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I'm from the US too and got into it about 4 years ago. I saw a crash at 100 mph one day (Massa & Checo) as I flipped through the channels and was like, how do these guys just get up and walk away like nothing happened? My advice is to just learn the teams and the drivers, then you'll be able to identify exactly who is doing what just by looking at the cars and car numbers. There are only 10 teams and 2 drivers per team so it's pretty easy to memorize all 20 of them all pretty quick compared to 20-30+ guys in Nascar or Indy etc...

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Watch this trailer for a documentary called 1 that was made in 2013 about F1. Then find the movie somewhere. https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00FL0CN4U/ref=atv_dl_rdr

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There are two championships each year determined by points scored during the 20-21 races throughout the year. There is the driver championship for the specific driver with the most points and the constructor championship which is the team who has scored the most points by its two drivers during the season. Mercedes has be dominating BOTH ever since I've been watching in 2014. I really want someone else, anyone else to beat these guys so the results of the 1st and 2nd place of each race isn't so expected.

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It's always fun to have a favorite team or driver to root for, maybe you guys could each start the year and pick a favorite team and driver (not on the same team) I like Daniel Riccardo, he's Australian and is a total jokerster fun guy with a smile on his face and someone that seems like you'd have a beer with. He just switched from Red Bull to Renault this year as Red Bull has been favoring Dutch 21 year old kid Max Verstappen instead of Danny. Also, Kimi Räikkönen, the Iceman, got released from Ferrari (even though he is a world Champion) and now drives for the lowly Saber (now Alfa Romeo). He's a complete stoic character, he's from Finland and hardly talks at all to reporters. On the radio if his team is telling him too much stuff he is famous for saying, “Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing”. LeClerc is another young kid who just moved to Ferrari from Sauber, keep an eye out on him, I think he might surprise us this year (especially with a better car & team).

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Some things to know: You can only move once in one direction to block a driver who is coming up to pass you. You must change your tires to another hardness at least ONCE during a race. DRS are passing zones (straights) on the track which you can open your rear wing which reduces drag and speeds you up for a pass. You must be within 1 second of the guy in front of you to be able to activate DRS for the pass. The top three teams since I've been watching have ALWAYS been Mercedes, Ferrari and then Red Bull. It's kind of sucky that the teams with more money and resources can build better cars. You might find the three practices a bit boring on Fri/Sat, but qualifying is fun to watch on Saturdays and then the Grand Prix's are on Sundays. Here is a pretty good video beginners guide from 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qou3VYvOR3I

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Also, Real Racing is a pretty cool free ipad game. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/real-racing-3/id556164008?mt=8 You can't drive F1 cars until way later or if you pay, BUT you can drive some of the f1 tracks that they race on like Suzuka (Japan), Silverstone (UK) and Curcuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Hockenheimring (Germany) and non F1 tracks like Le Mans and Brands Hatch, Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (F1 testing) etc... Once you learn the tracks, which have been scanned for the game, then it's even funner to watch live racing because you know exactly where the drivers are in relation to the finish line and what is coming up. If someone in your crew really gets into it they can buy the F1 2018 pc game now (another one is iRacing that Max even uses), or wait until later in the year around August when they release F1 2019 (has all current drivers and tracks for the year, even though half the year has already past). If you don't want to fork over $60 for 2019, then buy a previous season like 2016-18 for half the price, just to see if you like it. You'll want to buy a decent or good race wheel/pedals though and have a fast graphics card and net connection.

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There is also fantasy F1 to play (like fantasy baseball or football) as well (https://fantasy.formula1.com/ & https://fantasygp.com/). They have a lot of old races and official f1 season reviews on Vimeo.com (try other searches by year besides this search "F1 Season Reviews") and seach for this post f1_season_reviews_on_onedrive_1970_to_2013/ . Also, the Senna documentary and the documentary 1 (2013) are pretty dope. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. It's fun to watch them hit 220 mph down the straight at Monza (Italy)! It's hard to find other American's who like F1 but usually in big cities there are meetups or a F1 club that you might go to, to watch races on Sunday mornings.

