Formula 1: The Official History

by Maurice Hamilton, Ross Brawn (Foreword)

Formula 1: The Official History is a beautifully illustrated history of Formula 1 that traces the Drivers' World Championship, decade by decade, from its first race on 13 May 1950 through all 70 editions. Few sports have changed as dramatically as Formula 1 motor racing, but it essentially remains the same, a high-speed race in cars constructed to the highest technical performance level possible. This book charts the championship, highlighting the racing heroes, growth and diversity of each season, title races, arrival and departure of manufacturers, key moments and the major improvements in all aspects of safety. The author has been granted unique access to the organisation, while each chapter contains special features on the greatest drivers and teams, important personnel, famous and infamous incidents and key changes to the rules on design, safety and competitiveness. All in all, Formula 1: The Official History is a fantastic celebration of one of the world's most popular, spectacular and glamorous sports.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, History, Cars, Biography, Racing

272 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2020

Reviews

[Kuba ✌ · Rating 4 out of 5]

dla fanow formuły 1 bedzie to hot take. tym bardziej jak nie wie sie duzo o samych poczatkach. te pierwsze dwie dekady troche mnie zmeczyly, ale ciekawym doswiadczeniem bylo zobaczenie jak na przestrzeni lat zmienial sie ten motosport. jak ktos jest zainteresowany tematem to powinna mu sie spodobać. do tego ma swietne ilustracje!

[kubuś · Rating 5 out of 5]

troche boring momentami bo sporo rzeczy juz wiedzialem ale i tak bylem mega into it wiec aha no i lata 70 i 80 mega stomp

[zofka · Rating 4 out of 5]

lata 70. i 80. >>>

a tak na poważnie, książka bardzo na plus, szczególnie powinna poszerzyć horyzonty nowym fanom f1 (osobiście znaczną większość rzeczy wiedziałam). szata graficzna bardzo dodaje do całokształtu, zdjęcia ubarwiają historię i zwyczajnie dobrze się na nie patrzy.

ostatnie lata f1 już dosyć po łebkach traktowały o przebiegu sezonów, natomiast wiadomo, że jeśli kogoś zainteresował dany wątek, czy kierowca, to pogrzebie sobie w odmętach internetu, czy zasięgnie wiedzy w konkretnych książkach poświęconych danemu tematowi.

overall 4/5 ⭐️

[Connor Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read if you’re a fan of Formula 1. It was fun being a larger coffee table book size, and I enjoyed the histories and photographs throughout the decades of F1. As a new fan, it was enlightening to learn about the previous teams, drivers, and storylines in the sport. Though it can still be dangerous, it’s incredible how far safety in the sport has come and the amount of tragedies that occurred in the early days.

Quote: “You had to be pretty brave to drive the cars from the early eras...Everyone would try to be sensible - but, the problem was, safety wasn’t mandatory.”

[Agata · Rating 4 out of 5]

nigdy nie wgłębiałam się w początki formuły 1 więc na pewno bardzo ciesze się, że miałam okazję dowiedzieć się więcej. jednak im bliżej do obecnych czasów już coraz więcej wiedziałam i trochę uważam że niektóre sytuacje były tak po krótko opisane, że masakra totalna. ale ogólnie jestem zadowolona i dziękuje za super prezent świąteczny 🫶💝💘

[lina ✰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was absolutely intended to be a coffee table book but i read it anyway

(ignore the fact that i've been reading this book for over a year. i remember starting this book around halloween in Elliott—that's how long ago that was. oops.)

[Tim Verstraete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a fun and entertaining read…

[Kaan Zengin]

Disappointing. While I did not have the expectation of reading a detailled description of every major event in F1 history, I was still shocked by how superficial this one is. On such example can be found on page 67, where it is said: "Apart from the loss of Clark, it has been a desperate year, three other F1 drivers being killed". There is further explanation of circumstances, no names given. There are tons of phrases like this one where it is up to the reader to research somewhere else to get the full picture.

This does also apply in particular to on track action. A lot of memorable races or defining moments are not even mentioned, e.g. Schumacher's great victories at Spa 95 or Barcelona 96, Panis' sensational win at Monaco 96, Johnny Herbert's win at the Nürburgring 99, Kimi's win at Suzuka 2005, Button's charging drive at Montreal 2011 and many many more. Sometimes, there are just images from a certain race which help us refresh our memory, like the mentioned Button win in Canada 2011 or Barrichello's unforgettable win at the Hockenheimring in 2000.

