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Formula One: The Rivals: F1's Greatest Duels
Delve into Formula One’s most iconic rivalries with stunning photography, insight from celebrated F1 journalist Tony Dodgins and a foreword by nine-time grand prix winner Mark Webber.
At the heart of Formula One lies the blistering contests and feuds between the drivers. The drama, personality and thrill of the sport is borne of these fierce duels , where only the fastest and savviest survive.
The rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is one of the fiercest we have seen in Formula One in decades. Incendiary both on and off the track, the battles between the seven-time world champion and the hard-driving Dutchman have only served to highlight the importance of these dramatic conflicts to the sport.
In Formula The Rivals , Dodgins identifies the most prominent rivalries since the championship’s inception in 1950 , including the feud between Hamilton and Verstappen. This highly illustrated book explores the dramatic collisions between drivers vying for the top spot, the bitter wars of words as tension runs high and the controversial decisions that have captivated viewers and delivered truly thrilling racing.
From the slow burn of intense dislike between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to the verbal barbs dished out by Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet to the clash between James Hunt and Niki Lauda that inspired a Hollywood blockbuster, the rivalries
This book is a must-read for all fans of the sport , whether you have been following F1 for decades or are a new fan drawn by the intensity of recent seasons.
At the heart of Formula One lies the blistering contests and feuds between the drivers. The drama, personality and thrill of the sport is borne of these fierce duels , where only the fastest and savviest survive.
The rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is one of the fiercest we have seen in Formula One in decades. Incendiary both on and off the track, the battles between the seven-time world champion and the hard-driving Dutchman have only served to highlight the importance of these dramatic conflicts to the sport.
In Formula The Rivals , Dodgins identifies the most prominent rivalries since the championship’s inception in 1950 , including the feud between Hamilton and Verstappen. This highly illustrated book explores the dramatic collisions between drivers vying for the top spot, the bitter wars of words as tension runs high and the controversial decisions that have captivated viewers and delivered truly thrilling racing.
From the slow burn of intense dislike between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to the verbal barbs dished out by Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet to the clash between James Hunt and Niki Lauda that inspired a Hollywood blockbuster, the rivalries
This book is a must-read for all fans of the sport , whether you have been following F1 for decades or are a new fan drawn by the intensity of recent seasons.
- GenresSports
240 pages, Hardcover
Published March 7, 2023
7 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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January 19, 2023I saw this book and was instantly transported back to Daytona, 2019 when I did three laps at Daytona. All the excitement, all the fantasy going on in my head... And I was with a real racing driver back then, Kenneth, a billionaire who'd raced for Aston Martin, but now did it as a hobby with his own team. If he'd liked me more maybe I would have done laps at more racetracks. But *sigh* I lost that one. But I've got this book! (I'm a big fan of Lewis Hamilton and think I might fantasise about me being his opponent rather than Verstappen).
August 30, 2024
The most exciting part of Formula 1 is the moment when 2 drivers are fighting with equal chances for the championship and unfortunately, this is happening quite often. We are more used to long domination of one team and driver because even teams are trying to avoid a Williams 1986 situation having a clear No. 1 in the team. That is understandable, but boring to watch. The book is going into these intense rivalries, some of them very emotional and some quite peaceful. Probably the most memorable moments in Formula 1 will always revolve around these intense fights. When you look back, the years of these intense rivalries are the ones that movies are made about and books are written about.
The style of the author is very neutral and does not take sides - easy to read and to teleport back in time and feel the drama of those intense battles.
The style of the author is very neutral and does not take sides - easy to read and to teleport back in time and feel the drama of those intense battles.
February 28, 2023
While all forms of auto racing will have rivalries between certain drivers, the driver rivalries in Formula 1 racing usually produce the sport’s fiercest. From the sport’s inception during the 1950’s to today, these rivals have produced some of the most exciting racing that the sport has seen. They are captured in this book by racing journalist Tony Didgins.
It should be noted that this book is one that should not only be read by race fans, but also praised for its illustrations. The photos of the cars and drivers, from Juan Manuel Fangio (winner of five F1 championships in seven years) to the current champion Lewis Hamilton, are even better than the writing of Didgins, which is brief in volume but rich in history.
Didgins covers the best rivalries in the sport in chronological order and some drivers are portrayed multiple times, such as Nikki Lauda, who was a rival of James Hunt and later Alain Prost. Prost himself later was part of the most exciting rivalry in the sport’s history as he and Ayrton Senna had some of the best races, especially in the early 1990’s before Senna’s death. Micheal Schumacher and Hamilton are also mentioned in two different rivalries which is appropriate considering that these two are often mentioned in discussions on who is the greatest F1 driver of all time.
The actual chapters on each rivalry doesn’t give capsules of each driver’s life – instead it talks about their accomplishments and what they did at the time of the rivalry. For example, Lauda’s two chapters just describe first his rise to success then his races against Hunt in that chapter, then picks up when he returns to racing after a three-year absence and develops a strong rivalry with Prost. Same type of description for Prost and his duels with Lauda and Senna.
