Win a copy of Formula One: The Champions, Maurice Hamilton's new book

The latest book by the noted Formula 1 writer Maurice Hamilton, Formula One: The Champions, is released today, published by White Lion.

The book is made up of individual portraits in pictures and words of every one of F1's 33 world champions going back to the championship's inception in 1950. So it's from Giuseppe Farina through to Nico Rosberg, stopping off along the way at Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton among many other legendary figures.

For this weighty 240-page book, just as in his 2016 title The Pursuit of Speed, Hamilton has teamed up with father-and-son Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier of The Cahier Archive photographic collection. And it contains some never-seen-before photographs. There is a foreword by Bernie Ecclestone.

And we have a copy of this fine book to give away to Talking about F1 readers.

All you have to do is answer the very simple question below. We will pick one winner at random from the correct answers and will be in touch if you're the lucky recipient. Good luck!

THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

You can also buy the book, as well as find out more detail on it, via this link.

You also can read my thoughts on the book here.

Review of Maurice Hamilton's new book 'Formula One: The Champions'

Formula 1 world champions are indeed an exclusive bunch. Only 33 have reached the status from over 600 to compete in F1 across 70 years, not to mention the innumerable additional group who have not even made it that far. Few therefore would dispute long-serving F1 correspondent Maurice Hamilton describing F1's title as "the ultimate accolade in motorsport".

And Hamilton's latest book, Formula One: The Champions, is a fitting tribute to them. Released tomorrow on March 3 and published by White Lion, it is a stylishly-presented and sizeable 240-page hardback made up of written and photographic portrayals of every one of those 33, from Giuseppe Farina through to Nico Rosberg, stopping off at legends such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher, among several others, along the way.

Hamilton for this has allied his words with the photography of Bernard Cahier and his son Paul-Henri of The Cahier Archive photographic collection, reuniting the same trio that brought us 2016's The Pursuit of Speed title.

The task of portraying all the title winners going back to 1950, who as Hamilton notes at the outset are a diverse band in an ever-changing category, is a sizeable one. Yet these authors are well-placed to take it on, with Hamilton offering 40 years on the F1 front line as well as a keen eye for its history, and The Cahier Archive stretching back to the F1's beginnings and, uniquely, remaining throughout that time in its original hands.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Sebastian Vettel Is Trolling The Trolls

Sebastian Vettel - from spinning on track, he's now spinning in the simulator. Is this Vettel's way of trolling his trolls? Let's remember, the German has an impeccable sense of humour too. Instead of wins, pole positions and fastest laps, his spin count (four in the last 10 races) leads the chatter among Formula 1 fans. One thing is for sure, Vettel will bounce back. But which race will it be?

Photo: Octane Photography

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we discuss the celebrations around Formula 1's 1000th Grand Prix, a possible Verstappen-Ocon pairing at Mercedes, which driver prodigies will place his hands on the title trophy first - Leclerc or Verstappen, Formula E's new ambassadors - Bernie Ecclestone and Lewis Hamilton and of course, the possible addition of a Q4 to our ever-so-fun qualifying session. By the way, there's a 'What Villeneuve Said This Week' section. But worry not, it isn't replacing our ever-famous 'What Wolff Said This Week' section. Okay, now tune in!

(Season 2019, Episode 14)
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Paul Tracy's Benetton Test, September 1994 - by Ibrar Malik

Many believe Schumacher ran illegal driver aids during 1994 because one of Benetton's former drivers, Jos Verstappen, once claimed so during an interview in 2011. This along with all the other arguments are analysed extensively in the book however, what is not commonly appreciated is five other drivers stepped inside the B194 that year also. Michael Schumacher, JJ Lehto, Johnny Herbert and Allan McNish all drove the 1994 Benetton and their views on it will become clear either in the book or in upcoming blogs. However it is often forgotten that rising IndyCar star, Paul Tracy, also tested the car. So what were his thoughts?

Paul Tracy in the Penske. Although the cars looked similar, IndyCar drivers have not always adapted to F1. Most notably Michael Andretti in 1993.

