Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane

by Matt Whyman

The official, no-holds-barred inside story of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team

“This book lifts the lid on what life is really like inside our team and it has been based on unprecedented access—nobody has ever been this close to what happens behind the scenes.”—Toto Wolff

With exclusive access to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, award-winning writer Matt Whyman charts the journey of the Silver Arrows as they face their greatest challenge: the race back to the front of the grid. Once untouchable, the winner of seven Drivers’ World Championships and eight consecutive Constructors’ World Championships confront the reality of no longer being F1’s top dog. Whyman, fully embedded across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, follows decorated drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, Team Principal Toto Wolff, and the extraordinary men and women who design, build, and race the team’s cars as they fight back—on and off the track.

From the tension of pre-season testing to the thrill and glamour of race weekends—including Austin, Miami, and the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix—the book provides fascinating insight into the world of the fastest sport on earth and one of its most successful teams. Whyman reveals the pressure cooker environment of elite competition, shares the secrets of teamwork and high performance, and foregrounds the remarkable individuals who push to the limits in their quest for victory. The book will also include never-before-seen photographs of life inside the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Audiobook, Business

341 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2024

About the author

Matt Whyman is an award-winning novelist and non-fiction writer. He has co-written bestselling books with some of the world’s leading figures in sport, high performance and popular culture including Gareth Southgate, Matthew Syed, Billy Connolly and Sir David Attenborough as well as the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

Reviews

[Nathan Shuherk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn, I gotta start watching. The drama alone! This was a fun and great starter for me being someone that’s very new to the sport. Really glad to see inside the team and not just a focus on the drivers alone

[Megan Hawley Steinfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best behind the scenes of Formula 1 books that I've read, and I've read everything I can get my hands on! Whyman spends over a year embedded with the Mercedes F1 teams, and chronicles that through individual race weekends and stories from his time with individual team personnel in a compelling and informative way. There is enough explanation and notes for this to be accessible to a newbie fan but enough depth to appeal to a fan at any level of knowledge. He passed what I now consider my "porposing" test with flying colors (it's been explained SO poorly in other books!) and brings personality and character to life in what seems to be a relentless F1 machine, leaving you with a clearer understanding of what, on the human side, goes into an F1 season.

[Wayne's · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull. Way too much made of way too little.

[Freya Davora · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an F1 geek and lifelong Lewis Hamilton fan, I'm finding this book okay but not groundbreaking.

To me, this seems more so based at people who don't really know who's who in Mercedes and are wanting to learn more about the sport in general.

For seasoned fans who are looking for a more indepth and technical read (and yes, okay, dramatic behind the scene scoops), I'd skip this one.

Nevertheless, it's well written.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted to read this in the Winter Break, just had round 8 so that went well! Loved it, real insight to a high performing championship winning team. People, Mentality & Hard-Work.

[Lewis Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* rounded up. A fascinating insight into what it takes to be a high performing team In a sport as demanding as F1. If you think it’s just 20 cars and drivers going round a track then give this a read and you’ll truly understand the relentless work of all those involved within the team (shout out to the men and women back at the factory), even in roles you never knew existed. This is such an interesting read written in a passionate and easy to understand way that should appeal to all fans not just those of Mercedes.

[Anand Iyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book reads like a library of people involved in Mercedes F1 team - their journey through arguably the laborious and turbulent period of the team. While the book did a splendid job in achieving this specific goal, I feel, the book missed quite a lot of inside baseball regarding a lot of struggles, gossips, and ego clashes. This made it tame and ended up more like a puffery rather than documentary

[Isabella Basile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need Matt to write 9 more of these bad boys. I want him spend every year with a different F1 team and hand deliver me the gossip!

[Andy Kowalski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic in-depth view into an F1 team! There are THOUSANDS of people involved in just one race and it is incredible to see how everyone has every department covered. Jobs that I couldn't even imagine have so much importance in this billion dollar industry. Fantastic coverage of a fantastic team!

