Book review: F1 Mavericks by Pete Biro and George Levy
:
Positives
Negatives
During the current COVID lockdowns, I decided to pickup some new and old F1 books online which can be a bit of a gamble sometimes. One pleasant surprise was “F1 Mavericks” by George Levy (former Autoweek editor) with the photography of Pete Biro (US motorsport photographer). There have been a lot of F1 photobooks published covering F1 in the 1960s and 1970s, so when a new book gets published with fresh archival photography from this era, its always worth a look.
The ‘maverick’ theme of the book is a narrative focus on the innovative engineers who shaped the development of F1 cars from 1958-1982 with interviews and spotlight profiles including:
- Charles and John Cooper
- Colin Chapman
- Jack Brabham
- Dan Guerney
- Jackie Stewart
- Mike Castin & Keith Duckworth
- Jim Hall
- Robin Herd
- Bernie Ecclestone
- Mauro Forghieri
- Peter Wright
- Gordon Murray
- Ken Tyrrell
- Patrick Head
- John Barnard
Of course, the photography is the main attraction – Pete Biro obviously amassed a sizeable collection of Grand Prix photos over his career from 1967 Belgian GP which Dan Gurney won in his Eagle Westlake (his B&W photo of Gurney approaching the La Source hairpin is the book’s cover) through to 1982. Being an American photography, this book includes lots of photos from United States GPs (1960, 1966, 1967, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981), Mexican GPs (1964, 1966, 1967) and Canadian GPs (1967, 1968, 1971). Biro has also included photos from European races – Dutch GP, (1967, 1970, 1971, 1973), Belgian GP (1958, 1966, 1967, 1968), British GP (1968, 1977) and Monaco GPs (1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1973 and 1978). The resolution of Biro’s B&W shots from the 1960’s are particularly good.
Supplementing Biro’s photos are Bernard Cahier’s photos covering 1958-1960’s and Paul-Henri Cahier in later decades.
The book’s foreword is an interview by Mario Andretti and the afterword an interview with Niki Lauda and their respective values comparing their time to current F1. I found Niki’s comments particularly interesting.
There’s a lot to like with F1 Mavericks, particularly if you’re a fan of the mechanical designs of the 60s and 70s F1 cars.
Wow Factor/Money shot: Lots! 1966 US GP, 1967 US GP, pitlane 1968 German GP
Suitable for: 60’s and 70’s era F1 fans; and F1 fans interested in US GP history.
“Take a lap through one of Formula 1’s most exciting and influential eras with F1 Mavericks, featuring the photos of veteran motorsports photographer, Pete Biro”– The period from 1960 to 1982 saw the greatest technological changes in the history of Formula 1 racing: the transition from front engines to rear engines, narrow-treaded tires, massive racing slicks, zero downforce, and neck-wrenching ground effects–and, of course, a staggering increase in performance and reduction in lap times. In short, the period saw the creation of the modern Formula 1 car .