Bernie Ecclestone organised the Paul Tracy/Benetton test because IndyCar racing was growing in popularity at the time and becoming a serious rival for F1. Nigel Mansell, Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi all raced in the US series and even Ayrton Senna investigated a move Stateside at the end of 1992. It is believed that Ecclestone wanted to steal IndyCar stars (like Paul Tracy) to weaken the American series but also to widen grand prix racing's appeal. F1's commercial supremo had been instrumental in moving the 1991 and 1995 IndyCar champions (Michael Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve) across the pond during the mid-1990s.

New Motorsport Week article: When a painted cow saved F1 - the South African Grand Prix that wasn’t

Pereira, Fernando / Anefo / neg. stroken, 1945-1989, 2.24.01.
05, item number 930-9907 [CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/
3.0/nl/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

Whatever you think about Formula 1 politics at any given moment in time, you can at least count yourself lucky that they are not the politics of the 'FISA-FOCA war'. And as everyone headed off for the winter at the end of the 1980 season the war was at its most entrenched. Then even sober assessments had F1 - had least F1 as we knew it - as not long for this earth.

As the months passed and 1980 gave way to '81 about the only progress was of even more digging in. That was until a painted cow - no, really - broke the logjam. And gave us eventually the F1 that we would still fully recognise today.

In my latest for Motorsport Week I tell this rather strange tale. You can check it out here: https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/21539

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Play Party (Mode) Pooper For 2019

Photo: Octane Photography

So much for Red Bull Racing chasing the infamous 'party mode' in Formula 1. The FIA have introduced rules in 2019 that could see the end of the (legal) tricks used to engage the power boost during qualifying. Level the playing field, we hope. This means that in 2019, Red Bull Racing will miss the 'party mode' and their party boy, Daniel Ricciardo.

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we dissect Racing Point's alternate theory to Darwin's - the 'survival of the slowest'. It seems best to interview Helmut Marko in the winter period, we tell you why. Sebastian Vettel should become a coffee drinker to further his title campaign in 2019 - we share what our random research brings out. And finally, is the Liberty Media-Ecclestone combination that Formula 1 needs to propel itself into the future? Oh wait, last we heard, Liberty Media were seeking liberty from Formula 1. As expected, things as spicing up as the winter period comes to an official end in the next few days...tune in!

(Season 2019, Episode 03)

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Inside Line F1 Podcast - The Sergio Perez Interview Podcast

By the end of the 2018 Formula 1 Season, Sergio Perez would become Force India's most-experienced driver - and unless Esteban Ocon (who is next on the show!) goes on a podium scoring spree, he will also become the team's most-successful driver.

Force India has helped stabilise Perez's career and vice-versa; they make a lethal combo - one to watch out for this season. He is also the best person to judge Force India's key strength - one that's made them the talk of the paddock and the 'best bang for buck World Champions'.

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, the famous Mexican driver joins us on the show - also becoming first driver in history to appear on our show twice! Super thanks to our friends at Force India for making this happen - #FeelTheForce, indeed.

Tune in to hear Checo's expectations from 2018, if he would ever consider a dual racing program like Fernando Alonso - the WEC and Formula 1 and what he thinks of the next-generation Formula E car. Also, we talk about Bernie Ecclestone's suggestion to Formula 1 to go all-electric and if slowing the cars down to improve the spectacle of racing would make sense.

(Season 2018, Episode 05)

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Inside Line F1 Podcast - Bernie Ecclestone - Ferrari's Breakaway Series

Ferrari's breakaway series is no longer news. In fact, apart from grabbing headlines for the last decade, there's never been further movement. But will the out-of-work Bernie Ecclestone take up Ferrari's breakaway series as a project to bring him back into force in the world of Motorsport? Ecclestone's love for Ferrari is public knowledge, but how serious could Ferrari be?

Frankly, if there's any series who can benefit from Ecclestone's administrative experience, it would be Formula E. But that's for another episode.

In this episode, we talk about Robert Kubica's possible comeback and if he would be the fastest pay driver ever. Did Lewis Hamilton take piano lessons from Adrian Sutil? Will Lewis Hamilton skip the F1 Live events planned in 2018, or will Liberty Media make it mandatory for drivers to attend? Finally, instead of the grid girls vs. grid boys debate, let's have grid pets.

Finally, Formula 1 recorded an increase in circuit attendance in 2017. This is when we registered a 22% increase in our listenership. Thank you for your support, listens and comments. Here's wishing you a Happy New Year. We'll see you in 2018! Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 38)

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour. 

