Back, like he'd never been away

Earlier this year, Nigel Mansell came to Goodwood to mark the 30th anniversary of his Formula 1 championship. Rob Widdows tried to get a word in

It was Our Nige, the second coming; it was Mansell mania all over again. Déjà vu doesn’t do it justice. Back in the summer, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Nigel Mansell strode back into the spotlight, a place that was always very much his comfort zone.

The plan was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his Formula 1 world championship and, oh boy, his adoring fans loved every moment of every day. So did Nigel, complete with a new moustache and back aboard Red 5 for a nostalgic blast up the Goodwood hill.

Pausing every few steps for a selfie, our hero comes before us, for the first of his interview sessions. It’s as if he’s never been away. The excitement is palpable, the enclosure heaving. A great many women of a certain age, clamouring for a selfie, reaching out to shake his hand, kiss his cheek. Spoiler alert: the following samples of our interviews may contain some hyperbole.

“Hello everyone,” he bellows, grabbing my microphone. “I’ve just flown in from Florida; you’ll have to give me a kick to wake me up. This is Rob, who’s interviewing me. How are you doing?” I’m doing fine, I say. Tell us about that Williams in 1992. Such a great car, wasn’t it? “It wasn’t too bad. We didn’t have power steering in those days, and what that meant, ladies and gentlemen, was if you didn’t have the physicality to hold on to that small steering wheel, it would put you straight in the wall.”