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Grid to Glory: 75 Milestone Formula One Moments
Celebrating the Formula 1 World Championship’s 75th season in unique, sometimes poignant, sometimes shocking and always high-energy style with Channel 4’s face of F1, Alex Jacques.
Over 75 chapters, Alex Jacques tells the story of Formula 1’s rise, fall and recovery through the extraordinary moments that shaped the direction of the world’s most dramatic sport. Covering the teams, the drivers, the bosses and the pit crews, Alex Jacques truly takes us trackside to feel the energy and hear from the personalities we love to watch.
Stories range from moments of awestruck disbelief at the money associated with the sport; huge personalities and the hijinks they wreak at every turn; moments of clarity that can change the course of a driver’s career; the true story of why Ferrari did not sell to Ford in 1963, which ensured Ferrari would remain ever-present in the F1 World Championship; how a simple misreading of regulations led to the making of a monster car. These iconic stories and many more will make this an F1 classic title.
Colourfully written and encompassing every aspect of the unique composition of elite motorsport – glamour, rivalry, death, strategy, technology, business and controversy – this book will appeal to old and new fans of the sport, as its mix of known and never-before-told stories provide context to some of the most talked-about incidents in sporting history.
Over 75 chapters, Alex Jacques tells the story of Formula 1’s rise, fall and recovery through the extraordinary moments that shaped the direction of the world’s most dramatic sport. Covering the teams, the drivers, the bosses and the pit crews, Alex Jacques truly takes us trackside to feel the energy and hear from the personalities we love to watch.
Stories range from moments of awestruck disbelief at the money associated with the sport; huge personalities and the hijinks they wreak at every turn; moments of clarity that can change the course of a driver’s career; the true story of why Ferrari did not sell to Ford in 1963, which ensured Ferrari would remain ever-present in the F1 World Championship; how a simple misreading of regulations led to the making of a monster car. These iconic stories and many more will make this an F1 classic title.
Colourfully written and encompassing every aspect of the unique composition of elite motorsport – glamour, rivalry, death, strategy, technology, business and controversy – this book will appeal to old and new fans of the sport, as its mix of known and never-before-told stories provide context to some of the most talked-about incidents in sporting history.
320 pages, Paperback
Published November 18, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 20, 2026
A quick sprint through the history of F1. By its nature, short chapters leave some detail out when you might want to know more, and there isn't room to fit in all the moments that fans will remember. But a good read for newcomers and for fans wishing to remember some classic moments.
December 31, 2025
As for the 75 milestones contained within, there's no doubt that Alex Jacques knows his history. He's plucked interesting anecdotes from throughout the history of Formula 1 and even enhanced my understanding of some I was familiar with already.
What dinged this down to three stars to me was the writing. I'm not sure if there was much editing done because there are a lot of semicolons. Like multiple per paragraph. One example: "Jean-Marie Balestre, intervened; pole position would stay away from the racing line again." Why the comma?
I'm also afraid that by releasing this with only a portion of 2025's season established, some of the facts within are already slightly outdated. Oh Alex, you huffed so much hopium...
What dinged this down to three stars to me was the writing. I'm not sure if there was much editing done because there are a lot of semicolons. Like multiple per paragraph. One example: "Jean-Marie Balestre, intervened; pole position would stay away from the racing line again." Why the comma?
I'm also afraid that by releasing this with only a portion of 2025's season established, some of the facts within are already slightly outdated. Oh Alex, you huffed so much hopium...
February 16, 2026
“in 2017, charles leclerc lost his father, and in his final days he told his father a white lie. that he’d made it to formula one, that he’d signed the contract. it wasn’t true then, but his driving has made it true now, and look what he’s done with the opportunity. the grandstands that he saw built as a kid growing up now rise for him, and for the first time in 93 years this fabled race is won by one of their own. charles leclerc wins the monaco grand prix!” — brilliant book by the man that gave us that incredible piece of commentary
September 5, 2026
In From Grid to Glory, Alex Jacques, amazing motorsport commentator and principal commentator for F1TV, takes you along for a quick jog through 75 memorable passages in F1's 75-year history. I'd definitely recommend this book to F1 fans: it has a few flaws, but I still found it quite entertaining and informative.