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FIA stands for Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Its basically an international association of automobile clubs, this includes organisations that organise and hold motorsport events.

Back in the 90s the EU ruled that the FIA could not hold the governing and commercial rights, so they sold the commercial rights to FOM. This is the set up that remains to this day. the FIA are responsible for holding the rule book and governance of those rules. FOM deal with the commercial side - they sell coverage to TV companies, give journalists access to the paddock etc. FOM also sign deals with promoters who wish to hold grand prix. FOM also have agreements with every team in F1 (called the Concorde agreement). The Concorde agreement covers the teams obligations (must compete in every race, must run 2 cars and so on) and the money that they receive from FOM for participating.

The Concorde agreement is secret - there is an awful lot of speculation about who gets what money, but few people actually know and are bound to secrecy. We do know that some teams receive extra money "just because". We also know the payment structure is based on the previous year's WCC standings and it is somewhat unbalanced - so if you win the WCC you get a whole bunch more money than the 10th placed team.

Bernie ? There has been much written about him. In short he's a maverick. Many years ago he owned the Brabham team, back then the commercial side of F1 didn't really exist - cars had sponsor stickers all over them but it wasn't really exploited. More than that, the whole commercial side was disorganised - teams would do deals to run in races directly with promoters. When there were flyaway races teams would book their shipping (of cars/equipment) individually. Bernie saw an opportunity, he started representing the teams - initially getting a bulk deal on transport to lower costs, then he began to represent the teams to negotiate deals. For the most part the teams were happy with this, at least initially - they were naive and far more interested in putting next year's car together than dealing with business people. When TV money started coming along they understood ! Which led to Ken Tyrrell rather angrily declaring that Bernie had stolen F1 from the teams. FOCA (the company that Bernie set up to represent the teams) became FOM. Bernie then eventually sells FOM to a number of investors - most notably CVC Capital Partners.

It should be noted that over the years Bernie has made the sport what it is today (good and bad). The commercialisation has bought huge amounts of money to the sort - F1 drivers are household names all over the world. Bernie made the sport more professional - previously teams would run in F1 for the odd race or two when they could afford it using old cars, sometimes with only one car.
Probably the biggest thing that Bernie did was improve safety and medical care. He employed Sid Watkins as the official F1 doctor. When promoters refused to let Sid inspect medical facilities Bernie threatened to cancel races if Sid wasn't allowed to inspect facilities or found things were not up to the required standard.
Sid was a wonderful chap and is very much missed, his book is worth a read - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Limit-Triumph-Tragedy-Formula/dp/0330351397/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2KS044VRWQHPN89Z40TY and the follow up https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Limit-Sid-Watkins/dp/0330481967

Anyway, back to the money - CVC are capitalists. They buy something and later sell it to make money. In the case of FOM I believe the profit generated paid back about 50% of their purchase price of the years - then of course they sold it to Liberty Media. They've done pretty well out of it.
CVC's strategy was to leave Bernie in place - he knows everyone, he knows the business and his eye for a deal was (is?) pretty impressive. Basically as an employee of CVC his job was to make them as much money as possible - and thats what he did. This has attracted a lot of negative press for Bernie over the years. To some extent he & CVC were "chasing the money" -hence races in India, Korea and many other far flung destinations. You have to remember Bernie is 86 and basically, doesn't understand the internet, social media and all that stuff - this has also caused negative press.

When LM bought FOM and quietly moved Bernie aside many rejoiced because they saw Bernie as all F1's problem personified. Ultimately LM have purchased F1 to make money, so in some respects the rejoicing was maybe a little premature. Having said that, LM clearly have their own ideas on how to monetise F1 - its still early days, lets see what happens.

This question has been asked a bunch of times, but the one post I've found the most helpful was /u/that_video_art_guy's response in this post. For quick reference, here's the copy/paste:



I've read many of these books, I'm partial to the mechanics and team member books but find all of them to be very enjoyable.


