Former F1 Champion Nigel Mansell has revealed how doing magic is 'as exciting as racing a car' after taking it up to recover from a horrendous accident at 240mph.

Mansell, who won the Formula 1 Championship in 1992, crashed just 17 minutes into the 24-hour Le Mans race in 2010, leaving him lying motionless in his wrecked car for several minutes.

Reports at the time suggested he suffered a concussion, but the truth is that he was left unable to talk and couldn't even remember his wife and children.

Former F1 Champion Nigel Mansell (left, and right, at the Spanish Grand Prix in 1995) has revealed how doing magic is 'as exciting as racing a car' after taking it up to recover from a horrendous accident

Mansell, who won the Formula 1 Championship in 1992, crashed just 17 minutes into the 24-hour Le Mans race in 2010, leaving him laying motionless in his wrecked car for several minutes (pictured)

Reports at the time suggested he suffered a concussion, but the truth is that he was left unable to talk and couldn't even remember his wife and children (pictured with sons Leo, left, and Greg, right)

But Mansell, now 67, took up magic to help him recover and he is now addicted to the thrill of performing, which he does all over the world.

Speaking at a charity golf championship, he said: 'I had to get my brain to work in a different way and it was a challenge,' reports The Sunday Mirror.

He added: 'Now in many ways it has become as exciting as racing a car. There is no greater feeling than leaving someone open mouthed at a trick you can perform.

'Learning magic was a key part of me being able to make a full recovery - and lead the normal life I do today.'

Mansell, who is now a member of the Magic Circle, travels around the country doing tricks and has even performed in the US.

But it has been a long road to recovery for the former racing driver after the 200mph crash on his Le Mans debut, driving as part of a three-man team with sons Leo and Greg.

They were forced to watch in horror as the vehicle ploughed into the the side barriers, but Greg later said that he escaped lightly with just 'a bit of a knock'.

However, Mansell has now revealed the true extent of his injuries, which he said left him living like a hermit during the worst part of his recovery.

Nigel Mansell celebrates victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone with runner-up and team-mate Riccardo Patrese (left) and fellow Briton Martin Brundle, who came third

Mansell, who is married to Roseanne (pictured together) and also has a daughter, Chloe, said his thoughts go out to his former rival's friends and family, and he remains hopeful that Schumacher may one day recover

It's led him to reflect on the plight of Michael Schumacher, the German racing legend who is now living under 24-hour care after suffering a severe brain injury in a skiing accident in 2013.

Mansell, who is married to Roseanne and also has a daughter, Chloe, said his thoughts go out to his former rival's friends and family, and he remains hopeful that Schumacher may one day recover.

He said that constant medical breakthroughs mean that anything is possible in the future.

Mansell also praised British Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton as a 'phenomenal talent', who has already had an incredible career and could go on to do great things.