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Best F1 Team Books

Team related books are becoming more common now and range from the simple glossy books to the more detailed history storytelling.

A lot will depend on which team you support or are interested in. Excluding Ferrari books and the books already listed in Best F1 books link , below are my current favorite F1 team book selections based on content and presentation. I am going to update this table after I have a chance to re-review a lot of other books in my collection.

 

F1-nut.com recommended best F1 team books (non-Ferrari):

1. Benetton Formula 1: A Story by Pino Allievi (editor); Skira Editore (2006). Beautiful photo book chronology of the Benetton F1 team. Review post here.

benetton F1 book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. McLaren Formula 1 by Rainer Schlegelmilch, Hartmut Lehbrink; Könemann (1999). A little out of date now but this Schlegelmilch photo book makes a great addition to any McLaren fan’s library. Review post here.

McLaren Formula 1 book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Brabham: The Grand Prix Cars by Alan Henry; Hazelton Publishing (1985). One of series of Autocourse team books, this one is documents the Brabham team.

brabham alan henry book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Williams by Maurice Hamilton; Random House (2009). Lots of books on Williams F1 team have been written but this is one of the better ones with plenty of interviews. Review posted here.

williams maurice hamilton book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Ken Tyrrell: Portrait of a motor racing giant by Christopher Hilton; Haynes Publishing (2002). Tribute to the highly successful and innovative Tyrrell team that dominated in the 70’s.

ken tyrrell book cover chris hilton

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. First Among Champions – The Alfa Romeo Grand Prix Cars by David Venables; Haynes Publishing (2000). The definitive book on Alfa in F1 (pre-2000).

First Among Champions Book Cover Alfa Romeo Grand Prix Cars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Driver Books (non-Senna)

There are hundreds of books on F1 drivers and the choice of the best books is often a personal one. It’s probably easier to assess driver books into 2 categories – autobiographies and biographies.

Everyone has his or her favourite drivers but if I were to objectively pick a few of the better books based on research, photography and presentation, the following non-Senna books (mixture of old and new) would be on my checklist:

Autobiographies

1. To Hell and Back by Niki Lauda; Published by Stanley Paul (1986). Very insightful biography from the original no BS driver, Niki Lauda. Niki published a number of books during the height of his career but this one is probably his best.

Niki Lauda To Hell and Back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Aussie Grit by Mark Webber; Published by Pan MacMillan (2015).  A great read and insight into the dominant Red Bull Racing era circa 2009-2013.

Mark Webber Aussie Grit book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Life to the Limit by Jenson Button; Published by Blink Publishing (2017). Another good read for the modern F1 fan, although this one is best hand in hand with Jenson’s My Championship Year.

Jenson Button Life to the Limit book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Winning is not Enough by Jackie Stewart; Headine Publishing (2007). Probably the must have Jackie Stewart book for any old F1 fan.

Jackie Stewart Winning is not enough book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. AJ – How Alan Jones climbed to the top of Formula One by Alan Jones and Andrew Clarke; Ebury Press 2017. Another straight shooting autobiography .

AJ - How Alan Jones Climbed to the top of Formula One book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biographies

1. Remembering Elio by Lorie Coffey; Coterie Press (2006). You really can’t go wrong with a Coterie Press book and besides being the definitive Elio de Angelis biography, this book is an absolute treasure trove of JPS Lotus 88-94T photos.

Remembering Elio book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Regga – The extraordinary two lives of Clay Regazzoni by Christopher Hilton; Haynes Publishing (2008). This won the 2009 British Sports Book award for best biography and is one of Hilton’s best books alongside the reliable Haynes’ hardcover quality.

regga clay regazzoni christopher hilton book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Jack Brabham Story by Sir Jack Brabham; Published by Minidi (2004). One of the best all round biographies published – research/narration, photography, technical information and balanced layout.

The Jack Brabham Story book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Ronnie Peterson Formula 1 – Super Swede by Johnny Tipler; Coterie Press (2003). Again, another excellent Coterie Press title.

Ronnie Peterson Super Swede book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Alain Prost by Maurice Hamilton; Blink Publishing (2016). More of a chronological photobook and compilation of interview quotes but nevertheless charts Alain Prost’s full career.

Alain Prost Maurice Hamilton book cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Jim Clark by Eric Dymock; Haynes Publishing (1997). A Jim Clark special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Fangio – A Pirelli Album by Stirling Moss with Doug Nye; Pavilion (1991). Great tribute book by Fangio’s teammate, Stirling Moss with excellent archival photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Pironi – the Champion that Never Was by David Sedgewick by Pitch Publishing (2018). Well researched book on a one of the less flamboyant drivers.

pironi book cover

 

 

 

 

 

Other best F1 book lists:

Best Ayrton Senna books

Best Niki Lauda books

Best Michael Schumacher books

Best Nigel Mansell books

Best Lewis Hamilton books