The Super Collective Super list of Super Good F1 Books:

Mechanics/Team Members


[Life in the Pit Lane: Mechanic's Story of the Benetton Grand Prix Year](
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Pit-Lane-Mechanics-Benetton/dp/0760300267/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356716346&sr=1-5&keywords=steve+matchett) - Steve Matchett

[The Mechanic's Tale: Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One](
http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Tale-Life-Pit-Lanes-Formula/dp/0752827839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356716346&sr=1-1&keywords=steve+matchett) - Steve Matchett

The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car - Steve Matchett

Team Lotus: My View From the Pitwall - Peter Warr

Jo Ramirez: Memoirs of a Racing Man - Jo Ramirez

Art of War - Five Years in Formula One - Max Mosley, Adam Parr, Paul Tinker

Tales from the Toolbox: A Collection of Behind-the-Scenes Tales from Grand Prix Mechanics - Michael Oliver, Jackie Stewart


Technical Books

Red Bull Racing F1 Car: Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

McLaren M23: 1973 Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

Lotus 72: 1970 Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

Tune to Win: The art and science of race car development and tuning - Carroll Smith

Engineer to Win - Carroll Smith

Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook AKA: Screw to Win - Carroll Smith

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics: Problems, Answers and Experiments - Doug Milliken

Chassis Design: Principles and Analysis - William F. Milliken, Douglas L. Milliken, Maurice Olley

The Racing & High-Performance Tire: Using Tires to Tune for Grip & Balance - Paul Haney


Technical Driving

Ultimate Speed Secrets: The Complete Guide to High-Performance and Race Driving - Ross Bentley

Going Faster! Mastering the Art of Race Driving - Carl Lopez

Working the Wheel - Martin Brundle


Drivers and Rivalry's

Senna Versus Prost: The Story of the Most Deadly Rivalry in Formula One - Malcolm Folley

The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit - Michael Cannell

Winning Is Not Enough: The Autobiography - Sir Jackie Stewart

Shunt: The Story of James Hunt - Tom Rubython

Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory: A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage - Alex Zanardi, Gianluca Gasparini, Mario Andretti.

It Is What It Is: The Autobiography - David Coulthard

Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way! - Perry McCarthy The Black Stig, Damon Hill

F1 Through the Eyes of Damon Hill: Inside the World of Formula 1 - Damon Hill, Photography: Sutton Images


People Of F1

Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One - Professor Sid Watkins

Beyond the Limit - Professor Sid Watkins

I Just Made The Tea: Tales from 30 years inside Formula 1 - Di Spires

Bernie: The Biography of Bernie Ecclestone - Susan Watkins


Picture Books

McLaren The Cars: Updated 2011 Edition

Art of the Formula 1 Race Car - Stuart Codling, James Mann, Peter Windsor, Gordon Murray

Steve Matchett's books are probably some of the more exciting and informative books about F1 and racing in general. Steve is now an F1 Commentator for Speed Tv in America but spent his days working for Benetton during its glory days, he's got a load of knowledge(even though Speed's network coverage gets a lot of flack for being garbage) and has worked on Martin Brundle's and Michael Schumacher's cars during his tenure. Once I got them I never put them down, the best part is that they are cheap too!

Steve Matchett's Books


Prof. Sid Watkins Book Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One is pretty good if not some what depressing... None the less its a real look at how far F1 and racing in general has come in the terms of safety.

And just because its fun/sad I have to say Perry McCarthy's Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way! is by far one of the more hilarious books out there and although his time in F1 was very short lived its still a good book worth mentioning, that and he was the original Stig... come on!!!

In order to ease some of my friends into it without jumping head first into technical details, strategy, etc. and risk them becoming disinterested before they even have a chance to understand the sport, I've recommended that they start with an approach toward entertainment. This allows them to digest some history and nuance in an easily digestible format. I tell them to watch the following 3 films.

RUSH
= Hollywood big budget entertainment depicting the 1976 Formula 1 season.

ONE = Really interesting documentary with lots of great content done by the same people that did "Riding Giants" and "Dogtown and Z Boys" (surf and skate documentaries)

Senna = Critically acclaimed documentary about Ayrton Senna.

I start with Rush because you don't even have to be interested in F1 for it to be entertaining. As is in Hollywood, things are exaggerated, but other things are realistic. It's a good way for a non-fan to get their interest piqued.

