The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World's Fastest Growing Sport

4.6 | 870 ratings

Price: 22.04

Last update: 04-22-2025

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Wall Street Journal reporters and authors of The Club, Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg tell the riveting saga of how Formula 1 broke through in America, detailing the eclectic culture of racing obsessives, glamorous settings, gearheads, engineering geniuses, dashing racers, and bitter rivalries that have made F1 the world’s fastest growing sport.

For decades in America, car racing meant NASCAR, and to a lesser extent IndyCar, with Formula 1—the wealthiest racing league in the world—a distant third. Fast forward to 2023, and F1 has emerged at the front of the pack powered by a passionate yet nascent American fanbase. The F1 juggernaut has arrived, but this checkered flag was far from inevitable.

In The Formula, Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg tell the epic story of how F1 saved itself from collapse and finally conquered America through guile, fearlessness, and above all, reinvention. With fast cars, big money, glamorous locales, and beautiful people as the backdrop, The Formula reveals how F1’s sudden arrival in the US was actually decades in the making, a product of the sport’s near-constant state of transformation and experimentation. Bringing unique insight and access to F1’s most storied teams and personalities—from Ferrari to Bernie Ecclestone to Christian Horner to Lewis Hamilton—The Formula offers a riveting portrait of the drivers, corporations, cars, rivalries, and audacious gambles that have shaped the sport for half a century.

The end result is a high-octane history of how modern F1 racing came to be—the first book to tell the story of the outrageous successes and spectacular crashes that led F1 to this extraordinary yet precarious moment. More than just a sports story, The Formula is the tale of a disrupter that broke into the crowded American sports marketplace and claimed its place through cash, personality, and a new understanding of what a sport needs to be in the age of wall-to-wall entertainment.

Walter Fondren

Fantastic, Well Researched History

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2024

A very well written account of Formula 1 through the years. Very enjoyable read if you are a racing enthusiast.

John Hoskins

Interesting, easy read, not an in-depth history, but still entertaining.

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024

Just finished "The Formula" by Robinson and Clegg.
I found it a pretty easy read, and full of interesting insights and anecdotes. Spends a lot of time on the business side, detailing how Ecclestone took F1 from a bunch of squabbling teams and tracks to the powerhouse it is now (and made a mint while doing it). Some interesting stories about some of the drivers and some of the more controversial engineering choices.
All in all, I would recommend.

Mark Sanborn

If you have any real interest in what F1 is about today..

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024

..this is the book to read. Well written and fast moving with lots of fascinating information. Reads like fiction—a plus—and the research that went into it must have been incredible.

Andrew B.

AMAZING

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024

Fantastic story and perfectly told. Whether you're obsessed with F1 or don't know a thing about it, you won't be able to put this down.

Stephen

Everything a fan wants and needs to know

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024

I'm one of those people whose whole family caught the F1 bug thanks to DRIVE TO SURVIVE, and now we watch every race, qualifying and most practices. I'm also the type of person who, while interested in the drivers (#TeamLeClerc, #TeamAlonso, #TeamAnyoneButMax), is also a fascinated by the tech--Practice 1 is my favorite because that's often the subject--and the business behind F1. So THE FORMULA checked all the boxes for me. Indeed, it's a book that when I saw it on NetGalley I couldn't request it fast enough, so I"m glad the publisher gave me an early look. I was not disappointed.

The book ranges from the origins of F1 to the present, largely focusing on the cars and owners. It finally explained to me why Williams was so good for a while (they basically built the first computerized car, which made it handle better than any other), why Jenson Button won a championship (the double diffuser in his car gave him incredible grip), where Mercedes and Red Bull came from, and what it takes to win, whatever the tech in your car. The anecdote about why Christian Horner gave up racing himself might be the best explanation, especially when coupled with what makes Lewis so good; it might also be the only moment of humility in Christian's life. The explanation of why Ferrari has long struggled is very good, says the person who is wearing a Ferrari shirt at this moment. The chapter about Spygate was fascinating; I had no idea. And the book made me better appreciate speed through the flats versus handling in the corners. Overall THE FORMULA pairs up well with GAME OF EDGES and probably the authors' book on the Premier League, which I now have to read (#TeamLiverpool).

If the book has any problem it's that it's only an overview and a bit once over lightly in places, but given that the book's meant to be an overview for the millions of new American F1 fans, that's also kind of a plus. It does the job it's meant to do, and the writing's engaging. A solid performer. Deserves to be at the front of the grid.

John T Blazys

Great story

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2024

Wonderfully covers the history and current status of formula 1 without going deep into the individual drivers. Focus is how the sport has evolved from garage mechanics to the the now current international business.

Singcaptain13

Good but some factual errors

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024

I was excited to pick this up as a long time fan of the sport (since the late 80s) to get more of a behind the scenes look at the sport from a business perspective. I believe they did a good and thorough job going through the different phases and leadership of F1 over the years.

HOWEVER, early on there was a factual error that needs to be addressed. (Pg 85) The authors state, "In the three decades, since Imoola in 1994, there has not been a single fatality during an F1 race." 2014 at Suzuka (Japanese GP), Jules Bianchi tragicly lost the car and crashed into a crane that was on track while under safety car. As someone who remembers vividly the horror of Senna's crash, this was equally traumatizing to have seen play out as well, since it had been TWO decades since a death from an on track incident.
RIP Jules

Later in the book, the authors also mistakingly said Valtteri Botas is Estonian while he in fact is Finnish.
Guether Steiner was also incorrectly called Austrian later in the book when 20 pages previously was called Italian. Sloppy editing/fact checking.

Made me start to question the behind the scenes "insight", but to their credit the authors list an extensive reference at the end of the book.

Still, I enjoyed the book and think it's a great read especially for newcomers to the sport.

Andrea Smith

zoom zoom

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024

Well, it’s safe to say that the rumors and drama we see today on social media about Formula One aren’t new (there are multiple new rumors daily!). F1 and drama seem to go hand in hand. Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg didn’t write a history of the sport, but the history of politics and drama… there is plenty! Spygate and Crashgate only scratch the surface. This is a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at the chaos that we call Formula One.

BTW: The description of Toto and Lewis is iconic!

Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner Books, for an advanced copy to read between practice and qualifying!

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