Patrick Faure, Renault Sport boss, said he was sorry to see Damon Hill leave after Sunday's race.

He commented: "It's no secret we would have preferred Damon to continue with Williams-Renault for our final year in Formula One. The people at Renault have a great deal of affection for him. If I had to say one thing to him prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, I would say: "I am sorry you are leaving us. Good luck in the race.""

Rothmans, the main sponsor of Williams, have also said that they didn't like that Hill is leaving, they wanted the number one, like Renault, this was of course sure if Hill would stay. There are also some rumours that Rothmans may not continue their sponsorship after their contract has ended because of this.