“I don't think that will happen,” he urged, when asked about the possibility of there being no British Grand Prix on the sport's calendar in the near future. “I think you can see that motorsport has grown here; we've got so many teams in Britain, there are so many fans and so much support. The people in this country love motorsport, and I'm sure they won't go a year without a grand prix. I feel confident that won't happen.

“Since being in F1 I've been fortunate enough to meet Bill Clinton – which was pretty unreal, and a really very honoured moment for me – and also Mr Nelson Mandela. There are lots of great things about it. Driving the car is obviously one of the top things, but there are lots of perks which come with the job too.

“I have great experiences where I have to do sponsors' events; I get to meet lots of new people in all different countries, get to learn a little bit of the lingo in each country I go to and experience the culture.

“The events we get to do are always exciting and new challenges, like filming for commercials, learning to speak in front of thousands of people, meeting lots of little kids and putting smiles on their faces and just making people happy.

“I think people can see me and they can understand me. I think in terms of inspiring kids to do well in racing, they can see me as a racing driver, they know what I do and they know my dedication. If they watch closely, they can see why I do what I do so well.

“That's not just me doing it in the car; it's the people around me and the circle that I'm in, the way I deal with myself and handle people around me. I hope I inspire them to do well.”