Final thoughts on 2017: Plus ca change...

It's easy to forget now, but in 2017's early weeks F1 changed almost unthinkably. Bernie Ecclestone, who bestrode F1 for the best part of half a century, was moved on, or rather up (so far up that he couldn't see what was going on, as he liked to quip). The one man band was replaced by America's Liberty Media and its cast of thousands.

Changed, changed utterly - new F1 chairman
Chase Carey of Liberty cleared Bernie Ecclestone aside
Photo: Octane Photography

And even though plenty in the paddock had for years given genuine impression this wouldn't be the case post-Bernie, the sun still rose in the same place. F1, initially at least, continued with barely a ripple.

For a while furthermore it was glad confident morning - hosting deals for circuits would become reasonable; prestige races would return; there would be more money for everyone... Liberty appeared full of ideas particularly in areas that F1 had been left behind in such as promotion and the digital age. The possibilities seemed endless.

And Liberty heralded some specific immediate change. From Melbourne teams and drivers shared more from the pit and paddock on social media; F1 social media accounts were much more active generally; larger numbers on the cars - something wrestled with for years - came in for Spain and hardly caused a problem; the circuits generally had more going on at them for Grand Prix visits; more were invited into the paddock; more events to promote Grands Prix locally, such as London Live, were laid on; the eSports championship was a welcome extension; F1 even seemed to develop a sense of humour with for example the return of the Montreal raft race. All was not before time.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - The Daniil Kvyat-Max Verstappen Equation For 2018

You already know the equation between Max Verstappen and Daniil Kvyat. Each time Kvyat has lost out, Verstappen has won that very race. But for 2018, there's a chance that Kvyat will lose out on an entire season, in which case, will the same Kvyat-stat work to crown Max Verstappen the 2018 Formula 1 World Champion? Dreamy stuff!

Btw, we're proud to announce our association with Johnnie Walker's 'never drink and drive' campaign - #JoinThePact. Mika Hakkinen will be in India to promote this social cause and as a part of our association, we will have opportunities to generate exclusive content with the Flying Finn! Remember to tune in to our podcast over the next few days to hear Mika speak on some really interesting topics about his career, the 2017 F1 season and about his Finnish compatriots - Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen.

Also, we're supporting #JoinThePact and we will 'walk our talk' and sign-up ourselves when we meet Mika in person in India. Here's your chance to sign-up too.

In this week's episode, we praise Liberty Media's efforts to grow the sport of Formula 1, while debating if Bernie Ecclestone did actually help Ferrari! Will the Formula 1 - Netflix deal led the sport to a new viewer market? And given how Formula 1, the teams and drivers have taken to social media, should we announce a Formula 1 Social Media Championship?

Lastly, since we started with Daniil Kvyat - the man who has been orphaned by the Red Bull Racing camp, we will end the podcast with him too (he definitely needs some love!). Can he do a Nico Hulkenberg, join Force India as a reserve driver for 2018 and make a comeback in a race seat in 2019? If he does so, Force India will have to make space on their pink cars for the new Russian sponsors.

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 35)

Sepang Preview: The days of future past

Sepang was the future once. When it arrived in 1999 it was the great leap forward. Bernie Ecclestone hailed the venue for the Malaysian Grand Prix immediately as "the best in the world".

The future once - the Sepang venue makes its F1 curtain call
By Morio (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

It was a template too. The built-from-scratch all-mod-cons Hermann Tilke typology is now familiar. This was the first.

The template stretches to the circuit layout - a long straight book-ended by tight corners (this track has at least two of them indeed) intended to provide overtaking, with a variety of types of turn elsewhere including a high speed esses section.

Even its motivation was as would become grimly samey - the Malaysian Prime Minister wanted to promote the country as an industrial and business destination and bankrolled the event to this end.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - FIA Should Have Penalised Verstappen & Raikkonen

The 2017 Spanish Grand Prix was epic. Lewis Hamilton won a race he had almost lost. As for Sebastian Vettel, he managed a perfect start, a super overtake of Bottas, a valiant defence from Hamilton only to finish 2nd. Why did Ferrari choose to not pit Vettel in the last 12-15 laps and set him a target to chase Hamilton? This question will remain unanswered.

