Round-up: Best F1 Books

The overlap between the compulsively arcane literary scene and the numbers-driven Formula 1 grid might not seem large, but whether you’re a casual F1 fan who wants to know more about the great races commentators reference or you’re a seasoned superfan looking for more sources for your next argument defending your favorite team, there are a plethora of books about any subject in the wide world of Formula 1 you could imagine. 

Here are some nonfiction titles that will have you saying “overtake” instead of “pass” and “delta” instead of “difference.” 

F1 books for the drama lovers

If you’re coming from “Drive To Survive” and are totally here for the drama– er, history– at the heart of the pinnacle of motor racing, “The Formula” is for you. Wall Street Journal reporters Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson break some of the key moments in the development of Formula 1 as both sport and spectacle into episodic chapters, following everything from scheme to success.

F1 books for the speed curious

Interested in what it’s like to be behind the wheel of one of these epic machines? Autobiographies “Aussie Grit” by Mark Webber and “How to be an F1 Driver” by Jenson Button do the trick. 

F1 books for the behind the scenes

If you want to know more about the thousands of people at work to design, build, and service the cars, “Inside Mercedes F1” follows writer Matt Whyman as he endeavors to peel back the curtain on the operations of one of the most successful F1 teams of all time.  “How to Win a Grand Prix” by Bernie Collins focuses on what a strategist’s job looks like more specifically, and what her experiences have been with differences between team operations at the front and the back of the grid. 

Adrian Newey’s “How to Build a Car” has something for everyone, between his career path to F1, his time with the most iconic teams through highs and lows (including Ayrton Senna’s death) and his process for designing some of the fastest cars in the sport. The title is more figurative than literal, so don’t fear too much technical jargon, but don’t expect to have Aston Martin knocking on your door after reading, either. 

Additionally, if you speak Spanish, Nira Juanco’s “El Gran Circo de la Fórmula 1” provides insight to the trials and tribulations of working in media around F1, as a host of hilarious personal anecdotes about some of Spain’s fastest drivers.