Wasn’t Formula 1’s summer break just 5 minutes ago? After Lando’s decisive win in Singapore and what looks like Daniel Ricciardo’s last race in F1 ðŸ˜, we’re into another month long break before the final stint of the season. Here are 5 F1 reads, a mix of fiction and non-, to fill the F1 shaped hole in your heart before we’re back in Austin on October 18.
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Review copy provided by the publisher, I also bought my own copy
Book 1 in a series. If you’re looking for BIPOC rep in a Formula 1 romance, put Cross the Line on your TBR. Simone Soltani’s Cross the LIne is a brother’s best friend contemporary between an F1 driver in need an image revamp and a college grad in need of a comms job, even just a temporary one. Can these two keep things professional, despite Willow’s old crush on Dev? I had an opp to read the ARC before Soltani got her pub deal and loved it. It’s got two mixed race MCs, a cinnamon roll hero who’s so gone for the FMC, and F1 chops that make it a compelling read. Audiobook is narrated by Nerissa Bradley and Vikas Adam. Ride With Me, the second book in the series, is slated for May 2025. And the cover is a stunner.
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eARC provided by the publisher, I also bought my own copy
Book 1 in a Series. Team owner’s daughter and driver might be one of the most common pairings in new adult F1 romance, but Amanda Weaver has created a world and characters that feel anything but ordinary. I loved that it didn’t over-rely on the glitz and glamour side of F1.
Mira’s backstory has emotional heft and is handled delicately (CW: she was 16 when she got involved with a 30-year old driver on another team. Of course, he Tefloned right out of the scandal, and she’s the one who left racing, until now). She’s super relatable as a character who knows she’s got something to prove, but also can’t help making some iffy decisions. I mean, it is Will Hawley, and she’s an adult this time.
Loved the chemistry and spice. And the energy and urgency in the racing sequences. The only questionable thing for me was choosing Singapore as the city where Mira & Will have a fairly public hookup.
As I was reading, I was already hoping this would be the first in a series because there’s at least one more character I want to see get her HEA! Good news: book 2 is on the docket for summer 2025.
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Review copy provided by the publisher
Go behind the scenes of F1 in this series of interviews with key personnel from across the paddock and the factory. You get the expected characters: team principals Christian Horner and Toto Wolff, and driver Lando Norris. But the real standouts for me here were interviews with race strategist (now F1TV presenter/ analyst) Ruth Buscombe and race engineer Tom Stallard. The nice thing is, you can pick and choose from the chapters depending on whether you’re more interested in the technical roles or the business side of things.
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Good for newer fans of F1, The Formula takes you through the notable players and personalities across the history of F1. Where it really gets interesting is in the Bernie Ecclestone era into the sale to Liberty Media. It closes out with the Las Vegas Grand Prix and manages to include how organizers really disrespected fans who attended practice on the first night. It’s a quick, fast read. Audiobook is a good listen as well.
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RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 8, 2024
eARC provided by the publisher
Debut Author. Spicy hate to love. You’re hoping race engineer Phaedra Morgan is cut more from the Ruth Buscombe cloth, but really she’s the Lance Stroll of Emerald F1 racing. As team owner’s daughter, she has a super adversarial relationship with driver Cosmin Ardelean. (Cosmin was chosen over the driver *she* thought should be on the team). And the two are thrown together in a cottage in Santorini for an attitude adjusting, get-to-know-each-other-better sesh [eyebrow waggle]. The banter between the two is entertaining at first, but Phaedra’s attitude bleeds over in the workplace and her other relationships. Cosmin is the typical cocky driver, Phaedra calls him Formula F*ckboy, who’s just putting up a playboy front to mask a childhood where his uncle kept him on pins and needles at all times. Expecting to see a little of his softer side and Phaedra had better realize how gross her entitlement and privilege is. I’m at 33%. Stay tuned.
CW: parent w/ migraines diagnosed with bone cancer
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Another upcoming F1 related book we’re tracking:
The publisher’s synopsis:
With exclusive access to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, award-winning writer Matt Whyman charts the journey of the Silver Arrows as they face their greatest challenge: the race back to the front of the grid. Once untouchable, the winner of seven Drivers’ World Championships and eight consecutive Constructors’ World Championships confront the reality of no longer being F1’s top dog. Whyman, fully embedded across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, follows decorated drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, Team Principal Toto Wolff, and the extraordinary men and women who design, build, and race the team’s cars as they fight back—on and off the track.
From the tension of pre-season testing to the thrill and glamour of race weekends—including Austin, Miami, and the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix—the book provides fascinating insight into the world of the fastest sport on earth and one of its most successful teams. Whyman reveals the pressure cooker environment of elite competition, shares the secrets of teamwork and high performance, and foregrounds the remarkable individuals who push to the limits in their quest for victory. The book will also include never-before-seen photographs of life inside the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.
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