3-into-1 has always entertained in Formula 1, but in the Verstappen-Raikkonen-Bottas sandwich, should the FIA have penalised Verstappen & Raikkonen for unsafe rejoining of the track? We believe that the FIA need to rethink the Virtual Safety Car deployment - can we limit it to the particular sector and not the entire track? And of course, the FIA needs to sit with the teams (Force India, in particular) and standardise driver sticker spots.

Lastly, why is Bernie Ecclestone keen to demote himself to being a team owner? That too of a mid-field team? Is this is a hint of the sign of times to come? We speculate.

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 18)

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Red Bull Gives You Wings, But No Brakes

As we approach the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix, all eyes will be on Red Bull Racing. Will their upgrades make them a front running team for 2017? And Red Bull might give you wings, but they clearly aren't giving Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo good brakes.

IF ONLY Niki Lauda's statement that Spain is where the season 'resets' would mean a reset of the 80 points deficit for Red Bull Racing. The RB13 is unlucky for some, at this moment.

In this week's episode, Mithila and Kunal discuss how Formula 1 might be an art-craft class after the FIA introduced new regulations for driver identification. With 30 new venues showing interest in hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix, can we and will we ever have 52 races in a year ever? And finally, there's enough proof that you can take Formula 1 away from Bernie Ecclestone, but not Bernie Ecclestone from Formula 1. Tune in!

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

(Season 2017, Episode 17)

Inside Line F1 Podcast - McLaren Saved Formula 1 From A Honda Destruction

Thank you McLaren for vetoing a Red Bull Racing - Honda partnership a few seasons ago. IF not, we'd have had 6 GP2 cars (or worse!) racing in Formula 1. By the way, there's talk of Mercedes helping Honda with their power-unit. This is after Bernie Ecclestone suggested that Mercedes helped Ferrari. If that's the case, why not help Renault too? Or better, let's just give everyone Mercedes engines.

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Mithila and Kunal discuss Fernando Alonso's Indy 500 preparations, Ecclestone-Vettel's friendship, Lauda's support of every Hamilton challenger, Renault's 2030 F1 concept and IF Fernando Alonso will retire his McLaren-Honda in the upcoming Russian Grand Prix too.

Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 16)

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Have Ferrari Forgotten Team Orders?

After the incredible Chinese Grand Prix, we wondered what most Ferrari fans would've wondered - why did Ferrari not ask Kimi Raikkonen to move over and let Sebastian Vettel pass? Could this strategic move have altered the race result? Did this 'no team order' strategy blunder cost Ferrari more than their tyre strategy for Vettel?

Frankly, we're happy that Ferrari let their drivers race. Yes, it's unusual, but it is something that Mercedes and Red Bull Racing have been doing since ages. Thank you, Ferrari. And since we're thanking people, thank you Max Verstappen for a fantastic charge up the grid.

The Chinese Grand Prix also confirmed two things: First, we're about to witness a closely contested season after many many many years! It'll be a Ferrari vs. Mercedes to start with and we're praying Red Bull Racing join the action too. Second, it'll be Vettel vs. Hamilton battle for the Drivers' Championship and Bottas vs. Raikkonen for the Constructors' Championship.

In this week's episode, our hosts look forward to the first double header racing weekend of the season. Yes, we'll be racing in Bahrain in a few days. Should Bernie Ecclestone buy Interlagos just to have some fun with the new boys running Formula 1? Could Fernando Alonso deflect to Williams in 2018? Bye-Bye Sepang and hello Nurburgring or Hockenheim? Okay, can we have both? Tune in!

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

(Season 2017, Episode 14)

Inside Line F1 Podcast - McLaren Is The Fan Favourite For 2017

As we near the start of the 2017 Formula 1 Season, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing are busy trading the 'favourites' tag with each other. In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Mithila and Kunal tell you that despite their lack of pace and reliability, McLaren-Honda are definitely the fan favourite for 2017.

The million dollar questions staring at Formula 1 right now are: Will Mercedes unleash more pace? Will McLaren-Honda be able to go the full race distance? Also, does Daniel Ricciardo have a new party trick for 2017? Because we know that Max Verstappen does.

Liberty Media have re-branded GP2 to F2, but with F3 already there, what will they brand GP3 to? And we were most glad when they admitted that traditional races in Europe are key to Formula 1's future. The new owners of the sport seem to be making the right noises (again). Is this why Bernie Ecclestone chose to not stay on?

