How to Be an F1 Driver

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About this listen

Author of Sunday Times best seller Life to the Limit.

In his 17 years as a Formula 1 driver, Jenson Button has picked up a thing or two about how to do the job properly. Sure, you need to be able to drive a car fast - and Jenson is on hand to pass on a few tricks of the trade here - but you also need to know the real rules for making it to the top.

Like, how to tell a multiple F1 champion they need to check their blind spot. What the difference is between a helmet and a hat, and indeed a 'helmet-hat'. How to practise your champagne spray ahead of the big day. Why it is never, ever, under any circumstances a good idea to buy a yacht. And how to face down your team when you've just stacked their multi-million-pound car into a wall during practice.

But 'JB' (nicknames in F1 run the full range from initials to, well, just using first names) doesn't stop there. HTBAF1D (catchy) lifts the lid on the people, the places, the weird rituals, the motorhomes, the media, the cars, the perks and the disasters. Join Jenson as he reveals how not to race a stupid big truck, why driving Le Mans is like having five shots of tequila before lunch and what to do when you finally hang up your helmet-hat.

Jenson ButtonJack HawkinsJenson ButtonBlink Publishing

Sports

Inspiring

Thought-Provoking

Funny

Sports Inspiring Thought-Provoking Funny

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Often referred to by commentators in the past as an Ambassador for Formula I, one time world champion, Jenson Button reveals to the ardent fans a little of what goes on behind the scenes - the rivalry between team mates, the unrealistic expectations of rookie drivers who come in believing that speed is enough, the complexities of the car and changes that have occurred over the past couple of decades since Button first took the F1 car's wheel. In a relaxed conversational style, he talks about his personal drive, his father, his fatherhood to be, the ongoing love for motor sports and 'growing up'. For any F1 fan, this book is a fascinating insight into that racing world.

The book is not narrated by Jenson Button, himself, although he does give an introduction, stating that he's a driver not a narrator - that he leaves to the professiona!s. And Jack Hawkins gives a very good rendering of the book, his voice not too dissimilar to that of the authod, the nuanced way in which he speaks captured pretty well. But Henson was wrong: it should have been him reading to fully invest what he is writing with a passion that only his all too distinctive voice could give. Perhaps then the frequent sentence repetition would have sounded more authentic, less contrived.

How to be an F1 Driver, is a very enjoyable listen for any long time F1 fan. I personally enjoyed reading about the car controls, aerodynamics and downforce, written in so straightforward a way that even this totally non technical reader could understand. And I loved the anecdote about the race when Jenson could not remember how to start the car - he was in pole position, too, so no pressure ..
Some flawa, certainly, but if you enjoy motor sports, including Le Mans, this is a fun, must-read book.