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.
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 A little out of date now but this Schlegelmilch photo book makes a great addition to any McLaren fan’s library.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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
4. Winning is not Enough by Jackie Stewart; Headine Publishing (2007). Probably the must have Jackie Stewart book for any old F1 fan.
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 .
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.
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.
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.
4. Ronnie Peterson Formula 1 – Super Swede by Johnny Tipler; Coterie Press (2003). Again, another excellent Coterie Press title.
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.
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.
Other best F1 book lists:
Best Michael Schumacher books
Best Nigel Mansell books
Best Lewis Hamilton books
