Anthony Davidson: 'I suffered from severe anxiety attacks'

Hello Anthony Davidson, thank you for asking us to join you aboard the Blimp, it's a true legend!

He is an emblematic figure in the world of motor racing. Mainly in the United States. As a kid, I saw him fly over quite a few races that I watched on TV. If a child wants to represent a car circuit I think he will draw the airship. I am delighted to make this flight above the route of 24 Hours of Le Mans. I should have done it last year, but as I was still racing in LM P2 with Jota, I had to get up early on Friday morning. It was heartbreaking to decline because this moment was on my wish list.

How did it all start for you in motorsport?

My father has always evolved in the world of racing, without actually driving. His passion was creating liveries. As an artist, it was his way of getting his work known. He hung around the paddocks and made himself available to anyone who wanted. He decided to launch my older brother (Andrew) and me into karting. It was not as accessible a discipline as that in my time (late 80s, early 90s. Editor’s note). You had to push the kart to start it and it was always very poorly adjusted. It was an adult chassis that we had modified for a child, replacing the seat. I was racing against guys like Dan Wheldon (double winner of the Indy 500 who died during the race in 2011. Editor's note), who was a little older than me. We were immediately hooked, it was our family thing. My brother had an accident and a nasty broken ankle put him out of flying. He became my chief mechanic, while my father (Dennis) served as team manager. We went up