The Mechanic's Tale by Matchett Steve (1999-01-01) Hardcover

by Steve Matchett

Formula One Grand Prix mechanic Steve Matchett takes the reader on a compelling journey through his life in the pit-lane, from his beginnings as a young apprentice, through his time at Ferrari and BMW to his later success with Benetton. He gives eye-witness views of the great drivers, including Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. He also talks of key Benetton personalities, and explains how the team was transformed into a strong, competitive organisation, winning three World Championships. His determination and frustration in trying - and eventually succeeding - to break into the high-pressure world of Formula One leaps off the page.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Biography, Cars, Memoir, History, Autobiography

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Steve Matchett was a commentator for American cable TV on various F1 programs. Prior to that, he was a mechanic with Bennetton Formula Ltd.
He has published a semi-autobiographical trilogy based around his years in the F1 pit lane.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Lokesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book since it was the one with most favorable reviews on audible my about newly found interest in Formula One. I did not know who Stave Matchett (the author) was until I came across this book, and even after reading about him he did not seem like someone people would generally talk about in Formula one circuits. Although, I don't think Formula one mechanics are talked about that much anyway.
The book is about the experience of Steve as a mechanic of Formula One Constructor, Benetton, during a roughly 10 year long period when the team went from being one of the midfield teams to winning two driver championships with Schumacher and one constructor championship.

The Good:
I liked the book for giving me many interesting pieces of information about physical construction of a Formula One car and also about various incidents that took place on track during the decade. These are few things which I enjoyed a lot. Steve's story of getting into Formula One from having zero connection (and no interest to begin with) in the sport to working as a pit-stop crew for world champions is quite inspiring. As with any competitive sport, there are parallels that you can draw between life and Formula One at different levels. The one which I could connect with the most was the ups and downs that the team as a whole and Steve as an individual went through while working on car off the track - it reminded me of the long hours I had spent on academic projects during my studies and how there are moments of despair as well as jubilation when you work on something with you heart and soul. That feeling was pure gold and something I could have experienced, as far as reading about Formula One is concerned, only when listening to the experiences of someone who really built the car with his own hands.

The Bad:
Oh! This book did very little to quench my thirst to know everything about Formula One. I was expecting to get to know about more details about Formula One racing in general, and cars in specific. However there were long phases in this short listen when I was forced to listen to Steve talking about his ordeal with getting his books published, his experience at some restaurants etc. I understand there are parts of a mechanic's life, but I felt too much time was spent on talking about things specific to Steve that were not applicable to a Formula One mechanic in general.
One of the biggest factors which influenced this book is Steve's lack of absolute commitment to the sport. This ability to detach himself emotionally from the sport though lends balance to his views about the sport and the working conditions of the pit crew, it also steals away the passion and mad love for the sport one would expect to listen about while reading the accounts of people working at the highest level. I am sure someone who was part of the sport from a much younger age and remained with the sport for a much longer duration would talk about his experiences in quite a contrasting manner - one which I would have enjoyed a lot more.
I would have also liked it more if the book had been a little longer.

It is definitely worth reading/listening to once, especially for the fans of the sport.

[Cody Cudmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book but was disappointed. It has a few interesting stories but were ultimately lost in the shuffle of a lot of fluff .

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather chatty book that is unlike the vast majority of auto racing memoirs, etc, that are out there. On the one hand, he does recount things from his time as a Formula One mechanic. On the other hand, he quotes from Alice in Wonderland quite often (and is very last sentence mentions Alice), he mentions books he likes (in a list of about 4, most are ones I don't care for such as Animal Farm), he likens something to Salvadore Dali artword, etc. He either keeps a journal or a diary, because he brings up some off the topic things like burning fish in a new apartment. There is a bit of humour, although I can't say I don't understand the Australian farmer who started chasing after the balloon that was sinking onto his land (why the farmer felt he had to take his gun, I am not sure) because if it is crop land--and Adelaide is in South Australia where they do grow crops, including grain--having balloons crash land on your crops costs money, etc, and if this happened often, it would really get that farmer's goat.

As you can see from that rambling review, this book does some of the same.

