Are you, or someone you know, an avid F1 fan? Lover of F1 history and the stories from inside the paddock? CAR has scoured all over to bring you the best the internet offers regarding F1 books, and they’re not all about design and geeking out on cars from yesteryear.
Okay, there’s a bit of that, but what do you expect? We are CAR, and rose-tinted glasses are much better than what’s happening now, aren’t they? Plus, how can you appreciate the car design of the now without seeing the car designs of the past?
We’re not all about cars that go fast and make a nice zoom as they pass. So, why not look at our articles on the best LEGO car sets to build, the best regular car books and CAR’s top gifts for Ferrari fans.
These books make the perfect gift for someone, whether they’re new to F1 after loving the Drive to Survive series on Netflix or they’ve watched it since the inception of Grand Prix racing. There’s a whole world behind the racing and the drivers, the world of the paddock and car design. The history of the race track and what it is makes for an exciting race track for the drivers and the fans. Then there is the strategy and planning behind what gets your driver to winning a race or a Constructors World Championship and a Drivers World Championship, too.
Then, grab yourself a cup of your favourite hot beverage and sit back as we read about the best Formula 1 books to read.
The best F1 books
Former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestly gives us an insight into what it’s like inside the F1 circus. From the outside, it looks glamorous, a jet-setting lifestyle, but what is it like from the point of view of a mechanic, who has worked with huge F1 names such as David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Marc reveals crazy secrets and rivalries that last a lifetime and tells the reader precisely what working in the F1 pitlane is like.
Adrian Newey is one of the best Formula 1 car designers; a man who can supposedly see the air move over an F1 car, without running it through a CFD computer programme or putting a model in a wind tunnel.
This book, though, it’s not all about explaining complex aerodynamics to make a car as slippy as possible. Adrian tells you exactly how a car works in engaging and entertaining detail from his early beginnings of car design from the age of 12, moving into Indy Car and then to a hugely successful career in F1.
The Williams F1 team was founded in 1977 by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head, and theirs is a story of true inspiration. Still active in F1 today, they represent the last of the genuinely independent teams. Many great names have driven a Williams car in the past, Nigel Mansell, Jenson Button, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna. This book, written by Maurice Hamilton, delves deep and tells the team’s full story as told by those who worked closely with Sir Frank Williams.
Another by Maurice Hamilton, this official book published in association with Formula 1, has more than 250 photographs spanning decades of F1 racing. This book is bursting with beautiful photography with a foreword from Ross Brawn. It spans the decades from the 1950’s up until Monday, the 2020s.
This book is the ultimate guide to the circuits in F1 at the time of writing, complete with bespoke digital maps of each course; it is said to be the definitive guide to the circuits of Formula 1. Chronologically listed from Monza, the first circuit to host a Grand Prix, taking in legendary race tracks such as Monaco, Spa, Nurburgring and Silverstone, racing up to the latest race track, Miami.
The book is also full of little-known facts about all the circuits giving you an insight through the unsung heroes of Formula 1, the race tracks.
You’d probably struggle to think of a voice which matches F1 more than the enthusiastic, knowledgeable and passionate Murray Walker. A true legend of the sport outside of racing drivers is conveyed in the book, which is a tribute to the late, great Walker.
Celebrate the life Walker with the book Incredible! by Maurice Hamilton - it gives you an insight into Murray’s life away from the race track, and the time he spent calling the action right back to his first Grand Prix, Silverstone 1949.
Using Google Maps, this book details the circuits from above in incredible detail. But more than that, there's also some great photography of the race tracks themselves over the years, too. The author Bruce Jones, a prestigious autosport journalist, used his vast knowledge of motorsport to bring this book to life.
Who has more knowledge than Ross Brawn on Formula 1 strategies? Ross was the mastermind behind Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and won another drivers and constructors championship with his team BrawnGP in 2009 with Jenson Button at the wheel. Written with Adam Parr, who was CEO and then Chairman of Williams for five years, Ross looks back at his career and explains the methods of how he was so successful.