I have to admit, I'm not a big reader.
But maybe once a year, I'll pick up a title and I'll be fully engrossed.
I was surprised that I have a whole shelf filled with F1 books, which is starting to overflow, made up of mostly second hand charity shop purchases and gifts from decades of following F1.
You'll have to forgive some of my reviews being a bit sketchy because I read some of them many years ago. I predict that I'll end up recommending all the books that I've read, but perhaps what is more helpful is that I'll leave with you the impression it left on me and whether I would go back and read it again.
My basic criteria is:- Why I wanted to read this book?
Adrian Newey: How to Build a Car | |
If you've never heard of Adrian Newey, where have you been? He will be remembered as the GOAT of F1 design.
This book starts off with a little history of Adrian's early days, including some fantastic tales of his boarding school antics with Jeremy Clarkson. Then the book follows on select cars from his career. For a genius, he's very good at explaining concepts in layman's terms, in other words even when he's being technical, you can follow along. You do get a sense that the concepts he's chosen to prioritise in his early career repeat themselves in different eras. But you get a fascinating insight into the mind of the genius of Adrian Newey. But you'll also get some of the dramas he faced, being betrayed by Williams management, his relationship with Ron Dennis (his anecdote on his office design at McLaren is brilliant), how he nearly teamed up with Bobby Rahal at Jaguar, and his insights into Red Bull are all brilliantly recollected in this book. As the book is split out into different cars, it's easy to dip back into specific eras, for me it's very easy to come back and re-read it all again. |
Ross Brawn: Total Competition
(Adam Parr) | |
This book is basically a podcast in written form. Adam Parr, formerly CEO of Williams F1 Team, had been studying ancient Chinese text by Sun Tzu called 'The Art of War', where he compares strategic lessons of old to modern day F1, and Adam writes in another book (of the same title) about that more fully of his experiences at Williams. But here, it's taking that framework into an interview with Ross Brawn and his career is the focus. Ross has the reputation of a guy who never loses his cool, the guy you go to for a reliable, level headed point of view. He became known as the master strategist at Ferrari, as well as his technical understanding and leadership, culminating in his time as Team Principal as well as Team owner. So this is not your standard biography/autobiography, however you still get all the fantastic insights and thoughts from his career. It's raw, there's no real editing, just a chat framed around 'The Art of War'. Fantastic read. Would I read this again is like asking would I listen to a podcast again. Probably not in its entirety, but if it was helpfully bookmarked with interesting excerpts, then yes I'd happily revisit sections of this title again. |
I Just Made the Tea
(Di Spires with Bernard Ferguson)
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I love this book - but who is Di Spires? She was in charge of catering and hospitality with her husband Stuart at Benetton and Stewart in the 80s and 90s plus some time in WRC. Because of that she had some fantastic fly on the wall perspectives from the behind the scenes. But her personality shines through, and you'll only find praise from some of the top team principals, drivers, mechanics and more. They witnessed the sport become a proper professional place, with the 90s transitioning from a homely family environment to the foundations of the corporate empire it is today, and they were some of the forerunners in that trend. They became like everyone's mum and dad of the paddock, and this book is full of humorous, entertaining, heart-warming stories that you don't get in other publications. It's perhaps not to everyone's liking, but personally I enjoyed it and would come back to this title again.
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Damon Hill: Watching the Wheels
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This book is a fascinating insight into the human mind. It's more of an applied psychology book applied to Damon's life. It's as though you're in the counselling sessions with him as he goes through his past life, giving you the reason behind why he made the decisions he did and buts extra light on how he felt as the years went by. It's a fantastic read and whether you were a fan or a hater of him whilst driving, you'll come out with much more respect and sympathy for Damon and his career after reading it. This book has been critically acclaimed and well received and it's understandable why and it's definitely worth your time. However, I'm in no rush to read the whole thing again, but there are chapters in his F1 career I'd go back and read again.
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Damon Hill: My Championship Year
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Damon had clearly had a difficult 1995, and with Clive James doing a documentary on his 1996 season, I'm amazed he had time to do this. It initially feels like a bit of money-grab kind of a book, but it does go into more detail than his autobiography into his Championship season, perhaps because it was written more like a diary, albeit a public one. If you're going to revisit the 1996 season, perhaps even watch the season review, this is a good companion to have for insight into that season. This is a highlight from a time when annual driver books was an all too common thing, however this one delivers.
