Jennie Gow’s ‘How to Read F1’ | Book Review

Essentially, How to Read F1 is a big glossary, with its easily digestible A-Z format covering everything from drivers and other influential figures, to technical terms and anything else you might encounter during a grand prix weekend. Even the chapter that feels most at a stretch – yachts for the letter Y – offers a history of the evolution of the sport from a cultural perspective, the growth of the sport reflected in the increased sizes of the vessels in the (sometimes fake) marinas.

There is a conciseness to this book which makes it excel at its job as a guide. Nothing is ever too long or convoluted, but explanations contain a depth of information which reflect the experienced voice and detailed research behind it. If you’re trying to wrap your head around something, like the evolution of engines in the sport or what KERS is, it’s never the case of information overload.

This book can help you better understand the intricacies of F1, whether you’re new to the sport or a veteran viewer. I would never claim to know all about F1, but as someone who has spent years watching grands prix, there were things I finally felt I understood thanks to this book, or if I wanted a refresher down the line, I now have a convenient source to go to for just that, without having to trek through hit-or-miss results on the internet.

Trivia, neat diagrams and insights from Gow’s own career, which spans more than a decade in the paddock, are the finer details that make this book more than just what a standard guide could set out to be. A story of Bernie Ecclestone paying for the cost of a hospital stay Gow had to take in Singapore, for example, is one such instance of the personal insights this book can bring to figures who often appear larger than life.

The dilemma of catering to an older audience versus new is a line this book walks well, but it also takes a moment to engage in that debate. As well as a respected voice on the radio, Gow is also a talking head on Drive to Survive, which she says “changed the whole [documentary] genre and sport.”

From the problem of a closed-off and aging fanbase, Drive to Survive has introduced a whole new demographic of people to F1 according to Gow, who takes the view that “anyone can appreciate the sport in whatever manner they want… as long as I don’t have to ask the question ‘Is Formula 1 dying?’ I’m happy.” Gow’s skills a writer in How to Read F1 work to capture all audiences, creating a happy medium for a guide which is all-encompassing but never condescending.

This book was published in November and is up-to-date for the 2024 campaign – to the extent where a world champions table presumes that Max Verstappen “will probably have four [titles] by the end of 2024,” as indeed he now does. It’s a good thing for Gow that that looked so certain so soon. As great as being current is, the risk of any statistics-based guide is that it can quickly become out of date. In the revolving-door world that is F1 this is only exacerbated.

All of the drivers to start the 2024 season are featured in this book, including Logan Sargeant, for whom the axe was already hovering. His departure from Williams following the Dutch Grand Prix is mentioned, but Daniel Ricciardo’s entry only goes as far as his motivation to return to a Red Bull seat. There’s not a lot that can be done about this, but it does mean some parts of this book have a shorter shelf-life than others.

If that is the only real downside, though, then it speaks to the strengths of this book in other areas. For all the personalities and technologies F1 produces, and how fast-moving the sport is, How to Read F1 succeeds in untangling complex threads and setting them out in a clear and enjoyable manner, be it your first time confronting these topics or just for a prompt you don’t mind going back for.

Images courtesy of Getty Images.