Working the Wheel

Lots of interesting information about individual F1 tracks and very informative about driving F1 cars. Well written with enough humor and personal stories to be entertaining as well.

I've read it twice already and will read again!

I bought this book at a second hand bookstore in Lagos, Portugal, and left it sitting on top of a beach umbrella at a beach in Valencia. I was half way through the book, and was so into it that I had to buy another copy. If you have even the slightest interest in cars and motorsport, I highly suggest you read it. Martin Brundle is a world renowned driver and announcer, and has extensive experience in many different series. Each chapter of the book talks about a specific track, and the reason I suggest the book to all audiences is due to the way Martin blends technical, and for lack of a better term, cultural aspects of each venue. He offers a viewpoint that I will never be able to experience myself, and in reality, the book is a collection of short stories. Martin was able to uncover the true personalities of Formula 1 and the Endurance Racing Series he's experienced; the joy, the fear, the sorrow, and most importantly, the excitement and feeling of imminent danger driving a racing machine at 10/10. I wasn't alive when he was in the peak of his racing career, but his stories allow me to relive a time in Motorsport that I sorely wish I had experienced. Before I read the book, I always felt some sort of appreciation for the fact that I was able to watch races on TV with Martin announcing, but I am very thankful that he chose to write this book, allowing a really special experience to live on for generations to come.

Great book- gives the driver perspective on a track by track basis threaded with interesting stories. If you love F1 it's a window into a world we all admire.

You may be forgiven for thinking that this book is more about Martin and F1 then it is anything else. Well you'd be wrong. This is for the serious F1 fans only and being one for 27 years I still found plenty of excuses to put it down. It's not that I don't like Martin Brundle, because I do, that's the point! I thought this was all about him and his racing career instead it's a step by step account of 18 race tracks around the world. Only a certain amount of how a chicane bends and how rough the asphalt is can be found interesting. Hopefully Martin will bring out a biography at some point because lets face it: with 12 years F1 driving and nearly 10 behind the microphone the man has plenty of stories to tell.

To be clear, I enjoyed watching Brundle race and I continue to enjoy him as a commentator for F1 races. The problem here is that this paperback edition is so small, and the print equally small, it becomes a chore to read. Unfortunately, the only hardcover editions available are used perhaps I will buy one of those.

I really enjoyed reading this little book. I found it entertaining, insightful and occasionally sad. It brilliantly tells the story of formula 1 racing from a drivers' perspective based around the circuits in the F1 calender at various points in martins' F1 career. Each chapter uses a different circuit. In this way, the book can be read in large chunks or left on the coffee table to be read one chapter at a time. I particularly liked the way martin weaves technical snippets into an otherwise un-technical and candid story. Genius.

You might think that a race track is just a circular piece of tarmac, framed by kerbs, white paint, grass and gravel traps, but you couldn't be more wrong! There's so much more than meets the eye! Never ever have I read or heard race tracks described like this. Everyone knows about the Eau Rouge being a steep hill, everybody knows that Monaco has walls and bumps and slippery paint, but hardly anyone tells you about the little cross slope of the Monaco track, just after the tunnel, and why it is is so hard to get a wide line into the chicane. Ever wondered why Räikkönen crashed into Sutil on this rather innocent looking piece of tarmac in 2008? Did anyone tell you about that little road up to the plateau of the Paul Ricard circuit where some local heroes sometimes outpaced some of the world's finest drivers once in a while? What do you know about the special smell and atmosphere of the Interlagos circuit and which corner of it looks far more difficult than you'd ever expected and why? This book tells you all the little, dirty secrets of the tracks, that not only Martin Brundle had to learn the hard way, once in a while. You'll watch races in a different way after you have read this. This book is outstanding, for there is possibly no other like this, which is a shame! A must-buy that you won't regret!