Both "1" and "Senna" are fantastic documentaries and you'll learn a lot about the history of the sport and the figures, thus setting a decent foundation to continue your immersion. Good Luck! Your addiction will only get worse from here. ;-)

I really enjoy reading up on the experiences people had with Sid. I've been reading his book, 'Life on the Limit' and it's really brilliant if you would like a behind the scenes look at how Formula 1 operated during his tenure. There are some brilliant stories about some of the more prominent figures in Formula 1 including Bernie and Balestre. This sport has certainly had its fair share of characters that's for sure.

Thanks for another interesting read Rob.

Watching that 1997 ITV promotional video got me thinking that it was really ITV that changed the game of F1 broadcasting in the UK - and possibly other places too. Everything you enjoyed from the BBC and currently enjoy from Sky/Channel 4 was an evolution of what ITV started. They were the first to do pre and post shows live from each circuit. The gridwalk started there (Martin has said the grid was pretty empty of journalists when he started, now everyone does it), and the more in-depth features and analysis all started with ITV, including Brundle getting to drive F1 cars and having a live pitlane reporter covering strategy. Maybe it was already like that in some other countries, but everything you see from the UK broadcasters has ITV DNA running through it.

Edit:

>When I started you could probably count the number of women in the paddock on the fingers of two hands, maybe three. A lot of them were working in motorhomes, sometimes it was a husband and wife team

I really recommend this
book by Di Spears who ran one of those husband and wife catering businesses. She has lots of great stories from the paddock from the 70's, 80's and 90's when the paddock was smaller and close-knit. She was well liked by drivers and team members and because a bit of a mother figure/kind listener for many of them.

It's a ridiculous belief that any driver can make a significant difference. There is a good quote in Bernie's Game about Bernie re-signing Carlos Reutemann:

>Although Reutemann finished third in the 1975 World Championship and Brabham second in the Constructors' Championship, his relationship with Ecclestone deteriorated sharply after a dispute over his retainer. Ecclestone declined to pay the kind of money the Argentinian thought he was worth. Like Enzo Ferrari - 'I take a driver that no one wants to sign and in three races he can win a Grand Prix ... it is my car that wins' - Ecclestone believed it was the car, not the driver, which won races.

Echoing what /u/oh84s said, drivers can generally only perform to the level of the car over the season.

Oh yes Mario raced under the American flag. He's a rather proud naturalized citizen.

If you mean world championship, yes Phil Hill won in 1961. A highly recommended read: http://www.amazon.com/Limit-Life-Death-Grand-Circuit/dp/0446554731

Actually the 60's were a pretty good time for US drivers. Hill, Gurney and Richie Ginther all had pretty good success. Then Revson in the early 70's until his death.

After Andretti the last remotely successful US driver was Eddie Cheever, 9 podiums but no wins.

First of all, the best to your dad and you. In answer to your question, I'm confident he will like the most part of the team Williams documentary as it covers the era you describe. I bet your dad would also love Weekend of a Champion about F1 legend Jackie Stewart (1970s) and 1: Life on the Limit about the very dangerous years of F1 until modern era, which covers the time period you describe. These, and the already mentioned Senna doc and Rush movie would be suitable.

If your dad struggles reading, maybe photobooks could be an idea. Grand Prix: Fascination Formula 1 and 50 Years of F1 Photography by Rainer Schlegelmilch is amazing and might bring back memories.

So after smoking a fat J I thought of some options for you. You could get something like a Shure SM35-XLR, and pair it with a Shure X2U, but that's a $250 jumping off point.

You could also go for a boom arm that mounts to your desk, and an SM57. Look at that, they even sell a pack with the X2U! Don't forget to snag an XLR cable. Still, about $250 though. Also, buy a decent boom arm. Like, one that's at least a dollar per inch. Don't pay $12 for a 30" boom arm. All the fastenings are going to suck shit through bricks and that thing will start sagging due to it's own weight. You could be an ultra dork like me, buy a cheap one, then go to Home Depot, spend four dollars on new springs and rubber bushings and fastenings, then make it actually decent, but that's up to you.

