“People don’t understand that it was maybe my biggest pleasure to drive an F1 car when it’s wet.”

Do you know, why I really love my helmet that much? Because it makes me 15 centimetres taller!

So I know at the beginning of the race, from all that I have analysed during the practice, whether I will win the race or not.

Sometimes it also helps you to understand the mentality of the people in the team a bit better.

I like the mentality of the Americans. It’s like when you talk about money.

I have always had this mentality because I hated to break anything on the car.

I think maybe the English don’t want to try something and look stupid, because they are a bit reserved.

That is an important part of my success. Another big part of my success is that I hated not to finish a race.

I always work the same way, starting from the beginning of the weekend.

Maybe I am not French, maybe I am from nowhere.

In 1980 I finished three or four times in seventh place.

When I drove for British teams… they called me The Tadpole because I was too small to be a frog.

In 1980 I finished three or four times in seventh place. I pushed like mad, yet everyone was gathered around the winner and they were thinking that I was just trundling around. But that’s motor racing.

One of my biggest problems this season was with the clutch at the start of the race. I hate to risk the car.

When you win a race like this the feeling is very, very good. There have been times when I have been flat-out to finish sixth, but you can’t see that from the outside.

The people who criticise you will not be the ones taking care of your legs when you are in your wheelchair.

It’s always better to speak the language of the team. Not only for the direct contact with everyone.

I’d probably want to teach at university, because children would drive me insane. I suspect it would be English literature, Shakespeare and so forth. I’ve always been deeply, deeply in love with that kind of thing.

Age doesn’t affect driving – how do you like that?

My drive is other people’s success.

The United States is the only country where a driver can have a successful career – either in stock cars or IndyCar – and he won’t need a passport.

Same with golf: pick up a club. But not many can go out and get in a race car and experience a drive at over 200 miles an hour.

This wretched brain gave way, and I became a wreck at random driven, without one glimpse of reason or heaven.

I don’t remember as a kid wanting to do or be anything else but drive something, be a race driver.

I’ve always believed that success for anyone is all about drive, dedication, and desire, but for me, it’s also been about confidence and faith.