Damon Hill

Damon: You have to say there's no doubt there does sometimes seem to be one rule for Ferrari and another for everyone else. Ferrari are very important to the sport.

Damon: (suggesting David Coulthard might not have worked hard enough in F1) Sometimes you need to put a rocket up his backside. I say to him sometimes, 'Come on, you've got to do it. You've got to pull something out'.

Damon: I think there's a balance that has to be struck between the business of motorsport and the reason the sport exists. It exists up to a certain plateau for the people who want to participate in it, but there's also the entertainment factor. A good driver loves to entertain and go out there in front of big crowds. In Formula One now, you see the trend of restraining drivers' personalities in favour of the corporate sponsors they are representing," he continued. "When I watched Formula One as a kid, I didn't care what the sticker on the side of the car said. I simply wanted to support my favourite driver. It's very easy to forget that everything is paid for by the 350 million people who turn on the TV, and if they are not turning on then there's a problem.

Damon: (forecasting the 2007 F1 season without Michael Schumacher) For a long time he dominated the sport to such a degree there was less interest unless you were a completely devoted Michael Schumacher and Ferrari fan. Formula One now will have a fresh start, with a lot of young guys keen to make their name at the top. There's going to be a land grab, which should make for some good racing, with everybody trying to occupy the space that's been left by Michael leaving.

Damon: You learn by experience, and overcoming setbacks make you stronger and means you are prepared for any eventuality. Now I am who I am, slightly batty in some ways, but in other ways fairly level-headed.

Damon: The sport would not survive today if drivers were being killed at the rate they were in the 1960s and '70s. It would have been taken off the air. It is beamed into people's living rooms on Sunday afternoons, with children watching.

Damon: I don't see myself as an international megastar. I still put the rubbish out late at night-sometimes in only my underpants. Mind you, nowadays I have a good look around to make sure there is no one there. I just think this whole star thing is a gas and I think the neighbours think it's pretty funny as well. We've got some great neighbours.

Damon: If I am pushed I will push back, that is the way I am. I am very British. We don't like to be pushed around. When the chips are down we might have to step into grey areas.

Damon: I think at times I appear to be miserable when I am not... I might be having quite a good thought at that moment, but it seems I look miserable. I am not.

Damon: Winning is everything. The only ones who remember you when you come second are your wife and your dog.