The most important disclaimer I can give for this book, I think, is that it is best enjoyed as an avid, but not hardcore F1 fan. If you are too new to the sport, you might end up a bit lost in some of the stories, as the book does not include basic explanations of things like racing rules, tyre compounds, blue flags, etc. The book also clearly anticipates some familiarity with the big names in the sport, especially when the stories approach the current day. Conversely, if you are a hardcore F1 fan with good knowledge of the history of F1, most of this book will not be news to you.
That said, I would describe myself as an avid, but not hardcore fan, so I feel like I got a lot out of the book! The writing style definitely feels Jacquesian and sweeps you up and into well known milestones and tragedies, but also shows very important, but often overlooked stories from the past 75 years. I definitely learned a lot of interesting history, especially from the earlier years, brought in nicely bite-sized chapters. I also appreciate the neutral perspective here, as this book comes from a commentator not currently or previously affiliated with any team, which would inevitably colour interpretations (as is the case in the previous two F1 books I read, namely those of Adrian Newey and Bernie Collins).
The main issue I had with this book, which knocks it down a star, is that I felt my enjoyment dropped off a bit towards the end (or, to use F1 lingo, it 'dropped of a cliff' somewhat). This is due to a shift from broader, personal stories to 'race reviews'. The earlier parts of the book focus more on people and teams and their larger journeys and arcs, while the later parts tend to sacrifice the bird's eye view of many of the earlier parts to focus more on play-by-play action of pivotal races. While these races are definitely important, descriptions of those races sadly do not always make for very interesting reading.
Upon reflection, it is a testament to Jacques storytelling talent and eye for storylines that so much of the book ís so interesting, considering F1 is such a visual sport. When the book actually got down to blow-by-blow on track battles, I often found myself skimming, because "Hamilton manages to overtake into turn six, but Rosberg gets a better run onto the straight and manages to regain P1" is simply not nearly as entertaining as watching it happen. In fact, for many of those later chapters, I would recommend watching clips of the racing you just read about to actually experience it fully.
As for other qualms: there are a few misspellings, weird turns of phrase and redundant sentences, which could have been solved by a bit more editing, but these occurrences are few and far between enough that they did not really bother me. Concerning the choice of topics, I would imagine the real hardcore fans have more opinions on this, but one omission I found really remarkable was Crashgate. I wonder if Jacques feels a need to avoid controversial topics concerning people still active in the sport.
All that said, this book is a great read for avid F1-fans looking to brush up on their history and by far the best F1 book I've read so far!
The most important disclaimer I can give for this book, I think, is that it is best enjoyed as an avid, but not hardcore F1 fan. If you are too new to the sport, you might end up a bit lost in some of the stories, as the book does not include basic explanations of things like racing rules, tyre compounds, blue flags, etc. The book also clearly anticipates some familiarity with the big names in the sport, especially when the stories approach the current day. Conversely, if you are a hardcore F1 fan with good knowledge of the history of F1, most of this book will not be news to you.
That said, I would describe myself as an avid, but not hardcore fan, so I feel like I got a lot out of the book! The writing style definitely feels Jacquesian and sweeps you up and into well known milestones and tragedies, but also shows very important, but often overlooked stories from the past 75 years. I definitely learned a lot of interesting history, especially from the earlier years, brought in nicely bite-sized chapters. I also appreciate the neutral perspective here, as this book comes from a commentator not currently or previously affiliated with any team, which would inevitably colour interpretations (as is the case in the previous two F1 books I read, namely those of Adrian Newey and Bernie Collins).
The main issue I had with this book, which knocks it down a star, is that I felt my enjoyment dropped off a bit towards the end (or, to use F1 lingo, it 'dropped of a cliff' somewhat). This is due to a shift from broader, personal stories to 'race reviews'. The earlier parts of the book focus more on people and teams and their larger journeys and arcs, while the later parts tend to sacrifice the bird's eye view of many of the earlier parts to focus more on play-by-play action of pivotal races. While these races are definitely important, descriptions of those races sadly do not always make for very interesting reading.
