Formula 101: For F1 Fans Who Love the Drama

by Matt Elisofon

Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to Formula 1 racing and obsessed with Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the Red Flags team—the #1 American F1 podcast—invites readers into an irreverent, hilarious illustrated romp through the wild world of Formula 1.

From epic on-track battles to gloriously delulu off-track drama, tire strategy to the anatomy of a race weekend, Formula 101 is the F1 course you never got in college (but absolutely deserved). Inside, you’ll find deep dives into legendary teams like Scuderia Ferrari; gossipy takedowns of less legendary ones, including Renault; an ode to Guenther Steiner; and enough rigorously (ahem) peer-reviewed driver hotness ratings and nepo-to-talent ratio analyses to earn both this class—and its authors—a place at Harvard, right alongside F1 Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff and his business syllabus.

Readers can meet drivers past and present through five classic archetypes—from terminator to precious baby angel. Packed with illustrations and pop-culture references, Formula 101is the perfect gift for sports fans who love competition, storytelling, and a little gossip, whether they still debate Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s 2021 showdown or are just starting to learn why Formula 1 inspires such intense loyalty. This is Formula 1 by fans for fans. So grab your textbook. Class is in session.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Sports

336 pages, Hardcover

Published November 10, 2026

Reviews

[Charley Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to win this Goodreads early release! Gave it to my 16 year old grandson who inhaled it! His words "it was funny and accurate"!

[Lyndsay · Rating 1.5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of F1, however not a regularly listener of the Red Flags Podcast, but have seen some clips on social media and generally found Matt and Brian to deliver enjoyable commentary. I was excited to see they had wrote a book and was eager to check it out. What a disappointment. While Formula 101 covers the basics of F1 (regulations, season structure, teams, points accrual, history), it also provides lazy, hypersexualized humor that dilutes the science, history, and factual information being shared about this amazing sport.

Nearly every technical concept gets turned into a sex joke. Examples - tire management was compared to sustaining an erection, porpoising becomes “Lewis Hamilton was bottoming," the chassis is “the pointy penis part of the car,” and parts of the track get compared to female genitalia. It’s lazy, not funny in the slightest, and it gets old by the second chapter.

F1 is one of the most science and engineering heavy sports out there, and the authors seem to go out of their way to dumb down every aspect of it and make it more “American.” Woof. I understand the content needs to be approachable and engaging to entice new fans; but sections dedicated to how much rizz a historic figure in F1 has just isn't it.

Sincere thanks to the Macmillan and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[hollie reads it all · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the gifted ALC of “Formula 101: For F1 Fans Who Love the Drama,” by Matt Elisofon and Brian Muller. They host the Red Flags podcast, and they narrate the audiobook! All opinions are my own and freely given!

First and foremost, these two are the perfect duo to describe F1. They play off of each other so well, you can tell they have a great working relationship. They are passionate about F1, know the sport back-to-front, and love talking about it. The banter between the two makes this accessible and fun, and their breakdown of various components of the sport is easy to understand.

As someone who has been an F1 fan for many years, I can attest to how wonderful this guide is. From the mechanics and build of the car, the structure of teams, the various championships (WDC & Constructors), and the history of the sport, this is the perfect overview of F1.

If you’re just loooking to get into F1 and need a guide that’s not intimidating, but will give you a wholistic overview and history of the sport, THIS. IS. IT!

Thank you to MacMillan for the gifted ALC!

This releases November 10, 2026!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Macmillan for the audiobook and to the SMP Early Readers Program for sending me a physical copy of the book.

Admittedly I am not familiar with the Red Flags podcast, but I am a fan of F1. I though this book was a perfect intro for anyone looking to get into F1. The banter in the audiobook really made the content of the book accessible for fans and nonfans alike. I think Formula 1 can sometimes be a boring sport with so much lore and statistics involved. But this book really went over the highlights in an entertaining way.

I would definitely recommend having a copy of the physical book handy because there are illustrations throughout that I think made this book even better to read.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than what I’ve seen briefly on TV, I didn’t know too much about F1 before winning a paperback ARC of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway, but I can now say that I’ve come a long way! This book was a fast read (pun intended). It's informative and fun, which sounds just like what I imagine the authors’ podcast is like. The illustrations/sketches/graphs/charts, etc., added a very welcome texture to the book, as did the many references, elevating it from what could have been a dull overview to something that almost felt interactive in terms of how much time I spent on each page. 3.5 stars rounded up. A solid read!

[Mark Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, irreverent, unhinged coverage of F1 racing. Covers How F1 Works, the cars, the tires, the strategy. Covers basic terms and then the teams. Covers race teams: Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, Renault/Alpine, Sauber/Audi, Red Bull, Mercades, Aston Martin, Haas, and Cadillac. Finally there is a chapter on the drivers who I am not going to list. There are quite a few. If your a fan you might know some of this already. If your not you will have fun reading up on the sport.

[Neha Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Formula 101 is an entertaining and accessible introduction to the world of Formula 1 racing. Written by the hosts of the Red Flags podcast, the book covers everything from the basics of race weekends and tire strategy to legendary teams, famous drivers, and the endless drama that takes place off the track. It's packed with humor, pop culture references, and illustrations that make learning about F1 fun rather than overwhelming.

[R G · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

If you like their podcast, I think you will like this book. The authors deliver "a short view back to the past" that is very valuable to those who are recent fans or those who are new to the sport. They describe many historical figures that should be known in order to fully appreciate individual drivers or teams that fans follow today. Their written voice is very much in the vein of their video/social media content.

[Joanna Alpern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and informative, just like The Red Flags podcast, Matt and Brian take you behind the scenes of the major players in F1 history. Expect to laugh, cry, and be thoroughly riveted by the drama.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I let my brother read it as he is a HUGE F1 fan! He said it was great and asked if he could keep it to read over again. He thanked me more than once and he is not a profusive guy so I know it is a great book.