FORMER F1 driver Johnny Herbert paid a special visit to the Anglesey Circuit last week.

The popular figure, who drove alongside Michael Schumacher with the Benetton team in the 1990’s, arrived with a historic race car in preparation for the FIA Masters Historic support event at the British Brand prix at Silverstone in two weeks’ time.

The three-time Grand Prix winner plans to race the Ensign N180B which has not raced since 1984, owned by former Force India deputy team principal and current McLaren Indy president Bob Fernley.

Herbert, said: "I haven't driven anything of that era on a track.

“I've driven a Lotus 72 up the hill at Goodwood, but that's it. It all came together, and I thought I'll give it a go.

“It's at Silverstone, and I'm there anyway. I'll be trying to give it the beans, I won't be able to help myself.”

The car is the chassis with which Marc Surer finished fourth and set fastest lap in the 1981 Brazilian GP, and took sixth place at Monaco.

It was raced later that year by Eliseo Salazar, who earned sixth in the Dutch GP.

The car subsequently returned to the UK, where it ran it in the 1982 British F1 championship for Jim Crawford, who picked up three wins.

On Herbert’s arrival at the circuit on Wednesday, popular local rally driver Eric “Chubby” Roberts was about to run his Ford Escort Mk 2, so he was treated to a few laps in the navigator’s seat.