“People want to build new circuits around the world and they say: ‘We’ll come to Silverstone and have a look how it’s done’, and I tell them to stay away.”

But when it comes to F1 I am a huge Lewis [Hamilton] fan because he is a super promoter of the sport. From a pure business aspect – sorry Nico if I have to say this – you are not so good for my business.

I have a lot of faith in justice systems around the world even though there were cases in the past where that faith wasn’t justified in some countries.

I have 100 percent confidence in the German judicial system.

[When I’ll be old I see myself] as a world champion, on a big farm with an Italian-style, big family with a whole bunch of grandchildren. And the foundations for that I have already laid!

Lewis [Hamilton] is a hero in the UK. The British love Formula One. Sebastian (Vettel) is also not doing much for F1. People hardly recognize him on the street.

Our sport is ruled whether it’s for good and bad, or whatever, for technical things. There’s lots of teams out there that could and should have done better if they’d have had technical things. I suppose in the end that basically revolves around how much money they’re gonna get.

When people want to built new tracks, they want to look at Silverstone. We don’t want it built like that. It’s quite embarrassing.

I’ve never told anybody this, so I don’t know if maybe you shouldn’t print it, but I’ve made plans. I’m only going to continue doing this for another 25 years.

It’s the best thing to happen to a sport, that you have a superstar. In football there is always something to write about the Beckhams, same as people want to write about Rooney or Hooney or whatever his bloody name is.

It’s not as easy as that… it’s disappointing to think that all these countries spend a lot of money trying to get the Olympics.

A wise man who was always helpful to me: Mr (Enzo) Ferrari. He always supported me.

I have always been happy to have daughters rather than sons. You never really can be mad at girls for anything in life.

I simply scraped together all my experience and put it into the sport.

[Donald] Trump, I think, is the sort of guy that if he maybe thought he’d made a little bit of a mistake, would find a way out, he wouldn’t want to say, “Well, that’s what I’ve done and I’m sticking to it, and I don’t give a damn.” Which is what the other people in America would be like.

You have to hope that your opponents are unlucky. Never only rely on your own luck.

When there is more money at stake it affects the atmosphere and things become more businesslike.