If you commit to a boom arm with the SM57 and X2U, measure everything first. Measure the distance from the boom arm mount, to where you'd want the microphone to be. From there, measure the length of the cable you'll need. You'll wanna snake the cable through or around the boom arm, then secure the XLR cable along a lip, or the side of your desk.

To measure this distance, figure out the boom arm you're gonna buy, take it's total distance, let's 31", add about 4" to it, so 35". Go to where you'll want to mount the boom arm, and tape a string down. Start treating that string like you're wiring that cable. When you get to where you'll be plugging it into the X2U, cut it, measure back to where it was taped down, and that's about how long you'll want your cable to be. If you're going to get this clutter on your desk, make sure it's organized. Easy to set up, easy to put away, and out of the way. If you don't do that, you'll be reluctant to use it.

http://orig01.deviantart.net/8867/f/2013/065/6/f/williams_fw16__san_marino_1994__by_f1_history-d5gs0e8.jpg

I think you're right about the seatbelt, it makes sense that by the time the car has been loaded the belts have been pushed backwards.

I think the elevated head position even when slumped paired with the race suit would have reduced bleeding until, as you say, he was placed on the ground while Sid did his best. It's some comfort to know that at least the bleeding wound from the suspension debris occurred after the base skull fracture so he wouldn't had suffered from the wound.

I highly recommend Sid Watkins book(s), it's a real eye opener into the sorts neurological injuries which were (and still are though less frequently thanks to Sid and others) commonplace in motorsport. Insights into drivers and the business of the sport too.

Edit; This one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00BQF6RBO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481926025&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sid+watkins

this is the CPU

this is the motherboard

this power supply

16GB of this

I have done network admin for a living since 1997 and know how to build a computer, I was just never really more than casually interested in gaming. Mostly playing with my sons as they were growing up on the consoles. But now that I'm getting into the racing games and have some money, I'm looking to have fun.
I understand it can run two GPU cards in tandem, but I don't know when that is better than one big card.

Nice, would make a good companion to a book I picked up nearly a decade ago (can't believe it's been that long already!). Don't have it right next to me at the moment, so can't recall the exact title. But basically it's a big book that covers all the teams, all the drivers, seasons, and tracks that have been in F1 up until 2003. Every entry is just a page long except for the really big names like Ferrari and such, and so it while it covers tons of material, it's all a bit condensed. So while not very in depth with the material, it does make great for a great coffee table, page through randomly, type of book, in part because it has awesome pictures from the whole history of F1.


I think this is an updated edition that covers up to about 2009 or so as well. I think mine has the same title but not sure.

As I wrote in another thread the other day :

Its early days yet.

In Ross Brawn's book - and he's a man who knows how to turn a team into championship winners - he insists it takes 3 years to turn a team around.

Year 1 is when you review and assess everything

Year 2 is when you make changes, hiring and firing, the management structure etc

Year 3 is when you should start to see the results.

Zak Brown is currently somewhere between years 1 and 2. He joined McLaren in November 2016 as executive director of McLaren Technology Group (where his influence was limited), but only became "the big boss" in April 2018 when he was made CEO of McLaren Racing. That was less than 6 months ago. Link

He's making some changes to the management structure, some people have left, and some are being recruited. Time will tell if those changes have worked.

I'm not saying Zak Brown will be a success. He might be. Or he might not be.

What I'm saying is it's WAY too early to call him a failure.

It took Jean Todt a good few years to fix Ferrari's structure and hire all the right people, everyone was calling for his head at the start but it turned out quite well in the end...

If you liked it you should check out his book, it's pretty much more of the same, and a really fascinating read.

Do you have any good links for more information? I see what /u/Wozrop is saying from the theoretical model of friction standpoint but I see a ton of empirical evidence to backup what you're saying—and no doubt racers know this. I'm basically looking for technical explanations of why this is the case.

