Phil Hill at the wheel
American Phil Hill became the first American to win the Formula One driving championship in 1961,
Phil Hill
American race-car driver
Also known as: Philip Toll Hill, Jr.
Phil Hill (born April 20, 1927, Miami, Fla., U.S.ādied Aug. 28, 2008, Monterey, Calif.) was the first American-born race-car driver to win (1961) the Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix world championship of drivers. Hill began in racing as a mechanic for midget-car racing in the Santa Monica, Calif., area, where he grew up. In 1949 he won his first sports car competition, and in 1956 he became an F1 driver for Ferrari. He was a...