It seems to me a lot of drivers have lost their personalities or are not able to express themselves. However, it's a very commercial market, and manufacturers have a far bigger say than ever before.
— Nigel Mansell
Motor racing is 99 per cent downs and one per cent ups. It's a huge challenge, as there are so many things that can go wrong.
Ayrton was our toughest rival. He would leave no stone unturned to get the utmost out of his car and his team.
As you get older, you do reflect more. They were great times, but the biggest thing we all had to deal with a lot more disappointment from an engineering point of view, there was not the reliability that there is now.
The Masters is going to be an awesome challenge.
Every GP Masters race will stand out because we will be available for fans, media and sponsors.
Fitness will be a major factor in the first race and I think that will play into the hands of drivers who have been racing recently, rather than people like me who haven't raced properly for a decade. I'am not one of the favourites to start with.
I've been in motorsport my whole life since I was eight years of age.
The format of the race weekend is also very well thought out. We have enough practice time to get the cars well set-up and have a proper qualifying session where we can do as many laps as we like, which is great for the drivers and spectators.
We didn't have any simulators. We had to do it on the track all the time. Now they've got simulators for everything. And, if they have an accident or go off, then you just press a button, re-set, and away you go again.
If something makes someone happy, then that's what they should do.
I was a driver and a racer. The difference between drivers, who can be great World Champions, and racers, who are also World Champions, is that racers don't wait for things to happen: they make things happen.
Ayrton and I shared a lot of incredible races, where he was first and I was second and vice-versa. I think it's fair to say I am the only racer in Grand Prix history who wasn't intimidated by him, and I think that was great for the fans - it did make us have a few close calls, though!
Racing a thoroughbred grand prix car in front of a home crowd will be a surreal and mighty experience.
Everything in Formula 1 has been sterilised now, the whole thing is controlled too much.
I consider myself one of a very small handful of drivers in the world that are top drivers. The best one? I don't think anybody can say they're the best one because, from one week to the next, you can be on form or off form a little bit.
I've tried everything other than jumping out of a plane, but nothing gives you an adrenaline rush like racing a car.
In our day, the driver probably had more input into the car. We didn't have power steering or fully automated gearboxes. We didn't have all the technical whizzes that are on the car now, so we actually controlled the car far more than the drivers today.
Young people are so positive and have an answer for everything.
When I was teammates with Piquet and Prost, they were prolific in what they would get up to undermine you.
The preparation, commitment and desire to win will be no less than the last time I drove a grand prix car in anger.
Alain will do everything in his power to win, he doesn't like getting beaten by anyone and least of all me.
Firstly the cars aren't too complicated. They have no traction control, for example, which means you can spin if you try too hard and damage your tires if you're not careful with your driving style.
I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed of roses, and you have to work real hard at it.
The first race is really just something that we will all need to get through. Until people see the cars in action I don't think they will understand how quick they will be, which means they are going to be tiring to drive.