Edit: Incase anyone cares (or even reads this) I found an excerpt from Race Car Vehicle Dynamics:

>Tractive force F_T and braking force F_B are a function of slip ratio. As the slip ratio increases (numerically) from zero, the forces rise rapidly to a maximum which usually occurs in the range of 0.10 to 0.15 slip ratio, after which the forces fall off.

So, yeah, Milliken's 10-15% slip ratio finding corroborates /u/Kkubaa's statement. The chapter on Tire Behavior is pretty interesting; a lot more going on than simple problems from undergrad mechanical engineering.

Good book and the one I came in here to recommend.

Red Bull put out a shop manual for the RB6(?) A few years back. It's got a lot of really interesting stuff in it.

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Bull-Racing-Car-Championship-Winning/dp/0857330993

I really wish Hamilton would simply make a post to Instagram with a photo of himself casually eating Captain Crunch (w/ Crunch Berries obviously) on his personal Jet, while reading this with a whos-who of celebs laughing slightly out of focus in the background.

Caption: "U Mad?"

i can't recommend this book enough. It has all the key moments of the F1 magically captured. From the amazing stunning last pictures of Nina Rindt (google it!) one lap for his crash to Senna and everything is just there. Stunnijg overview pictures comparing the 60's cars with the current cars etc.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Schlegelmilch-50-Years-Formula-Photography/dp/3864070562

check it out for sure so much worth it for every F1 fan

I'll second The Mechanic's Tale. I received it as a present this year after expressing an interest in F1 and really enjoyed it. I'm still on the lookout for the other two, but I bet they are as good.

I Just Made the Tea is a good non-technical book with many great behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

People should definitely give this book a read.

It has an amazing amount of insight to the design and even current day upkeep of the Lotus 72.

Kool man :) Since you were asking it got me interested to know what books are out there and I found this link on amazon. also look below for more books.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Formula-One/dp/0760334560

> It seems like Red Bull's entire development strategy is based on bending the rules as far as possible until they break, in which case they backtrack.

This is motor-racing. I hate to be so axiomatic, but pushing the rules is the defining philosophy of all good teams at all levels. This is what Mark Donahue called the Unfair Advantage.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfair-Advantage-Mark-Donohue/dp/0837600693/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343072541&sr=8-1&keywords=the+unfair+advantage

Check it out,..its a fascinating read.

Yeah that's a tough one. Probably the only real resource that would be useful is Paul Haney's The Racing and High Performance Tire. https://www.amazon.com/Racing-High-Performance-Tire-Using-Balance/dp/0768012414

Most other resources only have tires as a small subsection of the book or are going to be way over your head and focus on mathematical modeling. There is also one other interesting source of info that Michelin produced. http://www.dimnp.unipi.it/guiggiani-m/Michelin_Tire_Grip.pdf

Hayne's manual on Red Bull's first championship winning car, the RB6

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Bull-Racing-Car-Championship-Winning/dp/0857330993

I know this isn't at all what you are looking for, but I would heartily recommend the Red Bull F1 Technical manual for any formula one fan.

It's covered in Professor Sid Watkins' first book, Life At The Limit. The book starts with the events of May 1994 and then goes right back to the 70s and Watkins's involvement with the safety and medical side of F1 through to the 90s.

Well worth a read, but he does cover many of the fatal crashes in the 70s and 80s in the book because he was usually the first on the scene as F1's doctor. There are some nice light hearted moments and funny anecdotes throughout the book to balance this out.

Read the book "A Mechanic's tale" by Steve Matchett.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Mechanics-Tale-Pit-Lanes-Formula/dp/0752827839

It's a great read!!

I recently got my hands on "Schlegelmilch 50 Years of Formula 1 Photography". It's huge (over 600 pages) and a bit pricey for a coffee table book, but well worth it.

Not the only reason...

But a huge part of it.

Ross Brawn was incredibly disciplined in his approach.

Michael was a generational talent (if not the GOAT).

The first picture is the cover of a very excellent book

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Mechanics-Tale-Steve-Matchett/dp/0752827839

Have you read this beauty?

Haynes RB6 Red Bull manual

Its a pretty technical in depth look into practically every part of a formula 1 car

The Mechanic’s Tale by Steve Matchett is a great read.

