by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg ★★★★☆
Given the subtitle of The Formula -- "How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport" -- I expected the focus to be on the last seven years of Formula 1, from the Liberty Media takeover to something close to the present day. So consider me a tad surprised -- although not disappointed -- when authors Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg, started from the start, beginning with the early days of F1 in the 1950s and gradually working their way forward in history. This isn't a comprehensive history of the sport, although it does cover the entirety of its existence. Instead, it focuses on pinpointing the seismic shifts that came about over the last 75 years, be it through car design, driver excellence, an ever-changing rulebook, or changes in the overall governance and finances of the sport. Throughout, Robinson and Clegg do a great job of collecting stories and quotes to paint an entertaining picture of how Formula 1 has evolved over time.
As one of the millions of people who became an F1 fan over the last 5 years through Netflix's Drive to Survive, the historical context was something that was missing from my appreciation of the sport. I started watching races during the epic Hamilton v. Verstappen battle of 2021, and so being able to get a glimpse into the nature of F1 when Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, or Michael Schumacher were dominating races allowed me to more fully appreciate the drivers of today. Similarly, I had limited context of the historical interplay between some of the constructors -- why Ferrari and McLaren are harsh rivals (the term "Spygate" isn't solely the purview of the New England Patriots), or how Dietrich Mateschitz used Red Bull Racing to reinvent the ways in which an F1 team could brashly market itself.
In addition to the drivers and teams, there is plenty of attention given to the governance of the sport and the ways the collective finances of F1 have changed over time. Bernie Ecclestone, who single-handedly controlled much of how and where F1 raced for nearly 40 years, is perhaps the most central figure of the book. The behind-the-scenes administration -- how race sites were selected, how dollars were distributed, etc. -- was (and is) an essential part of the sport and its growing success. However, it doesn't always make for the most compelling storytelling. It would have been an inexcusable omission to not cover that in the book, but I found myself more interested in the conflicts between teams and drivers than Ecclestone's manipulations of F1 finances and contractual agreements.
If you have more than a passing interest in F1, you will likely enjoy this book, and if you're newer to the sport like so many, it will provide a ton of context that will make you appreciate it more (easy example: the feud between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton during Lewis's rookie season in 2007 that rarely gets mentioned today). For the new casual fan, if you're looking for something in-depth on "your" F1, this is not it; the "Drive to Survive Era" isn't meaningfully covered until the last 20% of the book. Go in understanding this is a 75-year history with fairly equal weighting between eras and, despite the subtitle, not purely focused on the recent reengineering of the sport. Assuming that full history sounds appealing, this is a strong 4.5-star read that is unlikely to disappoint.
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