F1 Racing Confidential

An access-all-areas look inside the thrilling world of Formula One.

Formula One is one of the most intense, complex and secretive sports on the planet. Recent documentaries such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive series have given a glimpse of life inside the paddock, but there are so many more stories from this high-stakes, globe-trotting world that remain untold.

In F1 Confidential, Guardian journalist Giles Richards speaks to the men and women inside Formula One to reveal the inner workings of the world’s most glamorous motorsport. Featuring exclusive interviews with experts at every level – from drivers and team principals to engineers and pit mechanics – and from teams including Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren and more, this is an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look inside a modern Formula One team.

With a foreword by former F1 world champion Damon Hill and contributions from dozens of insiders – including Lando Norris, Christian Horner and Toto Wolff – each with their own fascinating stories, insights and revelations, F1 Confidential takes you inside Formula One like never before.

A compelling glimpse behind the scenes of the men and women who keep the F1 circus on the road by sketching 19 pen portraits of the key personnel that make up each team. It is a simple idea, but Richards executes it deftly and with a reporter’s eye for a telling detail. Motorsport Magazine
It’s hard to think of a better book to recommend to someone yearning to work in Formula 1 who can’t imagine where their skills might be applied. F1 Racing Confidential offers an authentic and compelling insight into the reality of life and work in the world championship. RaceFans
What I love most about working in Formula 1 is the people. They make the sport what it is today, and Giles Richards has done a remarkable job bringing their stories to life with his eye for detail and sensational turn of phrase. An absolute joy to read. -- Lawrence Barretto, Correspondent and Presenter at Formula One
F1 Racing Confidential is a phenomenal read. I couldn't put it down. -- John Hindhaugh Midweek Motorsport podcast
This rip-roaring debut from journalist Richards profiles the individuals, most of them behind the scenes, who keep Formula One teams up and running… Racing fans will want to take this for a spin. Publisher’s Weekly
An intriguing look behind the drivers of Formula One… A treat for racing fans. Kirkus Reviews
Richards masterfully assembles an established and eclectic crew of people united by a desire to help their teams be the best. Each engrossing chapter highlights a vital cog in the F1 racing machine, their contributions to their teams, and the sport overall. This fascinating book will spark the interest of racing aficionados and casual fans alike. Booklist
This book has turned out to be one of the better F1 books I’ve read for some time...Every interviewee offers some interesting insights into past events or how things work in real life. It wasn’t until I read the Victoria Johnson chapter that I realised that the Mercedes drivers are involved almost from day 1 in the team’s branding and livery designs. F1 Nut.com
This is not a series of first-person essays that lay out the perspectives of 20 figures from six F1 teams and Pirelli, as we’d expected. Instead, we get delightful editorialising and analysis… detail and enthusiastic telling. The varied life stories of each figure are the background deliciousness of this work – the humbler, testing beginnings of many are more compelling than the privileged elements of Horner’s and Wolff’s famous lives. Autosport

Giles Richards has been a journalist at the Guardian and the Observer for more than twenty years. He is a lifelong fan of motor racing and has been reporting on Formula One for over a decade, working at the heart of the sport with which he is fascinated. As a writer and editor, he has taken advantage of unique access to F1’s inner circle to tell the stories of the men and women that make F1 so special.

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