who has rarely gotten his due.

Before the Netflix docuseries era, before the boom in fan culture, there was Phil Hill — the first and only American-born driver to capture the Formula One World Championship, and perhaps the sport’s most underrated athlete.

Ask most fans to name an American Formula One world champion and—if they can name one at all—almost all will say Mario Andretti. It’s understandable: Andretti is one of the greatest all-around drivers in motorsports history, with victories in Formula One, IndyCar, sports cars and more. But he was born in Italy, didn’t arrive in the United States until he was 15, and didn’t become a U.S. citizen until he was 25.

Hill’s résumé is remarkable. Excluding the Indianapolis 500—which counted as a world championship round in the 1950s—Hill was the first American-born driver to win both a Formula One race and the championship. He was also the last driver to win the title in a front-engine car, long after such designs were considered obsolete.

His sports-car accomplishments may be even more impressive. Hill became the first driver to complete endurance racing’s so-called triple crown, winning major events at Sebring, Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He won both Sebring and Le Mans three times each, becoming the first to do so, and added two victories in the Nürburgring 1,000 kilometers.

Hill spent eight seasons as a factory Ferrari driver during one of the most dangerous periods in racing history. In that time, eight fellow Ferrari drivers—Alberto Ascari, Peter Collins, Eugenio Castellotti, Mike Hawthorn, Ricardo Rodríguez, Luigi Musso, Alfonso de Portago and Wolfgang von Trips—were killed in accidents, most on track.

To modern observers, it’s astonishing Hill continued racing at all. But the tragedy that defined his era also shaped his legacy—especially the circumstances surrounding his 1961 world championship.

The 1961 Italian Grand Prix remains one of the darkest days in Formula One history. It was the second-to-last round of the season, and only two drivers remained in championship contention: Hill and his popular German teammate, Wolfgang “Taffy” von Trips. Von Trips led with 33 points to Hill’s 29 and had two wins that season to Hill’s one.

Ferrari dominated the year and locked out five of the first six grid spots at Monza. Von Trips started from the pole; Hill from fourth. But Hill surged into the lead by the end of the first lap, unaware of the disaster behind him.

At nearly 160 mph, von Trips moved left without realizing Jim Clark’s Lotus was alongside. The cars touched. Clark spun to a stop, unhurt, but von Trips’ Ferrari climbed an embankment, tore through a fragile wire fence and plunged into the crowd. Von Trips and 15 spectators were killed.

Amazingly, the race was not stopped. Hill went on to win the Grand Prix and clinch the world championship.
Hill later called his title “blighted.” Some claimed he had inherited the championship—an unfair and deeply insensitive criticism given the circumstances. Hill, introspective and thoughtful, carried the weight of that day for the rest of his life.

Monza would be Hill’s final Formula One victory. His relationship with Ferrari deteriorated, and he left the team at the end of 1962. Although he continued racing with other constructors until 1964, he never again reached the Formula One podium.
Hill returned briefly at the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix, driving an otherwise ineligible McLaren fitted with a camera to capture footage for the film “Grand Prix.” A sudden downpour wiped out much of the field on the opening lap, but Hill navigated the chaos and returned safely.

He continued in sports cars sporadically, driving both Ford’s GT40 during its peak and the innovative but fragile Chaparral prototypes. His last major victory came at Brands Hatch in 1967, where he and Mike Spence won in a Chaparral, finishing ahead of future three-time Formula One champion Jackie Stewart.

Hill retired soon after—having won both the first and last races of his career and having survived a period in motorsports when few drivers did.

After retiring from competition, Hill built a successful classic-car restoration business, worked as a commentator and motoring journalist, and served as a respected judge at leading concours events such as Pebble Beach. He died in 2008 at age 81 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Would he have been champion had von Trips survived? The question is unanswerable—and ultimately irrelevant. As fans often note, “F1 spelled backward is ‘if.’” The sport is built on split-second fortune and moments no one can predict.

What is certain is this: Phil Hill won his world championship fairly, drove with skill and sensitivity, and deserves to be remembered far more than he is today.