“It was quite an emotional rollercoaster ride actually writing the book, to be honest. I had to go back through all the feelings of when I was like Tom Ingram [BRDC Stars of Tomorrow karting star], struggling for every penny, when nobody wanted me. To then win world titles off the back of that is very special.

“[Brands Hatch is] going to be superb. I love racing at Brands, and we only have one race a year in Britain, so there's normally a great crowd and it's going to be a lot of fun driving the F1 car. I'm going to really look forward to that.”

Asked as to whether he will be flat-out in the F1 car, meanwhile, his eyes light up and his response is immediate: “Oh God, yeah, of course! You don't get many chances, do you, so you've really got to go for it…”

by Russell Atkins

To read the interview in full, click here