The Van Amersfoort Racing driver was involved in a physical alteration during the Hungarian round with Hitech GP’s Nikita Mazepin.

The Russian reportedly punched the British driver after the second practice session for holding him up at the track.

Mazepin, a Force India development driver, was barred from taking part in the first race of the weekend as a result.

Ilott has since moved on from the incident. "It was tough – both on and off the track," he told Motorsport.com.

"But Sunday’s race was a real highlight to get sixth place after starting 11th, in really greasy track conditions.

"I’m [already] looking forward to racing at Pau. The event creates a bit of a festival for the town.

"And it’s a really great atmosphere to be immersed in for the weekend. But, of course driving on a rollercoaster of a track is the most fun part."

Working on last corner

Ilott added that he is working, in particular, on the final corner of the Pau circuit, as last year he was good in sector one and two but lost out in the final sector.

"I flew out to Amsterdam at the beginning of this week to spend some time on the team’s simulator, looking at data and past videos, particularly working on the last corner.

"The key to a good result will be qualifying, getting a clean lap in what could be wet conditions.

"The VAR car performed well last year and I am pretty confident we can score some good championship points this year."

Additional reporting by Jamie Klein