Formula 1 The Knowledge

KEY INFORMATION

ISBN: 978-0-9935329-0-0
Author: David Hayhoe
Publisher: David Hayhoe Publications
First published: 2016
434 pages and 1000+ illustrations
Price: £35.00
Website: www.f1knowledge.com

David Hayhoe has published four books to date, all data books covering the world of Formula 1. In addition to this, David has contributed to a number of other books both through the written word and images, has written numerous race reports and media guides. In fact, Formula 1 racing has been running through his veins since the early 1980s.

The subtitle of this book refers to ‘trivia’ which is perhaps the correct technical term for a collection of information on a particular topic. But to think for a moment that this is a collation of irrelevant, haphazard or random pieces of data that have just been gathered together for the sake of it, would be completely misleading. The data from 935 races has been collated by driver, constructor, fastest laps, pole position, race leaders, car models, engines, tyres and so the list goes on, all expertly grouped and presented in an easy to follow format.

Don’t think of this as your average bedtime read, it is a reference or source book for enthusiasts or writers, covering 65 years of Formula 1 racing. Consign some of these facts and figures to memory every week, and you will really impress your mates down at the pub!

Ben Edwards, who penned the Foreword, put it really well when he said, “…Having first met David when I was commentating for Eurosport in the mid 1990s, I can attest to his dedication and relentless pursuit of accuracy, but also to his keen eye for the obscure, the strange coincidence and bizarre happenstance that all the F1 races since 1950 have managed to create….” This is a statement that stands testament to the perseverance of an author who is not satisfied with finding a new fact, but that fact must be substantiated and double-checked, and even triple-checked before it can be relied upon. This is a refreshingly different approach from the instant gratification that is the Internet, because one cannot rely on that source as being accurate when the authors are from such diverse backgrounds, no matter how well-intentioned.

Formula 1 The Knowledge is a well presented, attractive publication finished in a strong hardback format measuring 275 x 210 x 37 mm. Being a self-published book has enabled the author to offer this work at just £35.00, a very reasonable price considering the amount of energy that has gone into the production of this very fine publication (see website link above to purchase your copy). If Formula 1 is your scene, then this is not a book you should be without!

Written by: Glen Smale