Dur ing hisshort life (he died aged 46 in 1982) he apparently aimed at encompassing every known form of literary invention without repeating himself, and even managed to devise a few arresting variants of his own

One of these was La Disparition, published in 1969. Goggle-eyed and dishevelled, looking like a cross between Gustav Mahler, John the Baptist and Ken Dodd, George Perec inhabited those ancient fault lines of playfulness and subversion zigzagging across the ordered surface of French literature. He is frustratingly insecure, always suspecting that his team is not fully behind him, needing constant reassurance from those around him. But as he proved in the last three races of the 1994 season, he remains breathtakingly quick and a crowd-puller bar none.

If anyone is capable of beating the current world champion Michael Schumacher, then it is surely Nigel Mansell. It stretches the bounds of credibility to think that Mansell will be absent from the starti ng grid next season Is Formula One about to take leave of its senses?. Williams, who is notorious for his poor handling of drivers, was not easily going to forgive or forget the resulting ignominy which was heaped on him as the factory was deluged with letters complaining about the shabby way in which Mansell had been treated.Mansell is not an easy person to deal with. He adds millions to the worldwide television audience and tens of thousands to race-day crowds But the Formula One circus is small and myopic. It can be no great surprise that Frank Williams eventually decided to reject Mansell. After the latter won the world championship in 1992, Williams effectively pushed Mansell out of the team amid much bad blood and a serious split in the team.

When he raced that Ford Mondeo at Donington Park, he drove in characteristic fashion, giving his all, having an accident and ending up in hospital.No wonder Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One’s impresario, is desperate to find a place for Mansell in 1995. His battle with Jean Alesi in the Ferrari in the wet at last season’s Japanese Grand Prix was one of the few genuinely exciting racing moments of a dull and tragic season. The only way Mansell knows how to drive is with 110 per cent commitment. When he was forced to pitstop near the end of the Monaco Grand Prix in 1992 and was passed by Senna, he harried the Brazilian to the end, even though on such a narrow circuit the chances of his passing were slight. It explains his proclivity to whine and his deep feeling of insecurity It also helps to explain his driving style. While others may calculate, Mansell simply drives his heart out.Prost may have won more grand prix and more championships, but he never aroused the passion of the crowds as Mansell did. Another characteristic that sets Mansell apart in the exotic world of Formula One is the fact that he likes to take his family to race meetings.In Formula One, Nigel Mansell is the outsider, struggling to be part of a world in which he feels he does not really belong.