Review of "Sir Lewis"

While I consider myself to be more of a NASCAR fan than F1, I am finding that books about the latter are much more interesting for reading than the former and as a result, more of my books on auto racing are falling into the F1 category.  Here is my latest F1 read on Sir Lewis Hamilton.

Title/Author:

“Sir Lewis” by Michael Sawyer

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Lewis Hamilton has won seven F1 driving titles and yet, some don’t consider that to be his greatest accomplishment.  Being the only Black driver on the F1 circuit, he had to overcome many barriers and challenges that many minority people face whenever they are striving to succeed, in sports or otherwise.  He has done gracefully, with great success and has become a strong activist for equality. How he came to this point, in both his racing and his activism, is portrayed in this excellent book by Micheal Sawyer.

 If there is any downfall to this book, it would be that for readers who follow F1 or Hamilton closely, there won’t be much new material in the book. As one who would be best considered a casual fan of F1 and only knew about Hamilton’s success with his championships, I found the book to be full of new information that I did not know about him and came away with even more respect for the man than I did before I picked up the book. The many post-race interview transcripts helped formulate this impression, but I can understand where this may be redundant for those who follow Lewis closely.

Because the book deals mostly with Hamilton’s racing and his activism, I did find it to not quite be a “biography” as it is marketed, despite covering most of Hamilton’s life.  It is clear how not only the book will read, but also how Hamilton’s life will be shaped when Sawyer writes about the sacrifices and hardships his father makes so that Lewis can race, starting in go-karts and extending until the McLaren team decided to take a chance on the young but talented driver.  Even in the go-kart level, it takes a lot of money to dedicate the proper resources to the sport, something the Hamilton family did not always have.  Add in the elitism and the racism endured by the family and it makes Lewis’ accomplishments even more astounding.

There is also a great deal of racing material in the book, especially when Lewis’ rivals such as Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.  The latter was his teammate when Lewis was with McLaren racing and the tension between them is covered quite well.  The same can be said for the rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen and what is most impressive is the class and humility for which Hamilton handles himself when faced with questions about his rivals.  This is true even in the case of the controversial finish of the 2021 F1 season when some questionable ruling on the final lap gave Verstappen the title over Hamilton. 

Lastly, the sections that describes Hamilton’s activism, his quotes about events such as the police shooting of Breanna Taylor and his calm demeanor that makes his statements even more powerful.  He handles this topic as skillfully and masterfully as he does a race car.  In the same manner, Sawyer handles this topic well. While his text when interjecting his own thoughts with Hamilton’s can come across as much stronger, it is written even-handedly and fairly.  For all of these reasons, this reader who wanted to learn more about Hamilton believes this is an excellent book for that endeavor.

I wish to thank Grand Central Publishing for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Sir Lewis: Sawyer, Michael: 9781538769744: Amazon.com: Books

 

Review of “How to Win a Grand Prix”

 While most of my viewing of auto racing is that of NASCAR races, I am learning a lot about F1 racing through books. The best of those books so far is this one by a former engineer and strategist who takes the reader inside F1 teams. 

Title/Author:

“How to Win a Grand Prix: From Pit Lane to Podium” by Bernie Collins

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: While drivers get the glory and attention during Formula One races, there’s a huge team of mechanics, engineers and strategists who compose a team of which the drivers of the cars are just one person. This book by former Aston Martin engineer and strategist Bernie Collins is a fascinating look at the work of these men and women that is vital to the success of any F1 team.

Collins, who is now a broadcaster for Sky Sports coverage of F1, got her start after graduation with McLaren. After describing her early career, she takes the reader to various offices, booths, hospitality sites and the pit wall when describing the many jobs and duties of each worker. Of course, since she worked as first an engineer and then a strategist at her next team, Force India and then Aston Martin, she writes the most about these jobs.

The level of detail the Collins describes for these jobs can seem overwhelming to the new or casual fan of racing. The amount of work these teams do to design and build a car is vividly described in these passages. The same goes for the calculations, data analysis and strategy that she did both in an office and at the track. I felt her writing about this job was the best, as she took the reader along for what her “typical” week would look like, from meetings to the free practice runs to qualifying and finally to race day. Everything from the best laps to pit to tire performance was meticulously planned and described in these chapters. 

When I downloaded this book I expected it to be more of a description of the jobs behind the pit wall during a race. I am glad it was so much more than that as I learned a lot about the inner workings of an F1 team. Even if your preference for auto racing is another avenue like NASCAR or Indy cars, pick up this book and read about the workings of a racing team. 

I wish to thank Quercus for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The views expressed are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/How-Grand-Prix-Bernie-Collins/dp/1529437598/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2U5RO9BCNH9QR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.A-aQ2pQxp8_G-iZVMLr0EBKYLyQoAow3madvmGnpNVOuQLjIkLxqI7iXXC_sBJYN.ua4GIUFIhdsnoNvNBCBztBZ-1iczb9zLyAajPe0MREo&dib_tag=se&keywords=how+to+win+a+grand+prix+bernie+collins&qid=1730414797&sprefix=How+to+win+a+grand+prix%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1 

Review of "Surviving to Drive"

This is another example of a book that I am glad that I chose the audio version instead of the print or electronic version.  Guenther Steiner's humor and colorful language made this book a fun listen - I doubt it would have been as good just reading it.  It's a shame he left F1 before the 2024 season.  Here is my review of "Surviving to Drive." 

 

Title/Author:

“Surviving to Drive” written and narrated by Guenther Steiner

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Buoyed by the popularity of the Netflix series “Drive to Survive”, Formula 1 (F1) racing has enjoyed a surge in popularity and one of the personalities who fans both old and young alike is Guenther Steiner.  This audiobook written and narrated by Steiner is a very good recap of his 2022 F1 season with the Haas team.

Haas is one of the smaller teams in F1 and doesn’t have the same amount of money, resources, or personnel that some of the bigger teams do like McLaren or Red Bull Racing.  Nonetheless, they make do with what they have in order to compete and earn points each week on the circuit and Steiner’s stories give the reader/listener great insight into the workings and issues faced by a team of this size.

There is plenty of material on the two main drivers for Haas that year, Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher (son of legendary driver Michael Schumacher), as well as Haas and of course, Steiner himself.  His unfiltered recall of the races, trials and tribulations of his team are great reading.  The audio version, which I listened to, was even better as you can tell through Guenther’s voice when he was elated, or he was frustrated.  

His insight and language (not the accent, but also the colorful words he used which are not safe for children) make the stories even better.  This is especially true about the days between races.  Whether it was a story about the travel, the amount of work to get the cars ready or just venting, Steiner made the recollection of a F1 season very entertaining.

Link: Surviving to Drive by Guenther Steiner - Audiobook - Audible.com

Review of "Hairpins"

I find fictional books on racing, no matter what type of racing, to be quite realistic in their descriptions of what drivers experience in their cars and this book is no exception.  Here is my review of "Hairpins"

 

Title/Author: “Hairpins: A Formula 1 Racing Novel” by Wayne Kerr

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Formula 1 racing, much like other forms of auto racing, is mostly a male-dominated sport but there are some women who are breaking barriers and succeeding in the business.  This fictional novel by Wayne Kerr centers around a young woman, Nikita (Niki) Madera, and her races in the highest level in the sport.

Niki, her McLaren teammate Martin LaConte and Alfa Romeo driver Joshua (Shu) Wheeler are characters that are well developed in the story and there is a budding romance between Niki and Shu despite the fact that they are teammates.  There are other important characters to the story, such as Niki’s best friend and manager Lynn and Camryn Cardinal, another female driver.

However, the main selling point of the book is what happens in the racing simulator and on the track.  There is a lot of detailed information on what Niki, Shu and the other drivers are doing.  This includes conversations between the driver and spotter, the strategies made by each team and great detailed explanations on the cars, the tracks and the various hazards that each driver faces.  The reader will really feel like they are part of the team or sitting in the cockpit of the car or simulator through most of the book.  There is enough technical talk that knowledgeable race fans can learn more, but not so technical that novice or non-fans can still understand what is happening.

If one is looking for a dramatic, character-driven story, this is not the one.  But for an excellent description of a driver’s experience during a Formula 1 season, then this is the book for that reader.  Despite the story being fictional, the description of the tracks, cars, and race teams feels very realistic.

I wish to thank the author and publisher for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Review of "The Formula"

While NASCAR is my favorite motorsport, I do like to watch an occasional Formula 1 race and I LOVE to read anything I can on it.  This book is one reason why F1 books are so good - this one deals mostly with the business side and it's fantastic.  Here is my review of "The Formula."

Title/Author:

“The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 Into the World’s Fastest-Growing Sport” by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (Excellent)

Review:  Formula 1 racing has long been a staple of the sports environment in Europe for several decades.  However, it had trouble attracting fans in the United States until a Netflix show about the sport called “Drive to Survive” was shown during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.  How the sport got to that point, and what has taken place since to make it grow as fast as the subtitle suggests, is documented in this excellent book by Wall Street Journal writers Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg.

 

This book, as the authors state in the beginning, is not a detailed history of the sport in which race results are chronicled, drivers and crews are not provided detailed biographies and details about season results are not recapped here.  Instead, this book provides many excellent stories and illustrations on the business side of the sport from its early history to its current popularity that has grown from the Netflix exposure.

While biographies are not a main source of information in this book, the authors do a terrific job of portraying some of the biggest names in the sport, both on the business side and some of its most famous drivers.  For the latter, there is an entire chapter on Michael Schumacher, considered by some to be the greatest driver in the history of F1.  A good portrait of the best driver in the 1990’s, Ayrton Senna is also done well.  It is short mainly because Senna died in a 1994 crash.  Then there are the two current superstars, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Their personalities and excellence on the road are both well-written and compelling reading.

As good as these are, however, the best parts of the book are when Robinson and Clegg are writing about the business side of the sport, complete with complex rule changes, back-room dealings, television contracts that are written mainly to only line the pockets of the leaders and so much more.  Personalities here are described in even better prose than described above on the drivers.  Enzo Ferrari, Bernie Ecclestone and Colin Chapman are just three of the many personalities that make F1 history fascinating, and the authors do a fantastic job of describing their influence on the sport.

The sport has also had various controversies through the years and some of the most bizarre ones are covered here as well.  One that particularly caught my interest was “Spygate.” NFL fans may know about their own “Spygate” in which Bill Belichick was recording practice sessions of another team. That Spygate is mild compared to F1’s version.  In that, a disgruntled engineer from Team Ferrari handed over documents to the McLaren engineering team that covered everything – something that nothing in American sports can compare to.  Including the fines – the Patriots’ fine from the NFL is peanuts compared to what came down from F1 officials.  There are other incidents, including a deliberate crash by a mediocre driver to allow his teammate to win a championship, that are mind-boggling and fantastic reading.

No matter your interest in F1, or even motorsports, this is a book that anyone will enjoy reading.  Just like how Liberty Media, the latest owners of the F1 brand, made fans out of people who have never watched race thanks to a popular streaming show, this book may make a reader take interest in a sport that they may never have had any knowledge about before opening to the first page.  

I wish to thank Mariner Books for providing a review copy. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport: 9780063318625: Robinson, Joshua, Clegg, Jonathan: Books

Review of "Racing Green"

It is always a treat when a book turns out to be about more than expected and this was the case with "Racing Green."  Expecting a book on the technical aspects of cars and their switching to electrical power instead of internal combustion, it did have that but so much more that was very interesting.  Here is my review of this book. 

Title/Author: “Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World” by Kit Chapman

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Auto racing would not be the first sport one would think would be a leader in promoting environmental and scientific awareness but this book by Kit Chapman proves that thought to be false.  The science that goes into building race cars, aerodynamics, fuel and energy efficiency and safety are all quite complex and yet can also be used to help preserve the environment, mitigate climate change, advance health care technology and yes, improve the driving experience of regular travelers and commuters.

Of course, given the title, one would expect that the book would address climate change and the use of electric cars to combat that.  Chapman starts this discussion with that (after providing the reader with a brief history of auto racing) by telling the story of the Formula E racing circuit.  Similar to F1 only in the types of courses they run, Formula E not only uses solely electric cars but they are considered to be the cutting edge for chassis design, energy efficiency and other such advances in the sport.  Other circuits, even NASCAR, have taken notice.  The other interesting aspect discussed about Formula E is how many scientists and engineers work in the industry as their talents are put to use in many different fields.

Speaking of different fields, the book does not concentrate solely on auto racing.  One of the more interesting topics covered by Dr. Chapman in his explanation of how auto racing science helps other areas includes healthcare.  He explains how some of the same technology that makes race car engines more efficient, whether electric or internal combustion, helped make ventilators that were used on patients during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic more efficient as well. 

Chapman explores a variety of topics and interviews people of both genders in a wide variety of specialties to make the book complete.  It does get very technical and detailed at times, so unless a reader is well versed in the topics, it will take careful reading to fully understand those passages.  It does help that for the most part, the language is such that one doesn’t have to be an expert to at least gain a rudimentary understanding of the science and he uses many excellent everyday examples.

The writing about the sport itself, primarily F1 racing, is done quite well.  This may come across as macabre, but this reviewer believed the best writing was done about two famous crashes in F1.  The first, which shook a young Chapman to the core, was the 1994 crash that killed one of the greatest drivers of all time in any form of racing, Aryton Senna.  The other one was the near death of Romain Grosjean in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, when many of the advances in safety that Chapman writes about were used to save Grosjean’s life when his care was engulfed in flames.  Both times Chapman explained the dangers the drivers faced and it was a good illustration of the tremendous advancements made in safety.

This is the rare sports book that will appeal mostly to non-sports fans as those with interest or careers in science or engineering will appreciate the connections between auto racing and other areas using those concepts.  Race fans, especially F1 fans, will also enjoy not only seeing this connection but also get a good glimpse at the future of the sport.

I wish to thank Bloomsbury USA for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Link: Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World: Kit Chapman: Bloomsbury Sigma

 

Review of "Senna Versus Prost"

Continuing the goal of increasing the variety of sports about which I read, I found a great book on one of the fiercest rivalries in the history of Formula 1 racing.  Here is my review of "Senna Versus Prost."

Title/Author:

“Senna Versus Prost” by Malcolm Foley

Tags:

Auto racing, Formula 1, biography, rivals

Published:

May 7, 2009

Length:

420 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)

Review:

Auto racing in all forms has had many fierce rivalries between drivers over the years, and one of the most bitter rivalries came in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s between Aryton Senna of Brazil and Alain Prost of France in Formula 1 racing.   This rivalry is documented in a book by Malcolm Foley in which he captures the rivalry through research and personal stories and recollections by many of the personnel involved with the two drivers as well at Prost himself, the surviving driver of the two rivals as Senna was killed while on the course in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

The writing in this book is very good as the reader will learn much about the workings within the various driving teams in Formula 1. The casual fan may know that a driver is part of the McLaren or Lotus team, for example, but the negotiations, contracts, and interaction between the parties is illustrated in the segments about the two drivers either changing teams or stating that they wish to do so. There are also other great passages about what took place during races between the two rivals, what teammates remembered about the drivers and even some personal moments shared.

Some other reviewers of this book have been vocal in their opinions that this book was heavily biased toward Prost, mainly because the author was allegedly grateful to just be able to speak with the French driver. This review is not going to state any opinions on this matter as being a casual fan of the sport at best, I do not have the extensive knowledge of the history of the sport or the two drivers, so this review is simply one of the book itself.  Because I was enjoying these stories and did know of the fierce rivalry, I wanted to simply read the book for pleasure and see if I could learn anything new about the drivers – without looking to see how balanced the stories would be.  

The closest I would come to making any statement toward this would be that I believe the book would have been better if any of Senna’s surviving family members would have been willing to share their stories. Most of the stories that were shared to the author were not complimentary to Senna. Getting more stories that portrayed Senna in a positive light might have helped avoid some of this criticism, but the book overall is still one that I enjoyed reading and would recommend for anyone who wants to learn a little more about the sport or the drivers.  Personally, I felt it was an outstanding book

Did I skim?

No. 

Pace of the book: 

Excellent.  The story of both drivers moves along well, doesn’t drag when personal stories or recollections are written, and the reader will feel he or she is living the rivalry. 

Do I recommend? 

Yes, especially for new or casual F1 fans.  I say this because while the book does give good insight into both drivers and the history of the sport at that time, long-time or hard-core fans of the sport may feel the book is tilted too much to show sympathy for Prost.   While part of this would simply be because Senna is no longer with us in order to share his recollections, reviews and editorials at various book sites and blogs do have some negative reviews stating the author’s bias toward Prost. 

Book Format Read:

E-Book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Senna-Versus-Prost-Malcolm-Folley-ebook/dp/B0031RSAVU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389664947&sr=8-1&keywords=senna+versus+prost

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/senna-versus-prost-malcolm-folley/1111616361?ean=9781409061922