[Faiçal Júnior · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book for every person who likes motorsport.

This book describes how difficult is to work in a high competitve enviroment like F1, the evolution of Benetton F1 team early 90's and how they achieved the most wanted constructors trophy.

Reminded me when i was in Interlagos watching WEC 6 Hours and i asked a Pirelli's crew member what was like to work with motorspot, expecting for a positive answer, but all he said was "When you are not working you are resting".

I expected for more enphasis and details about racing (Expecially the year of 1995), and less about his personal life.

[Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Borrow.

Did not provide the technical nor the mechanical insight I was hoping for.

[Keir Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Struggled with this. Listened to the audiobook, read by the author and didn't really enjoy it. In a rather long and dull section in which he discusses his first book, he mentions that he wanted to do it alone, without any help. He really would have benefitted from a ghost writer - the book is too long, filled with irrelevant details (many references to jabberwocky?!) and 'witty' anecdotes that are short on wit. The few genuinely interesting insights are sadly lost among hours of inane wittering.

[Slickmez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great insight into the world of F1. Albeit told from the lens of a mechanic - there is definitely a bias here - the constructors trophy is all there is; the driver's championship...?
What are these drivers of which you speak? (That is a little unfair; but you get the idea). Definitely recommended if you are even remotely interested in F1. And it is a real page turner - even if you do know the "endings"...

[Ibrar Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable research for my upcoming book www.1994f1.com

I bought this exactly for the purpose of getting the inside view into F1 & Benetton during the early/mid 1990s and. It delivered, and was a very absorbing and interesting read. The mechanical descriptions are very detailed in places. But more importantly it gave a good overall picture of behind the scenes at Benetton, and the characters involved (i.e. Briatore, Brawn, Walkinshaw). An enjoyable read.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inside look at Formula 1

I’m new to Formula 1 but I’m fascinated by it. I loved Matchett’s commentary during the races I watched from 2014-2017. He is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and able to share that all with his listeners and readers. This is a great look at behind the scenes action in Formula 1 racing. Not always glamorous but full of dedication, patience, perseverance and teamwork. A good read.

[Tyler Harrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 - While there is a considerable amount of fluff and rabbit trails, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the behind of scenes of Formula 1. If you are a fan of F1, you’ll more than likely enjoy this!

[David Tovar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every problem has an answer, you just have to be patient and adaptable.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite a 3 (this place needs half-stars!). An entertaining read, you don't have to be a gear-head but you do have to be at least a passing fan of F1; there isn't quite enough background to capture someone who had never watched the sport. Also, he meanders a bit, which can be cool but the transitions back and forth aren't fantastic. There was sometimes a lot of rich detail about events in his life that have nothing to do with racing and sometimes almost none about the team or race or season, and sometimes there were lots of details about both - it wasn't consistent. My biggest beef was that he totally glossed over 1994 because he already wrote a book about it - I would have liked to hear the story and let people skip that part if they already heard it.

The photos were great too, I wish they were in chronological order but it was really interesting to see which ones he picked and why. Overall, it was a cool look at the sport from the inside out, and it was great to hear his voice in my head as I read it out loud (he writes exactly like he speaks during the races).

[Aaron Coville · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's clear that Mr. Matchett is not an author. The book isn't particularly well-written and the author goes down far too many tangents. Still, it isn't terrible.

The title of the book and the subject matter implies that you will gain insider information and behind the scenes information of Formula One, specifically the 90's era. There are bits and pieces of this throughout the book but these are interspersed with mind-numbing sections about the procedure the author went through when writing and publishing his previous books... I couldn't care less.

If you are a die-hard Formula One fan it's worth the read but even so I'd recommend skipping some sections that venture too far from the core subject matter.

[Andrei · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is actually a biography (surprise, surprise, I know) that's happening as the F1 Benetton team is marching towards it's 3 World Championships.
However, my expectations were hyped up by the rating and the fact that some still recommend it as "a must read if you're into F1". That's slightly the case.
You get some insight into what the mechanics of an F1 team are actually doing (yes, I know it's already stated in the title), but somehow I expected more, either from a technical perspective, or some more details about the actual races.

