Formula 1 Fanatic

by Koen Vergeer, David Colmer (Translator)

Formula 1 Fanatic is a passionate and evocative history of the ultimate in motor racing from the early 1970s to the present. Vergeer cleverly interweaves the lives and deaths of such legendary drivers as Jochen Rindt, Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, and Ayrton Senna with the progress of his boyhood obsession. His accounts of the titanic fights between the top drivers€”like the "professor" Alain Prost and the "son of God" Senna, or Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher€”are only matched by the even more ferocious rivalry between the top teams. For anyone enthralled by motor racing, Formula 1 Fanatic is a feast of recognition and nostalgia. For those who know nothing about Formula 1, it explains a mystery.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a thrill to read this book! Thank goodness I decided to buy it in a second-hand bookshop instead of leaving it behind.

I still consider myself an amateur F1 fanatic (it's been only 7 or 8 months since I started obsessing w/ the sport). Formula 1 Fanatic has helped me familiarize w/ the world's fastest motorsport. It takes you on a ride--how the author's obsession w/ the sport began, concise but vivid accounts of remarkable races from the '60s and beyond, and accounts on the legendary drivers and teams who found religion in the motorsport. And it was wonderful getting to know famous names like Nigel Mansell, Gilles Villeneuve, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill (the son of Graham) and Michael Schumacher.

Thank you sincerely for this book, Koen Vergeer.:)

[Mark Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers a period when I first got into F1, the "bad" behavior of Senna and Schumacher (and others) is covered in details as is the victories of Hill and Mansell. Even Max's (my new Bette Noire) father is covered. I really enjoyed the description of the battles in this period. The drivers now retiring or at the end of their careers (Alonso, Button, Kimi....) make their appearance in the last couple of chapters.

[matti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Klappentext hat etwas andere Erwartungen in mir geweckt: Einige Punkte mehr aus kulturwissenschaftlicher Sicht, warum Menschen diesen Sport verfolgen, obwohl er alles andere als sinnvoll ist, hätte ich spannend gefunden. Auch um Erklärungen zu finden, warum ich selbst so nostalgisch auf die Jahre rund um 2000 in diesem Sport schaue. 🤔😄
So gibt der Autor immerhin Einblicke in seine persönliche Formel 1-Leidenschaft und wie ihn die Faszination gepackt hat. Leider beginnt er damit nicht bei den ersten Jahren der Formel 1: Frühe Stars wie Farina, Ascari und Fangio kommen nicht vor. Dafür gibt es einen spannenden Überblick zu brisanten Duellen, wichtigen Momenten und vielen Unfällen und Entwicklungen des Sports von den 70ern bis ins Jahr 2000 mit vereinzelt durchaus kritischen Untertönen.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and compelling look at Formula 1 from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Published 20 years ago, it's still relevant today. He writes so beautifully about it too (the translator deserves recognition), at times it's even poetic, but he's also realistic about the mess F1 often got itself into, there's always a whiff of corruption and incompetence, let alone the number of deaths it took before safety regulations became the standard. A very enjoyable read.

[Maarten De Rijck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories about the golden times of Formula 1

[Bluesshaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it! As a fellow Formula One fanatic and a Senna fan, I thoroughly enjoyed Vergeer's book. Probably the only book that allowed me to live vicariously the joys of a racing fan in Europe. That I received this as a gift made it doubly special. Wonderful read. "For anyone enthralled by motor racing, "Formula 1 Fanatic" is a feast of recognition and nostalgia." About right.

[Patty J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional review coming up...... In a few days or so. Hehehe. Watch out.