To be a fly on the wall of a Formula 1 team is a dream for any fan. To watch as a paddock is set up. See team members rushing about solving all manners of problems. The hustle as a race is about to begin. All the way to the take down and process of starting the whole thing over again. It’s next to impossible of an experience for any of us to get. But we can get a glimpse of it with Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane.
It’s author, Matt Whyman, spent close to 14 months with the team from March ‘23 to May ‘24. And not limited with surface level access like watching trackside a couple of times or getting a few minutes here and there with the drivers or team principal. Instead, he was more embedded in the team.
Many experiences were more sporting related, like following along during a night at the factory running the simulator with Mick Schumacher. Others were more social like running the track at COTA with the team. Some were obscure like the process of rotating through the use of a hotel room to freshen up before the team went on to their next leg of the calendar.
His participation in these moments was thanks to his shadowing of various team members in a number of departments. Not limited to just engineering or those working on the car. He watched on as the Senior PR Manager (Rosa Herrero Venegas) moved Russell to be photographed away from conflicting advertisements. A task most of us would fail to consider until it is pointed out.
There are a number of small details like this throughout the novel. Fun facts interspersed with profiles of the team members. But these paragraphs of interest are broken up by a fair bit of monotony and slow paced narration.
Like many F1 books, this one can’t seem to decide who their intended audience is; newer fans who benefit from added context and exposition or those whose knowledge is so deep they thirst for any new little insight. The result is a book that is good but not great for either group or those in between.
Skimmable in many moments but insightful in others, fans will likely enjoy this book despite the slow sections.
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