Centered around the author's journey alongside the Benetton Formula team, with the decade of racing as a background, rather than the main subject, it's a very peculiar bildungsroman.

Not a bad read after all.

[Alexander J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book ages ago, before I was properly indoctrinated into F1 lore. Finishing it as a super fan. Its mainly interesting for its historiographies value. For instance, it features Jos Verstappen as a supporting character; his son is currently the terror of the grid. It was written before Schumi had won his first title with Ferrari. Also before Nigel Stepney and Flavio Briatore were ignominiously banned from the sport. A mechanic is interesting, but maybe not the perspective someone trying to get into the sport should seek.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a book in general, I give this a 3.0-3.5. If you have any interest in Formula 1, this is a 4.0. (Since most of you could care less about F1, I have given it a 3 in the star ratings.)

This book is a very good insight into the inner workings of F1 teams and personalities. I am grateful to my friend, Robert, for the loan of this book.

[Murray Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Hand Experiences of an F1 Mechanic

I’ve always enjoyed Steve’s insights as a commentator on MSNBC’s F1 race coverage. This book details how he got the experience to have those insights. I’ll definitely be checking out his other books and missing his presence now that the broadcasts have moved to ABC.

[Kifflie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Matchett outlines his career as a mechanic and how he came to work for the Benetton Formula One team in the 1990's. It was a hard job, with crazy hours, lots of travel, and a certain amount of danger involved. Along the way he discovered a desire to write about his experiences. This is a unique, well-written look inside the sport of motor racing.

[Bjoern Rochel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting insights into Benetton in the 90s in here. I was surprised how many players behind the scenes that many years later became famous (or infamous) worked for the team at the time: didn't know about Nigel Stepney, Mike Coghlan and Pat Fry (besides Tom Walkinshaw, Ross Brawn, Willem Toet and Rory Byrne).

[Frieda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it incredibly fascinating reading what was when I really got into watching F1. I had forgotten so much but there was so much more to it than I knew. I also laughed at some of the stuff that hasn't aged well and agreed whole heartedly with Steve's pronouncements on refueling, which is again being touted.

[asdfghl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charmingly old fashioned

Always preferred the backstage to the main stage, and this book is all about that! I guess the name dropping was necessary, but I was mostly interested in how it describes a England/F1/mentality that seems very far away from the beginning of the 2020 season. I also appreciated the technical bits, even if I didn’t quite get most of them!

[Rauno Villberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh... I much preferred "Life in the Fast Lane", a focused look on one season worked better. Too much fluff in this one, as the other reviewers say.
To be fair I'm sure I'd have enjoyed this a bit more had I not started on it pretty much immediately after finishing the first one.

Some good insight and anecdotes for sure, but yeah, definitely recommend the "Life in the Fast Lane" first.

[Luis Goncalves · Rating 2 out of 5]

First half excellent. Second half seemed like it was more about writing this book than being a formula one mechanic. Also, made a reference to his first book... Made me feel like I read the wrong book.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book easy to read and it offered some insights into the world of Formula 1, but it was ultimately more focused on the story of the author and not as interested in the technical insight and knowledge as I was. Recommended with reservations.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would rather read a book about the racing and not as much about a mechanic's life.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, and lots of good detail. The author gets sidetracked on holidays in Australia, and spends to much time sharing personal thoughts and opinions not related to F1

[Harry Harman]

every problem in life has an answer, you just have to be patient and adaptable.

Some mechanics work their way through the junior formulae of motor racing, picking up skills and improving their knowledge as they go from team to team, rising from Formula Ford, to F3, up to F3000, and on into Formula One. Other Grand Prix mechanics work in the road car industry before moving into Formula One, serving apprenticeships, attending college, and learning both traditional and new skills from a solid background in mechanical engineering.

He’s an ex-military man and he ran his workshop in the same fashion: neat, clean, a place for everything and everything in its place.

By working with a Ferrari dealership my own financial worth had increased too, with my offer-of-employment letter stating: ‘Your starting hourly rate will be £3.50 for the first three months, rising to £3.70 and finally to £3.96 after a total of six months’ service, plus overtime and bonus if applicable.’