This is especially annoying as some minor parts of the book are really great proving that the author is in fact capable to narrate a good story. In the 80s section for example, the 87 Silverstone race is described in a captivating manner. But then again, just one page before that, there is talk of the 1986 title fight. While that race had everything it needs for a top-class Hollywood movie, this is what the author tells us about it:
"Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a welcome addition to the calendar was in line to host a truly dramatic finale to the 1986 season. Twelve months before, the first-ever World Championship race in Adelaide had enticed just one journalist from so-called Fleet Street to travel to Australia, largely because the title had already been settled in Prost's favour. In 1986, Mansell's presence in the three-way title shoutout attracted every national newspaper and media outlet worthy of credential" (p.135)
Seriously? One of the greatest title fights of all time, and the author does not even bother to tell about the outcome? Forget about all the drama that has happened with Mansell's tyre blow. Just adding in that Prost was able to defend his title would have been value adding (and this fact alone describes the quality of the book I guess).

Overall, I simply think that this one is a missed opportunity. For someone like me who knows a whole lot about this sport, it is not really satisfying to go through this book. On the other hand, for someone who is particularly new to the sport, I would not recommend this book either as it only gives a blurry (and nowhere near full) picture of the major events .

[Gethin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excquizit read 🤓

[Alexandru · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book by Liberty Media for new fans of Formula 1. Beautiful pictures, but the stories are short and arranged in a strange manner. Each decade of F1 history is in a separate chapter, but the stories within it's chapter are rather shallow. Probably a good starting point for a F1 beginner or for fans of nice licensed pictures.

[alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly had a handful of interesting facts, but was difficult to follow amidst a sea of details. Did its job of being a holistic account of the history of the sport, but its broad scope actually made it feel dense. Pictures included are beautiful, though. Don't regret reading it, but was kind of a bear to get through. Reads like a textbook but not in a good or easy way.

[Marcel Heijink · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book on the history of F1. Of the period between 1950 and 2021, the highlights are named accompanied by beautiful photos. It is interesting and easy to read. Still, in my humble opinion, it is told just a bit too much from the British perspective. I understand that Great Britain has played an important role for motorsport, but at the same time this also applies to other countries. Recommended read if you're interested in the highlights of F1.

[Grace B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of poignant moments in Formula 1 that gives some perspective to the technical history and politics. It did leave me wanting for a more complete story, and I often found myself searching for more explanation or just having to reread. While I liked the selected photos, I often found typos and found some of the timeline confusing. Overall though, it was an enjoyable read if not only for my interest in the sport.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It‘s a very good introduction to F1 history if one wants to get a bit more knowledge than just the races. Definitely recommended as a beginner‘s guide.

However, I feel like the structure within each chapter is quite confusing and not easy to follow, and it is more of a narration than a comprehensive guide.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for nerds like me who want to know more about F1’s illustrious history. It details a variety of driver, constructor, regulatory and sporting highlights, as well as some lowlights throughout the decades. If you aren’t already clued up on some of the major figures and events in F1, it’s worth a read.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read for fans of F1. It was great hearing some of the stories from the beginning of F1 (like the driver leading Monaco not wrecking as he realized people weren’t watching him but looking at something else (a wreck) so he slowed down) and seeing the changes that have happened over time (cars gaining wings and rules changing). Lots of great pictures as well.

[Catherine Walker]

sure, this may have been 30% pictures, but a) there's a saying about that, b) we have challenge targets to meet, and c) the words between the glossy pics would've been meaninglessly dull to me this time 2yrs back

(c is not necessarily a good thing, but the book itself is solid)

[Cassandra C · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing is chaotic and assumes significant familiarity with the sport. I could barely understand the parts I didn’t already know about, especially the early decades. Still, it was cool to get a sweeping overview of the history of the sport and some of the photographs were amazing.

[kate. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could be more in depth, but great photos.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview

[Nick Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a MUST for an fan of Formula 1! Tremendous stories and photographs!

[Rozanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like a tv documentary would be a better format for this information, it was a bit hard to follow sometimes. Aside from that the book was interesting and the pictures were great.

[Lucie Pmm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely look back at the rich history of this sport, with beautiful pictures to boot.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded down from 4.5 stars

[Steven Bene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vcelku stručná história s množstvom obrázkov. Dalo by sa to aj lepšie. Nájdeš tam ale všetko podstatné v skratke 😁

[Milliexxreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in the library and well i already knew 3/4 but i liked the photo's 💕

[Joana · Rating 5 out of 5]

lindo 🥹

[☆ Iga ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ta książka znów dała mi poczucie, że nic nigdy nie zmieni tego, jak bardzo kocham ten sport ❤️😭, a to po prostu kronika

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There wasn't a real structure within the decades. I loved the pictures, but I also think the author had weird priorities. Legends and important people were rather glossed over, but let's focus on Nigel Mansell and some irrelevant teams...