Along with iTunes and audioBoom, we're also now available on Google Play Podcasts. Pick your platform and subscribe for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 10)

New Motorsport Week article: Why F1 might be about to, finally, get it right on overtaking

And with one bound, F1 was free.

Photo: Octane Photography

Free of the ubiquitous Bernie Ecclestone, that is. His demise, while we could see it coming, in the event was abrupt. And in the short time since the sport's observers have been like kids in a sweet shop, pointing furiously at the various things the sport can now solve with Bernie cast to one side.

But the most pressing thing should be to do with what we get on track, and the lingering 'dirty air' problems not letting cars race. There even are reasons to be optimistic on this one, even though the regs to be introduced this year are not likely to help.

For various reasons it's unlikely to be be fixed quickly, but also for various reasons this is no bad thing.

I outline my thinking in my latest article for Motorsport Week. You can have a read here: https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/13697

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Donald Trump Should Hire Bernie Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone was fired from Formula 1. What should he do next? We think he could be a TV commentator, so he gets to travel to the races for free (since he's known to be cheap!). Or his good friend Donald Trump could hire him as an government relations expert? Current affairs indicate that Mr. Trump might need Ecclestone's service immediately! Or maybe he could start up a business with his fellow unemployed men from the paddock, Nico Rosberg and Ron Dennis.

We always knew that Formula 1 would find it hard to replace Bernie – that's why the new owners have replaced him with three people. The new management also thinks Formula 1's existing offices are too small – obviously, they were made for a one-man team only! And should Formula 1 hire a circuits expert too?

2017 may not be Bernie’s year, but in all other sports, it is fast becoming the Year of the Oldies. Does this mean that Kimi Raikkonen will finally win some races this season? Likewise for Ferrari and McLaren too? In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we talk about Lewis Hamilton’s helmet design competition (what would it look like if Adrian Newey designed it?) and Daniel Ricciardo's oral tinea thanks to the shoeys (seriously). Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 05)

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Let's Bring Juan Pablo Montoya Back To Formula 1

Is this Formula 1's busiest 'off-season' yet? There's been an overdose of stories in this period: from Mercedes hiring Valtteri Bottas as Nico Rosberg's replacement, Formula 1's sale and Bernie Ecclestone being forcibly replaced to Juan Pablo Montoya's Race of Champions victory on debut and Sebastian Vettel's single-handled efforts winning Germany their 7th Race of Champion Nations Cup! (PS: we love the Juan 'juan' ROC jokes!)

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we tell you why Formula 1 would never go the Race of Champions way, even if it is a fun format. We also decode why Max Verstappen might never participate in the ROC.

Pascal Wehrlein's crash was heart-stopping! Does it worry Monisha (Kaltenborn) about her budgets for 2017? And did anyone notice the fan seated next to Wehrlein? Through the entire crash, this fan was on his (or her) phone shooting content! We'd love to see the fan's footage. If you've not seen this picture yet, go over to our Facebook page.

Finally, Formula 1's sale saw the unthinkable but the long overdue happen - Bernie Ecclestone's dismissal. Much like Formula 1 hopes to benefit by bringing Ross Brawn back, we're sure the sport can benefit much by bringing back the uber talented and mercurial Juan Pablo Montoya. Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 04)

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Mercedes vs Red Bull = Engine vs Aero

If we are treated to a Mercedes vs. Red Bull Racing contest in 2017, it could well be an 'engine vs. aero' battle given Mercedes' superior power unit and Red Bull Racing's aero prowess. But well, Bernie Ecclestone doesn't believe that Mercedes will be challenged this season too. Sigh!

On this 'engine vs. aero' debate, we're reminded of Enzo Ferrari's famous quote 'aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines' and this does seem true for Red Bull Racing - who have publicly declared that they'll be fighting for wins only in the second half of 2017! Sigh! (yet again!)

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we discuss the Renault-Magnussen-Haas love-hate relationship, possible retirement options for Jolyon Palmer, McLaren's sponsor-friendly statements and even though we narrowly missed the Valtteri Bottas to Mercedes announcement, we still got it right in this episode. While Mercedes made the most of the positive PR around their second cockpit, they do need lessons on how to maintain suspense! Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 03)
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