Grand Prix who's who

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Fourth edition by Steve Small

The third edition of this book was published in 2000, 12 long years ago. Since then there have been a lot of races and new Grand Prix drivers which means an already big book is now enormous. At nearly 850 pages, you’ll want a strong carrier bag and a short walk home from wherever you buy it. And believe me, if you love Formula 1 history you will want to buy this book.

We rubbed our hands in glee when the fourth edition thumped on to our desks, not least because our soft-back office copy of the old one is being held together by brown tape. ‘The Steve Small’, as it is known, is the most-used reference book around these park. The reasons are simple: the format of each driver’s results couldn’t be beffer, and crucially we trust what it tells us. Given its primary function, nothing could be more important.

Small’s biographies, many of which have been expanded, are useful career snapshots, while there are portraits of every entry, from the most famous to the most obscure. Pick a page at random and you might find photos, short biogs and stats for Gianfranco Comoth, George Constantine and John Cordts, with all of four GP starts between them. Turn the page and next up is David Coulthard, who started considerably more. Some things don’t change. It still begins and ends with George Abecassis and Ricardo Zunino, but a cast of new names have joined the roster between them. It’s a fantastic resource and great value for money, too. DS

Published by Icon Publishing Ltd., ISBN 978 1905334 698, £70