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Nigel Mansell: My autobiography - The People's Champion
(James Allen)
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This autobiography I received free from a magazine, I think it may have been the early days of F1 Racing magazine, and it was the first biography that I read. If you know Mansell, you know drama follows him around, there's never a dull moment in his career or in this book. However his insecurities borders on paranoia at points, so whilst he's able to entertainingly go through his thoughts of various events through his career, you may want to balance some of those points of views with other, perhaps, more grounded ones. But don't let that take away from this fascinating insight and perspective of an entertaining and dramatic career where he was racing amongst giants of the sport ... and beat them. I know he's written other autobiographies, but I do find his perspective on things interesting when going back to rewatch a season or a race, and for that, I'm going to keep hold of it.
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James Hunt: the biography
(Gerald Donaldson)
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This was another biography I received free, and at the time I didn't really know anything about James Hunt when I got it. I eventually read it around the time that the film Rush was released, and by then I knew a bit more about his career both as a driver and then a commentator for the BBC. A very talented driver, who enjoyed the excesses and status as a F1 driver and champion, it's a shame his career petered out after his championship success. His struggles with substances were evident and he'd just about cleaned himself up when he tragically lost his life, just as his commentary career was peaking. A great insight into an interesting man. For all his natural ability and charm, James was also incredibly flawed, his fun-loving lifestyle doing his health no favours in later life. He got clean too late, and the sadness isn't something I'm rushing to relive. It was a good and interesting read throughout, but I'm not sure I'll come back to this one.
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Johnny Herbert: What Doesn't Kill you - My Life in Motor Racing
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I actually have a signed copy of this book in my name. Johnny's probably best remembered for his 'happy-go-lucky' attitude in the paddock, and in part that personality comes across. But, it's a bit of a slog as you realise just how much the crash that broke his legs had on his life, and is still having on him. It's a wonder he's not a miserable grump in the paddock, but you really feel the pain with him, as he recollects his career. You can't help but respect what he overcame to eek out a long career in F1 despite the pain he was suffering. It's a shame that his second stint at Benetton isn't dwelt upon very much, but it's clear there's not much love lost with Flavio Briatore and it would have been interesting to have a few more insights on that difficult time.
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Race Without End
(Maurice Hamilton) | |
Maurice Hamilton was given an all access pass to the Jordan team through the 1993 season and into the first two races of the 1994 season. Brilliantly written, exceptional insight, and very readable, you get the perspectives of the cooks, the mechanics, the truck drivers, the technical team and the commercial side, all carefully interwoven and choreographed into the story of the 1993 season. Clearly Gary Anderson and the late Brian Hart play pivotal roles all the way through, and if you're a fan of the Races' podcasts, you'll be familiar with Gary and Maurice, then you'll certainly love this title. You get insight on Ivan Capelli's short lived race seat, Boutsen's troubled time with the car, and the rollercoaster journey of Rubens' first season. The outstanding part of the book comes with Irvine's infamous race at Suzuka, told in brilliant detail, including exclusive insight into the Senna / Irvine bust up after the race, including Berger's role and a transcript from the event. |
Steve Matchett: The Mechanics Tale
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Steve has written two books [he did write a third book in 2005] recounting his time as a Benetton mechanic in the mid-90s. This particular book is his diary from 1994, and wow, what a season to publish your diary. The only sad thing was the he was based on the second Benetton rather that Schumachers, but he was the jack man on fire at Hockenheim. It starts off by being a 'what life is like as a mechanic' kind of a tale, detailing the travelling, the little sleep you get, the nice places to eat at around the world and so on, but it was hard not to talk about all the drama that went on during that season, with Benetton being right in the thick of it. From his perspective, there was never any cheating going on on the B194, but then he's only the mechanic of the second car, so perhaps he wasn't to know, but he doesn't shy away from commenting on all the allegations at the time. From there you do get some great insights into Lehto's troubled year with the team, his progress at the Canadian GP before being dropped and Verstappen's inexperience and crashes through the year - there were quite a few! Maybe I'm biased towards the 1994 season, but I really enjoyed this book and I'd happily re-read it again.
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1994: The Untold Story of a Tragic and Controversial F1 Season
(Ibrar Malik)
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OK, I have to admit, I haven't read this, but I did listen to an abridged version of the audio book, so I can comment a bit on this. Ibrar is not a journalist, he's not a writer, he's a fan. But for any lack of literary experience, the sheer deep dive detail and trying to get answers to questions you never knew you wanted the answers to, this is a well researched and insightful read. For all the unanswered controversies, Ibrar shares his own compelling conclusions, not intimidated by popular opinion.
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Colin Chapman comic strip biography
(Denis Bernard) | |
A different way to present a biography, but they do well to bring this story to life via a comic book style and it's a brilliant, light read. Actually my kids really enjoy it and keep coming back to it, so that's saying something. Because it's a comic, you can read the entire thing in an afternoon so you do find yourself reading it again from time to time, great stuff. |
Williams FW14B 1992 Haynes Owners' Manual
(Steve Rendle) | |
One of the things that drew me to Formula 1 is the technology, so I'm always going to be a bit impartial to a technical book. This book does a great job going into all the different elements including the active suspension system, supported by fantastic close up and good resolution photographs. The book is not solely about the title car, with a bit of history of Williams and the 1992 season. This book is more for the techincally minded, it's not a page turner as such, and to be used more as a reference book. What it does is fantastic, but it's not for everyone in the way that Adrian Newey's book is. |
Red Bull Racing F1 Car 2010 (RB6) Haynes Owners' Manual
(Steve Rendle) | |
This title, like the Williams FW14B title reviewed above, gives incredibly detailed insight into an iconic Championship winning car and the technology behind it. However, this title was released back in 2011, which meant some of the technology was still current and hidden away by substituting older models as reference photos. The result is that this is more of a generic 2010's F1 car book, than what made the Red Bull so good. The broader context of the 2010 season is recounted, along with technological controversies. |
Autocourse Annual 1994 | |
The Autocourse annuals are like golddust; rare, collectable and a good condition can fetch a handsome price. So I was very pleased to be able to pick one up a second-hand copy for much less. The self-dubbed 'World's Leading Grand Prix Annual' is true enough and has stats, bios, reviews and lots more, filled with glossy photos and illustrations that will keep you busy for hours. The title does include some much shorter reviews of other forms of Motorsport, but it is the ulimate starting place for any reference material for the 1994 season. |
Autocourse Annual 1997 | |
There's not much to add to what I've already said about the 1994 annual. But the 1997 season is probably my next favourite classic season, influenced by being a child growing up in the nineties. It was great to come back to relive the season that had so much going for it, the last Adrian Newey Williams with the era defining works Renault V10 engine, a rising Ferrari/Schumacher combo, a title-decider with controversy, there's technological controversies, a tyre war, unlikely potential race winnders, team-mate fall-outs, new teams, emotional stories and so much more that make this a compelling season to relive. |
Motor Racing's Strangest Races
(Geoff Tibbals)
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This is a nice little book that you can pick up, read any chapter you fancy for a short snippet of some of the oddest happenings at motor racing events down the years. A lot of it is pre-war, and there's only a selection of Formula 1 races in there, but it's worth dipping into when you have a few minutes of solitude. It's a good bit of fun for a few minutes, but it's going to get lost in the shuffle amongst other much better titles.
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Life's the Pits
(Dave Crowe)
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This is a humourous take on F1, with funny captions and stories from the mid-90s. Again, probably good for a flick through when you have a few minutes.
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On the reading list:
This is a section, in no particular order, of other books I have on the shelf, but I've not had the pleasure of reading them yet... but be sure a review will be up when I do.
David Coulthard: It is What it Was | |
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Fangio: The Life Behind the Legend
(Gerald Donaldson)
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Jackie Stewart: Winning is Not Enough
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Jenson Button: Life on the Limit
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Mario Andretti World Champion
(Nigel Roebuck)
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Michael Schumacher: Driven to Extremes
(James Allen)
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Murray Walker: Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken
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On the wishlist:
- Williams (Maurice Hamilton)
- The Perfect Car: The biography of John Barnard (Nick Skeens)
- The Mechanic: The Secret Wolrd of the F1 Pitlane (Marc Priestley)
- Life in the Fast Lane (Steve Matchett)
- Niki Lauda: To Hell and Back