‘We wish to confirm our offer of employment with this company, as a service technician, at a salary of £9000 per annum, payable monthly in arrears. In addition an anticipated bonus of £2000 p.a.’

I thought would appeal to me most about working for a Formula One team was that there seemed to be no budget restrictions at all.

The team was looking to expand its sub-assembly operation, the department where the brakes, uprights and gearboxes, etc. are rebuilt before being handed over to the car crews for the final building on to the chassis. Greg had read my CV and thought that this sub-assembly work would be a good place for someone with no race experience but with a comprehensive background in mechanics to begin a career within Formula One.

The job also involves keeping a tally of exactly how many kilometres the numerous components have covered each time they are assigned to a different chassis. This process of continually tallying the cumulative distance that the individual parts have covered is known as ‘lifing’ (pronounced life-ing), and is done to ensure they can be removed from the system before they can possibly suffer fatigue failure. For example, if component X is calculated to have a useful life of one thousand kilometres, then it will be scrapped at around nine hundred.

Then Greg asked me if I knew why I had been invited for an interview. It was the neat presentation of my letter and CV, he explained. Mine was the only one he had received which had been written with such care and then enclosed in a display folder.

He would regularly work from 7 am until 6 pm, go home for an hour and then work from 7 pm until 2 or 3 am the next day; and four hours later he would start again. He simply loved his work

The brake calipers and master-cylinders are manufactured by two more companies, either AP Racing or Brembo

[OWEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written from the point of view of Steve Matchett himself and describes his experiences as a mechanic who works up the ranks from a Ferrari dealership to a BMW dealership. While working at Ferrari, he starts to follow Formula One, the most prestigious auto racing on earth. In 1989, he signs a letter to the Bennetton F1 Team, asking to join as a team mechanic, and one year later, he gets the position. From there to 1996, he fights alongside the Bennetton F1 team's Michael Schumacher from 1991 to 1995 with teammates Jos Verstappen, and Johnny Herbert against the Williams of Alain Prost(1992-1993), Nigel Mansel (1991-1992), and Damon Hill (1992-1996) for both the driver's and constructed championship.
The book is mostly targeted at fans of motorsport, but non-motorsport fans could take away to keep pursuing a dream, even when the odds are stacked against you, and to try new possibilities.
I rate this book four out of five stars because while there was some mechanical action from his perspective, it seemed like there could be more. But maybe this was more than a mechanic doing his job, but rather his whole perspective and thoughts while the action is happing right in front of him.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Mechanic’s Tale is Steve Matchett’s memoir of his time as a Formula One mechanic in the 1990s, tracing how he got into the sport and what life in the Benetton pit lane was like during their peak years. It is a personal, easy-to-read account that really conveys the physical and emotional demands on the mechanics: long days, constant travel and the relentless pressure to keep the car running.

From a systems point of view, I found the book fairly light. Instead of really unpacking the team as a complex performance system, Matchett mainly focuses on his own story and experiences. There are only brief hints of structured processes, decision-making frameworks or the broader organisational machinery behind a Formula One operation.

Because I am particularly interested in how modern F1 teams function as integrated technical, human and logistical systems, this book did not give me the depth I was hoping for. The main lessons I took away were more about perseverance and the importance of building strong relationships, rather than about system design or optimisation.

Overall, The Mechanic’s Tale is an engaging personal story about one mechanic’s journey into Formula One

[Kailee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as someone new-ish to the formula 1 world this book really educated me with history of the sport. I found myself googling various names and locations throughout my reading. I truly loved the author’s writing and his unique personal stories and information he provides with such thoughtful observation. The only issue I felt was in the last third of the book there were many areas glossed over that I felt more explanation and detail could have been added, I realized after reading that these sections are what the author’s first book likely detailed on (which I plan to read).

One line about Ferrari from the 1991 chapter of the book gave me such a laugh because it could not have been more true 30 years later in this 2022 season, “Throughout the course of the season the great Italian team seemed completely disorganized and as the season drew to a close it seemed to be in out-and-out panic mode.”