Karun Chandhok’s ‘Drive to Victory’ | Book review
One of the best things about the rising level of interest in Formula 1 is how many young people are falling in love with motorsport. Kids getting hooked on racing is what it’s all about and anything that feeds their enthusiasm has to be considered a great thing.
That’s why a children’s book dedicated to F1 makes so much sense. And who better to write it than ex-racing driver, regular Goodwood visitor and ace TV pundit and commentator, Karun Chandhok?
Karun was always a cheerful and personable character in paddocks when he was a driver, and it’s no surprise how quickly and successfully he made the transition to TV when he hung up his helmet. A regular on Sky F1 and on coverage of Formula E, he’s well established as one of the best in the business – a natural communicator who understands how to speak to both knowledgeable enthusiasts and newcomers to the sport all at the same time.
Karun’s book is called Drive to Victory: Incredible true stories from the fastest sport in the world. It’s a paperback of just over 200 pages packed with all that kids need to know about F1, with stylish illustrations by Max Rambaldi. Seven chapters broken down in digestible bite-sized chunks explain all aspects of F1 today, from the drivers to the teams and the technology, and Karun also delves into facts and fun stories from racing’s past. As a fan first before he was a racer, and now a father himself, Karun has the intuition to understand what kids will want to read.
But enough about this book from an adult perspective. What will kids make of it? To find out, I asked my 10-year-old son Elliott to read the book and give us his review. So over to you, Elliott!
“I’ve been to Goodwood, Silverstone and Brands Hatch with my mum and dad, and I really like motorsport. I like how fast it is and how tense the races can be. What I like about this book is that it tells you loads of facts to explain what the sport is all about.
“There were lots of things in the book I found interesting. I liked reading about the simulators drivers use to train, prepare for the races and learn the tracks. I liked the ‘tech talk’ about how they make the cars, how they work with engines and gearboxes, and how over history the cars have changed. For example, in the 1960s, how wings on the backs of cars helped them improve and get faster.
“I really like the chapter that told me about the teams, especially which ones are old and which ones are new. I learnt that Ferrari is the oldest team and has its own test track. There are loads of cool facts, especially about the drivers. I learnt about Jim Clark and Ayrton Senna, and how sad it was that they both died.
"I also liked reading about Niki Lauda. He raced for two of the best teams in motor racing history, Ferrari and McLaren, was one of the best in the world and was also clever politically. Then when he stopped driving he became an adviser to Ferrari. I wish I could have met all of these great drivers."
“It was also good to read about the great racing drivers of today – Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, who will go down as one of the greatest in history. My favourite driver is Lando Norris. The book told me how he was “the next British golden boy” when he joined McLaren in 2018 and how joyful he is around the team. That made me feel happy.
“What I liked about this book is that it was easy to read, it’s not too hard to understand like grown-up books but still has lots of facts. Karun writes in a way that made me feel happy. It made me want to keep reading on and turning the pages. I was excited to see what was coming next.
“In conclusion, I really recommend this book for kids who are seven and over. It’s funny, there are not loads of hard words and it’s fun to learn about F1. I really enjoyed it.”
Thanks, Elliott! As a parent, it’s always great to see kids reading books. Elliott read a few pages before he went to sleep every night, then the following morning would tell me about the facts he’d learnt. Great job, Karun! Perhaps you should write a sequel…
Main image courtesy of Getty Images.
formula 1
f1
Karun Chandhok
Book Review
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