“Sometimes you’ve just got to lick the stamp and send it.”
Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, and one of the most intense, demanding, and exciting entertainment spectacles on the planet. Whether you’ve been watching since the days of Senna, Prost, and Mansell, or hopped on board the hype train following the release of shows like Drive to Survive, there’s no denying Formula 1 has found itself back in the spotlight as one of the most glamorous and popular sports on the planet. Join us at What We Reading as we look back at the greatest individuals, races, rivalries, and feats of engineering with the best Formula 1 books!
Formula 1: The Impossible Collection – Brad Spurgeon
First up on our list of the best Formula 1 books comes from veteran sports journalist Brad Spurgeon. The Impossible Collection chronicles the growth of motorsport’s best facet from a small gentleman’s club for motorsport to a global phenomenon.
Spurgeon maps the most exceptional technological innovations, remarkable race finishes, and individual accomplishments that have continuously driven the sport forward. It is one of the most spirited homages to the history of the sport and the talented individuals who have pioneered its developments. For anyone who ever needs a response to critics claiming it is just ‘cars going around in circles’, The Impossible Collection is the perfect fuel for some ammunition.
Surviving To Drive: A Year Inside Formula 1 – Guenther Steiner
Former Haas team principal and show-stealer of Drive to Survive Guenther Steiner offers readers one of the most intimate and revealing insights into the machinations of modern Formula 1 in his 2023 bestselling book, Surviving to Drive.
Packed full of shocking twists and turns, Steiner takes readers along for the ride throughout the 2022 season, following Haas in the heart of the high-stakes world of the pinnacle of motorsport. From pre-season preparations, and balancing the financial books, to the hiring and firing of drivers, Steiner’s distinctly colourful voice shines through for one of the most captivating and entertaining walkthroughs of the realities of driving at the absolute limit.
Check Out The Best Sports Books From 2023
How To Build A Car – Adrian Newey
Formula 1 cars are known for being the most technologically innovative and powerful vehicles on the planet. Building one takes hundreds of people and thousands of hours of work, but one name stands out as the most pioneering and successful designer in the business: Adrian Newey.
Having won 11 Constructors Championships and 12 Drivers Championships with Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull, he takes readers on a fascinating tour of his mind in his acclaimed Formula 1 book, How To Build A Car. Featuring never-before-seen images, this sporting biography not only documents Newey’s remarkable life but also the potential for total synchronicity between man and vehicle at the peak of speed, efficiency, and power.
The Mechanic: The Secret World Of The F1 Pitlane – Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley
If there’s one thing that is as synonymous with the drivers plying their trade during a race day, it’s the mechanics who line the pitlane. Pit stops are vital parts of any race, but the margin between perfection and a stolen victory can sometimes be a matter of milliseconds when it comes to Formula 1.
In his 2017 book, The Mechanic, McLaren’s number-one mechanic Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley lifts the lid on the technical knowledge, competitive determination, and obsessive pursuit of perfection that makes a good pit crew and a successful world champion. He also showcases how things aren’t all work, work, work, however. Whether it be gravity-defying aeroplanes or private parties on yachts in Monaco, the glitz and the thrills of the F1 calendar are revealed like never before in Priestley’s book.
Senna Versus Prost: The Story Of The Most Deadly Rivalry In Formula One – Malcolm Folley
From Hunt versus Lauda to Hamilton versus Verstappen, the history of Formula 1 has been defined by iconic and hard-hitting rivalries. However, none have matched the hostility and outright brilliance of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Featuring insights from the likes of Martin Brundle, Johnny Herbert, and Sir Frank Williams, Malcolm Folley’s book, Senna Versus Prost, captures all the nail-biting finishes and explosive moments that saw two of the most gifted and charismatic drivers collide. Prost was the smooth, intelligent Frenchman, Senna the mercurial and ruthless Brazilian talent. Neither gave an inch as their rivalry came to dominate the Formula 1 world, etching their names into the history books forever.
Total Competition: Lessons In Strategy From Formula One – Ross Brawn And Adam Parr
Whether it be his years of domination at Ferrari or his miracle double Championship-winning season at the helm of Brawn GP, few names in F1 history are as respected as Ross Brawn. Along with former Williams chairman and CEO Adam Parr, Brawn compiles all of his most fundamental lessons on success in motorsport in his 2016 book, Total Competition.
From battles with Bernie Ecclestone, and managing the likes of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton to the cut-throat business where second place is never good enough, Total Competition is a fascinating collection of musings, tales, and examples of where the pair occasionally got things wrong, and how they so often got them very, very right.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
