Nigel Mansell is one of the most successful British drivers in F1 history, having amassed 31 race wins, 59 podium finishes and a coveted world title across some 15 years in the sport, while representing the iconic Lotus, Williams, Ferrari and McLaren squads.<\/p>\n
Adored by the home crowd at Silverstone year in, year out, Mansell<\/a> joined F1.com at the famous venue earlier this week for a wide-ranging chat about F1 2026, covering off Mercedes<\/a>\u2019 intra-team battle, Lewis Hamilton<\/a>\u2019s Ferrari<\/a> breakthrough, and much more ahead of this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n Mansell\u2019s return to Silverstone<\/p>\n Mansell has made the journey from his home in the United States not only to enjoy the latest edition of the British Grand Prix, but also to be personally involved in an upcoming motorsport auction<\/a> \u2013 arranged by BUDDS \u2013 featuring various items from his time in F1.<\/p>\n Included are a signed Mansell race helmet from the 1987 season, when he first triumphed at Silverstone, used race suits and gloves, old karting trophies and even personalised Williams<\/a> golf clubs, along with a host of other F1-related lots.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a really good feeling that my memorabilia is with fans throughout the world, and they\u2019re probably the best custodians one could have,\u201d says Mansell of where his items are going. \u201cIt gives everybody an opportunity to have a little bit of history, so we\u2019re very excited about that.<\/p>\n \u201cA number of these items are being donated straight to UK Youth<\/a>. We\u2019ve got an appeal that we\u2019ve launched for \u00a310 million, and that\u2019s to build an incredible sports centre for children, to educate them, change their lives, give them an opportunity, and to realise their potential and dreams.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hopefully going to build it within the next two years. The Mansell family has committed to putting \u00a31 million into the fund straight away, so we\u2019ve got it up and running, and we\u2019re excited to get it to completion as soon as we can. We have a race going on!\u201d<\/p>\n Mansell\u2019s lots will go under the hammer at the Silverstone Museum on Monday, just a stone\u2019s throw away from the Grand Prix circuit, where 2026\u2019s field of F1 drivers will be doing battle over the weekend\u2026<\/p>\n Who Mansell\u2019s backing for the British GP<\/p>\n Mansell, who boasts five victories on British soil, including two wins at Brands Hatch, is looking forward to seeing a strong contingent of home drivers in action (George Russell<\/a>, Hamilton, Lando Norris<\/a>, Ollie Bearman<\/a> and Arvid Lindblad<\/a> all representing the UK), as well as the next chapter in the fight at the front of the field.<\/p>\n \u201cSilverstone is always tremendous,\u201d Mansell continues with a twinkle in his eye. \u201cI think it\u2019s terribly exciting to race in front of your home crowd, and to have so many British drivers on the grid is fantastic. It\u2019s going to be a fascinating weekend, so I\u2019ll be a keen fan watching how it develops.<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge did absolutely everything he needed to do in Austria, which was to bounce back and get a win. Mercedes and Red Bull<\/a> were hooked up incredibly well there, but there\u2019s no doubt that Mercedes will be the hot favourites here.<\/p>\n \u201cFerrari, I was really confused about how they could be so stunningly quick in Barcelona, and then, the way they harvested power or deployed power in Austria, didn\u2019t work. Hopefully there\u2019s some good answers here at Silverstone.\u201d<\/p>\n But those are not the only teams and drivers Mansell will be keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n \u201cMcLaren<\/a>, they can bounce back any time,\u201d he points out. \u201cI think this circuit could suit McLaren really well. They deserve to get on the top [step of the] podium again, especially Lando. He\u2019s doing a fantastic job, and he\u2019s a wonderful World Champion.<\/p>\n \u201cI think for Lando, it was a huge relief to win the World Championship. Then, to be in the same team and to be able to try and defend the World Championship in the manner that you won it, is a wonderful feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s a more complete driver now with tremendous confidence. He\u2019s carried the mantle incredibly well. I think out of the car he\u2019s matured incredibly, and he speaks with great professionalism.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, you can throw a load more teams in there, and I\u2019ve got to say this, because I care about it, I really hope that Aston Martin<\/a> get their act together soon. It\u2019s heartbreaking to see how they\u2019re struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s Ferrari breakthrough<\/p>\n Of that front-running group, Hamilton\u2019s resurgence at Ferrari has filled Mansell with joy \u2013 the seven-time World Champion bouncing back from a difficult first season in red to return to winning ways at the recent Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll make no apologies, I\u2019m a huge fan of Lewis,\u201d adds Mansell, who raced for the Scuderia in 1989 and 1990. \u201cLewis is fantastic. He showed to everybody, if you give him the tools to do the job\u2026 He was impeccable in Barcelona. He didn\u2019t just win the race \u2013 he smashed the opposition.<\/p>\n \u201cHis driving ability in the car, it didn\u2019t twitch. He drove superbly, and he drove away from [the field]. He showed everybody, including himself, what an incredible talent he is. It was a joy to watch, and I think everybody embraced the fact that Ferrari and Lewis won.\u201d<\/p>\n