[Jenni King · Rating 2 out of 5]

much of this felt like a student trying really hard to meet the minimum word count of an essay. would probably be better suited to a brand new fan to formula 1, since so much of it is repeating basic facts and team strategies that most f1 fans would be familiar with (like why do we need a whole page dedicated to describing the monaco track and listing every corner?). the gold is in it’s exploration of the lesser known members of the mercedes team and the roles they fulfill. besides that we don’t learn much new about the drivers or toto wolff that we couldn’t have found elsewhere. the most frustrating part is the belaboring on about the mercedes team vision and goals that makes me feel like i’m in a corporate meeting. it is an unfortunate time period that the writing of the book happened to take place during, but even then i just don’t think this particular STYLE of nonfiction writing could have ever produced an extremely interesting book to read. it’s obviously been commissioned by mercedes f1 team so although there are some sly remarks here or there it really pulls its punches and feels bland. just didn’t scratch the nonfiction itch i’ve had lately.

[Meg McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this! was! so! cool! finished it in honour of lewis in ferrari pictures driving today. but this book and the in depth look at like basically every position within merc was amazing. makes me wish i enjoyed physics and calc in high school and actually had a future in this world but alas. silverstone 24 will always be iconic!

[Gjorgi Georgiev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into this book, I expected to read mainly about the big dogs at Mercedes, but what I loved most was learning about all the “smaller” names who truly make the team what it is. The book does a great job showing how many people, roles, and stories power an F1 giant behind the scenes. It’s engaging, eye-opening, and a real celebration of the unsung experts who keep the team flying.

[Ri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this mercedes-amg petronas f1 team propaganda? yes. is this also a story about everything that it takes to get an f1 car on the track and make a race happen? yes.

Last December I never would have imagined myself having read as many nonfiction books as I have this year, and especially never about sport. But as Matt Deane is quoted in the book, "This sport gets into your blood. It becomes a way of life." and it really has for me.

I enjoyed reading about all the different members of the Mercedes team that make the race weekend happen. From the people who work on the cars, to the communications team and social media team, and also the people who get the motorhomes across the world.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book could have been titled "Barely Inside Mercedes F1". It seems to have been written for someone who is just getting into F1. I found it a frustrating book because a lot of it was stuff that you could learn by watching an F1 broadcast, or by following a couple of websites. But just when you go to give up on the book, it comes out with a really interesting inside story. It was very up to date, ending with the 2024 Monaco G.P.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘When it hurts, it really hurts. But when it’s good, there’s nothing like it. And today was really, really, good.’ - The epitome of this sport, well any sport honestly.
Was this book probably very corporately monitored? Yes
But it wasn’t all a fluff piece and it was wonderful to read and get the insights about what it’s like behind the scenes at Mercedes, how they work and anecdotes as they try to rebuild to where they once were.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Formula 1 racing for several decades, and a big fan of Lewis Hamilton’s since he joined the circuit in 2007. Hamilton rewrote the record books while racing for the Mercedes F1 team, so when I saw this book I jumped at it.

The book follows the team for 18 months, from the start of the 2023 season to halfway through the 2024 season, and it delves into every aspect of the Mercedes F1 operation. Hint, the folks who are at the track on race weekends are only a small part of the team. The author had universal access both to the entire race-weekend operation and Mercedes F1’s two factories, in Brackley and Brixworth, England, and devoted major sections to the team’s state-of-the art simulator, wind tunnel, the traveling team headquarters that is assembled and disassembled each race weekend, and the engineering team that is designing the next year’s car during the current season. Not to mention the public face of the team, drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russel and team principal Toto Wolff. In all, there are are hundreds of highly skilled people working to squeeze every bit of pace out of the car that they can, knowing that every other team is doing the same.