I very much like Martin Brundle's television F1 commentary - I think he is one of the best thing's about Formula 1 - so buying this book was a no brainer for me. I found the book a very easy read and very enjoyable. Each chapter is devoted to one particular track (Le Mans, Monza, Montreal, etc.). Martin Brundle will describe how each circuit is to drive and recall various memories he has of the place and the surroundings - including the people. He writes in a down-to-earth kind of way and never gets too technical. And, like his on-air commentating, his words are laced with (seeming) honesty, knowledge, humility and humour. I am not a racer but I am a big race fan. And I found he balanced the technical aspects of each race track with entertaining stories that surround it very well. I definitely feel like I have a far better understanding of not only the tracks he describes, but also the areas and the people surrounding them. The only disappointment I had was that I had hoped to read more about himself and his life. It's not that he does not give lots of details about these things - he definitely does. It is just that I foolishly assumed the book was more of a biography and less a book about racing and his life in it. Even though a quick glance at the pages would have told me otherwise. But, that minor disappointment aside, I found the book every bit as charming as he seems to be on television and I highly recommend this book for both those that are racing obsessed and those who are more casual in their passion for it.

Schönes Buch über ein großes Talent in der Formel 1, das nie die absolute Top erreicht hat. Dieses Buch gibt einen guten Überblick über einen großartigen Fahrer, der nicht zum richtigen Zeitpunkt am richtigen Ort war und nie die großen Erfolge erzielte.

I got this book as an Xmas pressie along with the Zanardi biog (lucky me!) after playing 'eeny meeny miney mo' I began reading MB's book first. Now I have read it I thought I would share some of the things that occur to me that might influence your choosing to buy this book. First let me say that I have read a lot of books on motor racing. Among the best I have on my shelf are those where MH is involved - I also enjoy his Radio 5 commentaries on F1 with JL. So in some respects I was a little puzzled was how these two could have got together... they are in effect counterparts, competitors even. Nonetheless, their collaboration is a successful one. I enjoyed this book a lot. Quite a bit has been written about this kind of high performance racing and not all of it is worth the cover price. This one is IMHO on the pricey side... relecting the sport maybe but not all of us have this sort of cash to spend in speculation. You don't have to read this book from cover to cover. Maybe you can dip into it - read the chapter on your fave track first etc. It kind of follows the F1 season but only for the older tracks, there's no mention of the new dates in the F1 calendar... well, there couldn't be because it covers only the tracks where MB has raced. Two nice surprises were the inclusion of Le Mans and Brands Hatch. Some parts of the book had me skimming a bit because the technical detail was a shade too much. But that does not detract from the flow, maybe you simply want to get on to the next bit of action! There is action aplenty here. It could have easily be sub-titled 'Brundle's Big Moments'. As in 'having a big moment'. i.e. crashing. Poor lad has had some near misses just about everywhere... he explains how he gets back behind the wheel but I for one doubt I could have done if I had been knocked about like he has. He's seen a lot from behind the wheel of lots of great cars. If you are a Mclaren fan then there is much here to savour. He also comments on the other drivers especially Senna and Schumacher - team mates and rivals - and what has happened to them along the way. Maybe it would have been nice to get some more behind the scenes stories but that is not what this book is about. There's plenty of interpretation though and I liked his assessment of how come MS is so much better than nearly everyone else (love him or loathe him). It was also a revelation as to why the F1 racer does not need a speedometer.... I have seen F1 and GT cars in action and yet even that cannot get across the sheer speed, grip and braking these guys experience. No wonder they are super-fit and appear to be so fearless. MB is a great guy for sharing this with us (it was overdue!) and when you have finished this book you will also wonder how he never came to take that top step on the podium. Less deserving drivers have had that privilege but it has not embittered him. His passion for motor sport comes across well and you can almost hear him reading it to you like he was on the TV. Finally, this book fits nicely alongside Perry McCarthy's biography on my bookshelf - contemporaries and rivals, both are Brits who could have been up there with Damon... Reading these books shows that you need a hell of a lot of the right breaks at the right time to get to the top and stay there!