I do miss having his commentary on race weekends (but not enough to have to watch NBC’s coverage ever again).

If you want to know more about him (and Phil Hill and the rest of F1 at the time), I cannot recommend enough The Limit. Fantastic read.

The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit

by Michael Cannell

one if the best books I've read on any subject

https://www.amazon.ca/Limit-Life-Death-Grand-Circuit/dp/0446554731#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1488207401716

Not in the UK still gives quite a lot of places where you could be, as a start some links below.

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

Book Despository (their header states free worldwide delivery)

Amazon DE

I doubt there is any video but you should get the race and year from this book

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Limit-Triumph-Tragedy-Formula/dp/0330351397/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y

Edit: digging really deep into my memory I seem to recall that the driver might have been Vittorio Brambilla. His wiki States that he occasionally drove the safety car at the Italian Grand Prix. Sorry, I have no more detail than that.

I have the rb6 specific one and thought it was a pretty good read/view. They're a bit technical but to the point where most people can understand what's going on.

I also can't suggest his books enough. My favorite is http://www.amazon.com/The-Mechanics-Tale-Pit-Lanes-Formula/dp/0752827839/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1XK86G36PGA0TKHFGG9G

I highly recommend this read: http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Enough-Autobiography-Jackie-Stewart/dp/0755315391/ref=la_B001H6SFLC_1_1/179-1241386-6823312?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408629265&sr=1-1

This is a great book. It's right up there with The Unfair Advantage in terms of teaching the philosophy of how to go motor racing.

"Mechanics tale" by chance?


The Mechanic's Tale https://www.amazon.com/dp/0752827839/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_N0bKDbTADG93Y

Prof Watkins' book has a good section on the crash. It's still amazing to me that Peter Windsor escaped mostly unharmed, especially when such horrible injuries befell Frank Williams. Just one of those things, I guess.

the limit

Here you go:

The Mechanic's Tale: Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One

For 1961, there's a book worth reading about Phil Hill and von Trips, The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit

It's not fully online, though you might find a PDF around, is this: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Bull-Racing-Car-Championship-Winning/dp/0857330993/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410571889&sr=1-1&keywords=f1+engineering

https://www.amazon.com/Unfair-Advantage-Mark-Donohue/dp/0837600693/190-6012838-2962010?ie=UTF8&hvadid=70945500517&hvdev=t&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvpone=&hvpos=1t1&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvrand=17616296783904228985&ref=pd_sl_7ex9ztqadf_b&tag=googhydr-20

Perry McCarthy's book, partly about Andrea Moda. He used to be the Stig.

For people looking for the technical book about the ins and outs of an F1 car (RB6).

https://www.amazon.com/Total-Competition-Ross-Brawn/dp/1471162354

The redbull owners manual: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Bull-Racing-Formula-Manual/dp/0857330993

You haven't really looked at all have you?

Art of the Formula 1 Race Car
http://amzn.com/0760337314

McLaren M23: 1973 onwards (all marks) (Owners' Workshop Manual)
http://amzn.com/0857333127

Lotus 72 Manual: An Insight Into Owning, Racing and Maintaining Lotus's Legendary Formula 1 Car (Owners' Workshop Manual)
http://amzn.com/0857331272

Red Bull Racing F 1 Car: An Insight into the Technology, Engineering, Maintenance and Operation of the World Championship-winning Red Bull Racing RB6 (Owners' Workshop Manual)
http://amzn.com/0857330993

The Golden Age of Formula 1
http://amzn.com/3832794360

Formula 1 in Camera 1950-59
http://amzn.com/1844255530

Formula 1 in Camera 1960-69
http://amzn.com/1844252183

Formula 1: The Roaring 70s (English, German, French, Spanish and Italian Edition)
http://amzn.com/3832795375

Formula 1 in Camera 1970-79
http://amzn.com/1859609600

Formula 1 in Camera 1970-79: Volume Two
http://amzn.com/0857330748

Formula 1 in Camera 1980-89
http://amzn.com/1844251098

It is actually a slightly confusing title, as it's principally a biography rather than the workshop manual (which also exists) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Bull-Racing-Manual-Championship-winning/dp/0857330993