If nothing else, this book deserves high praise for the great photography throughout. No matter one’s interest in F1 racing, from casual to fanatical, there is something for everyone in this book.
I wish to thank Ivy Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It should be noted that this book is one that should not only be read by race fans, but also praised for its illustrations. The photos of the cars and drivers, from Juan Manuel Fangio (winner of five F1 championships in seven years) to the current champion Lewis Hamilton, are even better than the writing of Didgins, which is brief in volume but rich in history.
Didgins covers the best rivalries in the sport in chronological order and some drivers are portrayed multiple times, such as Nikki Lauda, who was a rival of James Hunt and later Alain Prost. Prost himself later was part of the most exciting rivalry in the sport’s history as he and Ayrton Senna had some of the best races, especially in the early 1990’s before Senna’s death. Micheal Schumacher and Hamilton are also mentioned in two different rivalries which is appropriate considering that these two are often mentioned in discussions on who is the greatest F1 driver of all time.
The actual chapters on each rivalry doesn’t give capsules of each driver’s life – instead it talks about their accomplishments and what they did at the time of the rivalry. For example, Lauda’s two chapters just describe first his rise to success then his races against Hunt in that chapter, then picks up when he returns to racing after a three-year absence and develops a strong rivalry with Prost. Same type of description for Prost and his duels with Lauda and Senna.
If nothing else, this book deserves high praise for the great photography throughout. No matter one’s interest in F1 racing, from casual to fanatical, there is something for everyone in this book.
I wish to thank Ivy Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
February 9, 2023
I am a big F1 fan and when I saw this book was available for review I had to give it a read. It is a great delve into some iconic rivalries in the sport. I don’t know about you but I love the drama of F1 and the people side of it just as much as I love the antics on track.
This book is a must-read for all fans of the sport, whether you have been following F1 for decades or are a new fan drawn by the intensity of recent seasons. You get to learn or relive old rivalries accompanied by some great photos throughout.
Some of the rivalries covered in the book.
Hakkinen vs Schumacher
Hill vs Schumacher
Alonso vs Schumacher
Pironi vs Villeneuve
Mansell vs Piquet
Prost vs Lauda
Prost vs Senna
Hunt vs Lauda
Hamilton vs Rosberg
Hamilton vs Massa
Hamilton vs Verstappen
Vettel vs Webber
And many more
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This book is a must-read for all fans of the sport, whether you have been following F1 for decades or are a new fan drawn by the intensity of recent seasons. You get to learn or relive old rivalries accompanied by some great photos throughout.
Some of the rivalries covered in the book.
Hakkinen vs Schumacher
Hill vs Schumacher
Alonso vs Schumacher
Pironi vs Villeneuve
Mansell vs Piquet
Prost vs Lauda
Prost vs Senna
Hunt vs Lauda
Hamilton vs Rosberg
Hamilton vs Massa
Hamilton vs Verstappen
Vettel vs Webber
And many more
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
March 12, 2023
A beautiful coffee table book! Well written, with fantastic photos. I think this would especially appeal to younger/newer fans drawn in by DTS and the Verstappen/Hamilton battle of 2021 - so many iconic rivalries spanning the entire history of this incredible sport. The off-track drama just adds to the enjoyment of it all!
December 30, 2023
a brilliant cross-section of F1 history, not to mention the photographs in the book
February 24, 2024
Such a great book easy to read if you don’t know anything about the sport or the drivers highly recommend
March 10, 2023
Formula One: The Rivals, by Tony Dodgins, is both a visually fun book as well as a fascinating history told through some of the big rivalries.
What makes any coffee table book a coffee table book are the photographs and illustrations, that is why they are large format. And that is why I enjoy these books. This volume does not disappoint in that area. Something about race cars, especially Formula One cars, is exciting, and if you've ever attended a race, they bring back the thunder as they pass your position. This book also includes a lot of pictures of the drivers, obviously since it is about the rivalries. It was great to see faces I had long forgotten and a few I don't recall at all even though I knew the name.
What sets this book apart from many large format books is the text. The rivalries are fun to read about, whether you remember them all or not. The writing is very good and had me looking for videos online to enhance the reading experience. This is the kind of book that would have been a fun read even if there had been fewer photographs but having a lot of beautiful pictures made it that much better.
In addition to Formula One fans, I think anyone who loves cars and/or the human side of any competition will find a lot here to enjoy.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
What makes any coffee table book a coffee table book are the photographs and illustrations, that is why they are large format. And that is why I enjoy these books. This volume does not disappoint in that area. Something about race cars, especially Formula One cars, is exciting, and if you've ever attended a race, they bring back the thunder as they pass your position. This book also includes a lot of pictures of the drivers, obviously since it is about the rivalries. It was great to see faces I had long forgotten and a few I don't recall at all even though I knew the name.
What sets this book apart from many large format books is the text. The rivalries are fun to read about, whether you remember them all or not. The writing is very good and had me looking for videos online to enhance the reading experience. This is the kind of book that would have been a fun read even if there had been fewer photographs but having a lot of beautiful pictures made it that much better.
In addition to Formula One fans, I think anyone who loves cars and/or the human side of any competition will find a lot here to enjoy.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews