Book Review: Benetton Formula 1: A Story edited by Pino Allievi
Positives
Compared to the 80’s, the liveries of the 2016 F1 cars seem all very conservative. In the ‘80s and 90’s it was the Benetton cars (and probably Jordan) that added bold splashes of colour to the grid. “Benetton Formula 1: A Story” is an excellent photo book documenting the team’s racing period from 1983 to 2001 (post acquisition by Renault).
Edited by Pino Allievi, the book is structured into 10 sections:
- a short foreword by Bernie Ecclestone
- Q&A interview with Luciano Benetton
- key team personalities – Alesandro Benetton, Flavio Briatore, Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, Davide Paolini, Tom Walkinshaw, Dave Richards and Rocco Benetton
- Team drivers – commentary of Schumacher, Berger, Alesi, Nannini, Herbert, Piquet years and 2 pages portrait gallery of the other team drivers including Fabi, Patrese, Ghinzani, Pirro, Boutsen, Moreno, Brundle, Lehto, Verstappen, Fisichella, Wurz, Button.
- Team headquarters at Oxfordshire
- Innovation with Pat Symonds
- Communication with Patrizia Spinelli
- Sponsors
- Season diary from 1983 to 2001
- Race results for each season
- back section with French, Spanish, German and Japanese translations.
Physically, this is a proper thick & heavy hardcover book with decent grade paper arranged in landscape format.
The collection of photos is excellent with lots of varied race photography of the iconic Benetton race winning cars including Michael Schumacher’s Camel and Mild Seven liveried B192, B193, B194 and B195 cars; Gerhard Berger’s Mexico winning B186; and Piquets patch quilt coloured B190.
Although there have been other cheaper Benetton team books published like “Behind the Scenes with Benetton Formula 1 Racing Team“, this book is the one to include in any F1 history fan’s library. Reading it again now, its easy to forget the achievements f the Benneton team who were a consumer brand marketing company with no real motorsport or engineering business heritage. Benetton were very similar to what Red Bull Racing is today.
Wow Factor/Money Shot: double page spread photos of the Schumacher Benetton B192, B193 & B194; Renault 2001 team photo – young Webber, Alonso & Button
Suitable for: 80’s and 90’s F1 fans
Hello, do you recommend buying this book? I’m more a words than pictures person but I would like the same to have a good book about Benetton. Are the texts any good? Best wishes!
Just took a look – it’s probably 70% photos: 30% text. the text is quite basic, suggest you buy only if you can get cheap price unless you really love Michael and 1995 Benetton car. Not so many books published on Benetton F1 team – for a book with more words maybe “Benetton Formula One Team” by Alan Henry published by Haynes around 1998 (you should be able to find cheap copies online).
Hi, does this include extensive coverage and photos of B186? Thanks!
No, unfortunately. It’s more a general Benetton F1 album. There’s probably only 5-6 small photos of the B186 and no real technical coverage. I thought Autocourse 1986-87 might have some content on the B186 but there’s also not much there either.