Fail button is to deselect the menu options on the LCD Display

Source: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Bull-Racing-Manual-Championship-winning/dp/0857330993
Screenshot from mine:
http://i.imgur.com/a6MDY.jpg

Since Le Mans (linked posts only):

Yesterday, Maldonado (not a meme, just silly): http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/jw47n/maldonado_is_worse_than_hitler/
No race for Button: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/jw35u/no_race_for_button/
Copypasta-esque: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/jrc80/dont_get_me_wrong_bruno_is_a_great_driver_but/
Prost vs. Senna panel comic: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/jlimk/prostsenna/
Trollface Button: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/j4ymz/you_went_off_a_lot_didnt_you/
Overtakes 'like a boss' with a mugshot of Kobayashi: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/search?q=like+a+boss&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance
Copypasta: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/jjayd/three_words_jenson/
Copypasta re Button at Silverstone (presumably): http://i.imgur.com/qBUAp.jpg
http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/?count=275&after=t3_j6b5i
Button eating a biscuit: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/?count=325&after=t3_j4ggc
Vettel overtaking: http://i.imgur.com/jOQ6L.jpg
Vettel overtaking: http://i.imgur.com/4unXN.jpg
That laughing face: http://i.imgur.com/z5mpn.png
Haynes manual for about the 4th or 5th time: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0857330993
Haynes again: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/iphp4/haynes_red_bull_racing_f1_owners_workshop_manual/
Current points standings (?): http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/illa4/formula_1_drivers_standing/ and http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/ill98/formula_1_teams_standing/ - deservedly downvoted (linking to someone's advert-ridden blog, no doubt)
40 upvotes for pasting Terrence & Phillip heads on marshalls at Canadian GP: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/?count=650&after=t3_ikti3
The Haynes manual appears again: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0857330993/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
Troll face Vettel with 40 upvotes: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/i9jeb/luckily_hes_not_a_fortune_teller/
Haynes manual: http://www.haynes.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=52821&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=34566
Button, the 'most interesting F1 driver' copypasta (169 upvotes): http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/hxzv1/the_most_interesting_f1_driver/
Don't know: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/hy0dw/yep_i_still_have_it/
No upvotes, but 'Vettel's a whingey little fucker': http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/hy54a/bbc_race_report_fixed/
'Spoiler': http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/hnum3/spoiler/
Forever alone F1: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/hnve2/forever_1/


Others before Le Mans:

I first started noticing it when Petrov had his infamous 'flying' moment - a .gif with troll faces superimposed (http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/search?q=gif&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance).

Also, from Monaco, rage comic (264 upvotes): http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/hmum9/monaco_rage/
Another rage: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/dxguc/hey_f1_reddit_sorry_i_know_this_is_several_months/
More rage: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/e6930/abber_dabby_spoiler_rage/
Y U NO meme: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/hmxr1/this_goes_for_both_quali_and_the_race/
http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/h6qp2/hamilton_has_had_enough_of_vettels_finger/
Demotivational poster: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/gngo4/back_to_malaysia_ii/
Petrov flying (plus gif in comments): http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/gmn8y/stoli_gives_you_wings/
EJ copypasta: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/gm9ga/what_i_think_will_happen_tomorrow/
Petrov trollface: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/gji4g/what_most_people_thought_of_petrov/
Rage: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/gbtqk/f1_spoilereverything_went_better_than_expected/
Bernie copypasta: http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/ejytf/badass_bernie/

Granted, this isn't representative of the deluge of memes in other subreddits. But about a year ago, there was very little of this, and I think when they did crop up, they were all the more funny. But I worry that r/formula1 is beginning to turn into the rest of Reddit. I was attracted to Reddit because of good grammar, intelligent comments, insightful posts, and quirky in-jokes. Over the past year that has mostly disappeared, and I have stuck mostly to r/formula1. I just don't want to see one of the few parts of Reddit I can still intelligently enjoy devolving into a Reddit memefest resembling a cross-over between Youtube comments and FunnyJunk.