Life in the Fast Lane

by Eddie Irvine, Jane Nottage

Life in the Fast Lane gives a fascinating and revealing insight into the inner sanctum of the most enigmatic team in Formula One. Eddie talks frankly about his colleagues, the Formula One lifestyle, the driver's regime, his family. This book captures the true essence of the gruelling yet glamorous lifestyle of a Formula One driver. It candidly looks at the trappings of Formula One, the models, the planes, the boats, the cars and the houses but at the same time gives an honest portrait of the man behind the playboy image. Controversial, fast-living, outspoken and charismatic, this is Eddie Irvine at his finest.

Genres: Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some great Formula 1 bios out there, however this is not one of them!
An honest and mercifully short detour into the life of a playboy who spends most of his time talking about women, his private jet or his boat then tells you how he's not actually a playboy!
One frustrating aspect is that most of the book isn't even written in his voice - obviously he didn't actually write the book but most of the text comes from other sources such as his parents, sister and many, many friends.
Probably the saddest part of it all is that his career peaked over the course of this book and his constant allusions to a brighter future with Jaguar never came to pass. Even his girlfriend was gone by the time he wrote the 2000 update for this book a few months later!
Read Johnny Herbert's book instead.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very brief account of the life of Eddie Irvine (the book is physically tiny, about 1" smaller in height and width than normal format, and only 248 pages). It is short and feels hastily thrown together. It is fairly interesting and gives some good insights. The writing itself isnt all that spectacular, and is fairly pedestrian, especially the passages from some of his friends.

The format or interspacing chapters about the 1999 season with chapters about aspects of Eddie's life is interesting. Also, having passages from people that knew Eddie is a unique addition I think. However it seems to be overused, but also seems a good portrayal of the man Eddie is as its frequently said in the book that he wont do things he doesn't really want to do... it seems writing this book was one of them!