What is Formula 1? For more than seventy years, Formula 1 has been the pinnacle of global motorsport, the ultimate test of machine and humankind. With over twenty races on some of the most challenging circuits ever built, in some of the most glamorous locations around the world, competing at this level is seen as the zenith of a racing driver's career. To win in this sport is an almost impossibly difficult task. To tally enough success to be crowned champion is therefore to have your name placed alongside the very greatest this sport has ever known. Formula 1 is high-speed, high-stakes racing. Drivers do battle at over 200 mph, just millimeters apart, moments from disaster, combining incredible skill with awe-inspiring bravery in a singular quest to prove that they are the very best on their day and in their game. Their journey to the pinnacle of racing begins in childhood, their talent developed from go-karts, through junior open wheel careers, to the very top of the sport. As their competitive instincts sharpen, their desire and hunger to win against all odds and against all challengers becomes an intrinsic part of their personalities. Over time, through a combination of ability, experience, defeat, victory, perseverance, and prowess, their goal is to become the ultimate driver. At their command are the fastest and most advanced open wheel racing cars of all time. These rocket ships on wheels are comprised of thousands of unique parts, designed and manufactured specifically for racing by a team of thousands of people, whose own expertise is as essential to winning a race as is the craft of the racer behind the wheel. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent in the pursuit of glory. Decisions during a race are made in the blink of an eye, from the driver in the heat of battle to the strategist calling the race-winning shots and the pit crew servicing the cars and sending them on their way in mere seconds. Those who succeed know that on their day, and in their moment, there was no car as fast, no team as regimented, no driver as good. The challenge, always, is to win. And to keep winning. And for those who don't, to fight, to catch, to overhaul, and to then begin their own era of domination by taking the two biggest prizes in motorsport: the Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship and the Formula 1 Constructors' World Championship. But what does it take to become the best? Who are the greatest of all time? How has this sport become the global phenomenon that it is, and what does its future hold? In this book, you will discover all that Formula 1 is today and all that went before, from the story of how this incredible championship has evolved to the teams who made the greatest cars of their generation. On this decade-by-decade journey through the history of the sport, you'll be introduced to every champion the sport has crowned. And while I'd love to write about every driver this sport has known, time and space sadly won't permit such a luxury. Instead, and for every decade, you'll also read about one unique racer who I believe had all the skill but never won the championship, along with a handful of notable drivers of each generation. And we'll take a step back in time to relive some of the greatest races the sport has ever seen. This is where technical genius meets sporting excellence. This is where dreamers become heroes and where icons are forged in the white heat of pure competition. This is the pinnacle of motor racing. This is Formula 1. Excerpted from Grand Prix: An Illustrated History of Formula 1 by Will Buxton All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
