Book Review: Formula One Circuits from Above by Bruce Jones
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Positives
Suzuka is such a beautiful circuit with its unique curves and figure 8 layout. A book that uses Google Earth aerial photos to map F1 circuits is Bruce Jones’ “F1 Circuits from Above”.
This landscape format hardcover book is split into 4 basic chapters which cover the F1 circuits in Europe, Asia/Middle East, Americas and Australia has its own chapter! Looking at the European chapter, many of the tracks have disappeared from the current F1 calendar and its interesting that many of the current tracks are in the Asia, Middle East and the Americas.
The complete list of circuits covered in the book are:
- Spa
- Magny Cour
- Hockenheim
- Nurburgring
- Old Nurburgring
- Brands Hatch
- Silverstone
- Hungaroring
- Imola
- Monza
- Monaco
- Zandvoort
- Estoril
- Barcelona
- Yas Marina
- Sakhir
- Shanghai
- Suzuka
- Sepang
- Marina Bay
- Buenos Aires
- Interlagos
- Montreal
- Circuit of the Americas
- Indianapolis
- Watkins Glen
- Adelaide
- Melbourne
For each track, Bruce Jones provides a short 1 page history with a 1+1/3 page photo, which is followed by a double page aerial Google Earth photo with each corner/curve highlighted with the gear speed. This is then followed up with a double page circuit guide with thumbnails of key track corners and then a double pager covering famous driver victories and incidents.
Due to the same layout used to describe each track, the book is a little repetitive – although the saving grace are the excellent color photos from the LAT photographic archive and the inclusion of historic tracks like Watkins Glen, the old Nurburgring, Zandvoort, etc.
With so many new tracks like Sochi, Mexico and Baku making their entrance, these books can become quickly outdated.
It isn’t better or worse than other previous books dedicated to F1 tracks so it will appeal to the casual F1 fan rather than F1 historians who will be better off picking up books dedicated to specific tracks.
Wow Factor/Money Shot: Old Nürbürgring and Adelaide
Suitable for: General F1 fans
