What fired his passion for motor racing? “ I have always had a passion for motor racing. Imola 1994 when Senna was killed was one of my first memories, although then aged 6 I obviously didn't realise just what the sport had lost. The noise, the competition, just everything about the sport is in my bones and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I can remember loving go-karting and quad biking as a young child; just couldn't get enough of it!”

Is your family supportive of your racing? “My Dad raced in Formula Ford and Thundersports (sports cars) for around five years in the late 1970s and early 80s. He didn't have the opportunity to do it as a child and in the end hung up his helmet because of other duties… Although I think he could have been quite good. When I was about 10 and starting to tell him that I wanted to do this for real, he obviously knew exactly what it entailed… So he waited for me to really push him, so he knew I had the drive. Since I started kart racing aged 12, right up to now, he has been very important to my progression. I could never have been in F3 without his support.”

We also asked Henry a few questions about driving on our roads. What was his first car? “Ford Fiesta 1.2 diesel. Still got it and I've nearly got it to 100,000 miles. It's all I need!” Hearing there were no fabulous exotica for this modest aristocrat, we asked if he passed his driving test first time? “Luckily enough I did manage to pass first time, although rather embarrassingly I failed the theory test on my first attempt; I put that down to a computer glitch! Naturally I was quite keen to get it as soon after my 17th birthday as possible.