It was great. I also had to put my preconceived ideas aside and as a Director go in with a journalistic mindset to discover what is new, where the fresh stories were coming from and how these two guys Freddie Hunt and Mathias Lauda could captivate an audience in their own right. For me it was about getting the audience to connect with these two characters and, by the time the final race came on screen, to be shouting the name of the guy they wanted to win. It was wonderful journeying into the past, but more than that, it was about creating a story right now with these two individuals who in their own right are epic racing drivers, stepping out of the giant shadows cast by their fathers. He attended five private schools in as many years before finishing with a stint at the local state school in Midhurst, West Sussex. At the time he was a promising polo player: “Mum and I decided to spend that money on horses instead.” Ha, it’s funny really I have been enthralled by the smell of petrol and the sound of engines for as long as I can remember. It was never really anything to do with gender or the politics surrounding it, but rather the feat of human and mechanical excellence, the passion, the drive and I suppose the danger. It is something that has always impassioned and excited me.

Well, personally it was the fact I was recovering from a major car accident and going into the filming of this I was in the early stages of brain injury rehab. I didn’t share my struggles with many people and continued to travel and work 12-16 hour days whilst struggling to stand up sometimes. I’d be on a plane one minute, doing brain rehab the next, then running round with a camera on my shoulder directing a team. It wasn’t easy. But it was worth it.He would like children (“no more than two, it should be banned to have more”), and to make enough money to buy a full farm and rewild it. They are a close family, but there’s cruelly few of them. “Dad’s three other brothers all died as well. So I’ve really got to look after my health because the Hunt male life expectancy isn’t very high at the moment…” Freddie says, with a dark chortle. Freddie is now firm friends with Mathias Lauda, the racing driver son of Niki, James Hunt’s Austrian rival during the testy 1976 season. Together they have made a documentary, Hunt vs Lauda: The Next Generation, rekindling the competition. I often forget this, but I was physically handicapped – until I had an operation to remove my adenoids, for the first two or three years I was mostly deaf, which affected my balance. I was a dribbling mess and constantly crashing into things.” The premiere was a great success, a lot of very renowned individuals in the room, how did you feel showcasing your work to such a great bunch of industry professionals?

There are a few series in the offing and I continue to grow my production company Branded Studios with my partners here in the UK and in the US as we develop opportunities across the factual and format spaces. Long term I also see myself moving into the drama space, but all in good time. The secret is to always pursue the goals but not to forget to enjoy the journey, and boy I am enjoying the journey right now! Hunt Vs Lauda crew However, I will say, that while Hunt vs Lauda: The Next Generation is an easy to watch docu-film, and accessible for all, ultimately it is geared more towards racing enthusiasts. Those who are fans of this sport, or who love to devour anything connected to racing will get the most out of it. I did a lot of partying when I was younger, but it’s self-destructive, isn’t it? Good fun in the moment, but alcohol is a really toxic poison. I still can’t get my head around how it’s legal, as it makes you feel s--- and do stupid things when you’re drunk.”Personally, I found the first half of the documentary to be the most interesting, as it focuses more on Freddie and Mathias, and their respective fathers; however, I imagine those who are really into motor racing will better connect with the second half, when the docu-film devotes its time to the race. Either way, there’s enough dialogue and racing action to satisfy different tastes, and at around 80-minutes in length it doesn’t outstay its welcome. To fund that, though, he needs to keep winning motor races. The goal is to win the Le Mans 24 hour race in 2026, to mark 50 years since his father’s championship win. It’s ambitious, he concedes, “but I think that’s a pretty good story, don’t you?” It was just unpleasantness, being alienated. But that’s equally if not more painful. I saw various counsellors and they probably did me worse [damage], because the other kids would know I was off to see a counsellor once a week.” Freddie Hunt knows what you’re going to say. Yes, the spitting image. Yeah, it’s a bit spooky – sometimes his mother would look as if she’d seen a ghost. And yep, it’s mostly the hair, but also the good looks, the rakish manner, the clipped accent. Like father, like son…

Freddie has “absolutely no recollection” of those first couple of years, and in fact sums up his early childhood as “pretty s-----”. Which turns out to be an understatement.

Side guide

Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. The thing that would bother me most about dying early would be leaving the loved ones behind. The pain I’ve experienced, I wouldn’t want them to. But going myself? Not too bothered, it would be a rest. I’m looking forward to the afterlife. I’m gambling on it being a lot easier than here…”