Forget Netflix’s “Drive To Survive,” which has become more of a cliche (or even worse, a joke) each season. This is the real deal, and it’s fascinating for an F1 fan. I think it would even be interesting to a non-fan, but I understand that there’s not really a reason for a non-fan to pick the book up in the first place.

It’s true that the author was given exceptional access, and the resulting book paints the team in a positive light. It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that those two facts are related. But the author avoids fawning and I think the portrait he paints is accurate, and the book gives us a look at a lot of behind-the-scenes activity that we might never know about otherwise.

[Marietere T · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I am going to say is that this book reminded me again why I am not a fan of Toto Wolff. I can respect him with his job and how he manages a team. I just think it's so hypocritical that Toto does pretty much the same things as Christian Horner, but because he is more attractive people give him a pass. (I am not a Christian Horner fan)

It's a sport at the end of the day and his bottom line is always what is best for Mercedes. This felt like a puff piece and I still dislike George a lot too. Thought this would help change my mind but it didn't.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Meghan Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoom zoom. Matt Whyman perfectly encapsulates the relentless workload and human relationships at play during Mercedes F1’s recent 2023 season. This book is both an in-depth look at the meticulous nature of the sport, and an exploration of a legacy team at a crossroads. Fans of the motorsport will no doubt love this exclusive look behind the curtain, but as a layperson, I found the passion of Mercedes’s team members a fascinating deep dive into trade and craft. Enlightening and well-researched.

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok this was sanctioned by the team. I wouldn't exactly label the book as a no-holds barred Inside look at one of the most successful teams in F1 history. This is a decent read for F1 fans looking for a general overview of the inner workings of the operations of an F1 team.

The book does offer some interesting perspectives (Fair play to Matt on going beyond the usual cast of characters - the three guys on the cover), but it doesn't quite reach the level of depth or narrative engagement that would give this a higher rating. A solid middle-of-the-road offering – informative, but not groundbreaking.

[Alejandro Benavides · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed this read. It was great to see the Mercedes team from an absolute more personal and different perspective. As a huge fan of Toto Wolff, I wish there would have been more of him but I do understand this is not a book on him but on the Mercedes tribe. Do recommend to the motorsport fans, or anyone wanted to maximize and optimize their organization.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very flowery writing for a technical book. I appreciated the in depth view of the roles in the garage and use of 90s music references to set the scene. Also maybe not the best book to listen to as an audio book.

[Ashlyn Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.78 stars!! Focused on the behind the scenes of different people & their jobs both trackside and back in the factories that you don’t typically hear about which was cool — wanted some drama but didn’t get it :-// we love team work (but not the team)!

[Randy Holbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

Very good recap of the 2023 and early2024 F1 season at Mercedes Benz. Each chapter looks at the season from the perspective of a different team member. I would have given it 5 stars if not for the usual woke messages sprinkled throughout the book

[Thomas Cave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what you hope it to be, a true insight behind the scenes of Mercedes F1 Team. If you are an F1 enthusiast like me, then it is truly captivating.
I enjoy that fact that it delves into the role of so many different employees at Mercedes and casts a different light on everything that is edited and portrayed in the media usually.
A very well written book and highly recommended.

[Ramil Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great book if you want to know how the Mercedez F1 team operates. Great insights!!!

[Marilu Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jack Granger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the team.

A certain team could never do this

[✧ k a t i e ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wish there would’ve been more of a focus on lewis than george.

[David Stark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Longest Mercedes Benz commercial I’ve ever read

[Karolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spodziewałam się czego więcej. Niby miał być wgląd za kulisy zespołu, a głównie to wyjaśnienie jak funkcjonują wyścigi, zespół i z czym się zmagali przez ostatnie dwa sezony. Dla kogoś kto na bierząco ogląda F1 mało jest ciekawostek. Jedynie trochę komentarzy osób w zespole o tym jak odczuwali porażki, ale wszelakie konflikty i dramy które się odbywały w ostatnich sezonach zostały poruszone powierzchownie.