Inside the cockpit of a racing car, Nigel Mansell was always - other than Spain 19995 - the bravest of the brave, and thoroughly deserving of his nickname 'Il Leone'.

However, outside a race car he could be a bit of a pain (</understatement>), turning whinging into something of an art form.

Once, having witnessed Mansell's antics on the podium at Monaco - when Birmingham's finest had to be held up, seemingly overcome by exhaustion - former World Champion, Denny 'The Bear' Hulme, remarked; "whatever happened to dignity?".

Ahead of this weekend's GP Masters race at Kyalami, Mansell is once again milking public sympathy for all it's worth.

"Since I was here last the direction of the track is completely opposite," he told reporters. "The track now runs in an anti-clockwise direction.

"Despite what many people might think," he continued, "these cars are extremely powerful although I haven't been able to test them on this track because of a stomach bug the last few days. I'm racing blind and deaf."