Upon reflection, it is a testament to Jacques storytelling talent and eye for storylines that so much of the book ís so interesting, considering F1 is such a visual sport. When the book actually got down to blow-by-blow on track battles, I often found myself skimming, because "Hamilton manages to overtake into turn six, but Rosberg gets a better run onto the straight and manages to regain P1" is simply not nearly as entertaining as watching it happen. In fact, for many of those later chapters, I would recommend watching clips of the racing you just read about to actually experience it fully.
As for other qualms: there are a few misspellings, weird turns of phrase and redundant sentences, which could have been solved by a bit more editing, but these occurrences are few and far between enough that they did not really bother me. Concerning the choice of topics, I would imagine the real hardcore fans have more opinions on this, but one omission I found really remarkable was Crashgate. I wonder if Jacques feels a need to avoid controversial topics concerning people still active in the sport.
All that said, this book is a great read for avid F1-fans looking to brush up on their history and by far the best F1 book I've read so far!
November 15, 2025
Alex Jacques' infectiously enthusiastic, passionate and poetic commentating style really shines through in his writing. He has such a special skill for really capturing the emotion of every moment, making these historical races feel like it's happening right then as you're reading it.
Just like I'll always remember his commentary when Charles Leclerc won his first Monaco Grand Prix word-for-word, this book has been truly memorable in a way that I haven't found a lot of accounts of F1 lore to be. It does a really great job of unifying all the dramatic highs and lows of F1, and telling stories that have almost been lost to time for younger fans, where you really see the impact that all these big names have actually had both on each other and on the sport.
F1 has seen a lot tragedy and death, and this is the first time I really felt the emotional toll of those defining moments; his chapters on Villeneuve/Pironi, Senna's death, and Charles and Jules even had me crying.
Would really recommend this to any F1 fan, whether you already know the history or not. This is a retelling through the lens of someone with genuine love and respect (and, most importantly, wheel knowledge), which you don't see often enough.
Just like I'll always remember his commentary when Charles Leclerc won his first Monaco Grand Prix word-for-word, this book has been truly memorable in a way that I haven't found a lot of accounts of F1 lore to be. It does a really great job of unifying all the dramatic highs and lows of F1, and telling stories that have almost been lost to time for younger fans, where you really see the impact that all these big names have actually had both on each other and on the sport.
F1 has seen a lot tragedy and death, and this is the first time I really felt the emotional toll of those defining moments; his chapters on Villeneuve/Pironi, Senna's death, and Charles and Jules even had me crying.
Would really recommend this to any F1 fan, whether you already know the history or not. This is a retelling through the lens of someone with genuine love and respect (and, most importantly, wheel knowledge), which you don't see often enough.
November 6, 2025
A great insight into some great moments in the history of F1. Really easy to read and get a sense of some amazing moments and learn about some moments I wasn’t overly familiar with. A great way to digest the history of the sport in a collection of short bite sized moments that give you a create collection of moments from 1950 right thought to 2025.
August 25, 2026
As an avid F1 fan for many years, this is a great snapshot of the most important and dramatic moments in the history of the sport. A must read for anyone interested in Formula 1. If not only to highlight how often something spectacular occurs then to find out more about the world's No. 1 motorsport.
February 8, 2026
Probably a great read for a new fan, as it contains a patchwork of interesting moments throughout the history of F1. For an obsessive fan of 30 years though, there wasn't much new - although still a nice refresher.
April 23, 2026
Great bitesize chapters covering some of the most iconic moments in the sport, Alex Jacques provides a thorough breakdown of how these pivotal events in F1’s rich history shaped the iconic sport we watch today!
November 6, 2025
this is my first year watching F1 so was a really helpful insight to the history of the sport
November 17, 2025
A definite book to read (or get) for an avid F1 fan! It is good insight to things you don't normally hear about and especially so the stories from before I started to watch F1, especially early days and how actions then helped modify the sport that we love to watch.
January 19, 2026
this book is the greatest thing that happened to humankind since sliced bread
February 8, 2026
A book for F1 fans old and new.
April 11, 2026
Great intro to some the most iconic and important moments in F1 history
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews