Member Reviews
There are multiple instances where words are not finished or completed that make it difficult to read. The book does detail formula 1 in a very informative way that does not make it feel like they are trying to explain every detail.
In F1 Racing Confidential, Giles Richards interviews 20 people with different roles in F1 about their jobs. I found each interview a genuinely interesting insight into a side of the sport you don't often see. I really enjoyed seeing the different personalities working in the field as well.
While I really liked the individual interviews, as an overall book, it unfortunately didn't work as well for me. Firstly, these are 20 interviews written in very similar ways, and it did feel a bit repetitive after a while. Secondly, it is incredibly obvious that everyone's PR teams have fully signed off on this - no industry is as perfect as this makes it seem. Thirdly, it starts to feel dated very quickly. Reading how nobody but Red Bull and Mercedes have won a championship in years, knowing that McLaren just won, makes this book already feel older than it is. As a series of interviews in a motorsports magazine, this would be perfect. As a book, it just worked less well for me.
All that said, the interviews are genuinely interesting individually, and if you are interested in learning more about the work that happens in the background of F1, I can genuinely recommend picking this up and reading them one at a time.
Many thanks to Michael O'Mara Limited and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC. All opinions are my own.
It was a very interesting read. I’ve been watching formula 1 for years now and it’s been a great experience to learn even more about some personalities of the paddock and to get a glimpse at their different purposes in this sport. To me it was more engaging than some other forms of documentaries because it’s more authentic, less sensational. And I like this approach way more. Giving a voice to these people who make the sport every day and are dedicated to it is such a love letter to them and to the sport and it was lovely to read.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
This book will be great for somebody who is brand new to Formula 1 and doesn't know the the ins and outs of the sport. There is some good information on figures at different levels of F1 from race engineers to performance coaches, but I think more page space could've been given to the drivers. Unfortunately, the formatting in this eARC was not great. Letters (particularly f's and t's) were frequently missing and there were no headings, which this book should have.