1994 was a watershed year for F1 in so many ways, the fatal accidents of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna shook the sport to its core. What followed was mayhem. For the first time all the arguments are painstakingly examined in one book. Fresh insights, exclusive interviews, and a plethora of evidence is brought together in a story that is guaranteed to amaze and shock. This book is a thorough examination of a turbulent season, including...
? Rushed car changes
? Teams unhappy with how the crisis was managed
? A power struggle for control of the sport
? Vague rules being exploited
? Accusations of politically motivated penalties
? An alleged cover-up after a horrific pit-lane fire
? A controversial conclusion
It also saw Michael Schumacher and Benetton first emerge as championship contenders, upsetting the establishment. Many believed their sudden rise was down to cheating, whilst others felt they were scapegoated because of politics. For the first time all the arguments are painstakingly examined in one book. Fresh insights, exclusive interviews, and a plethora of evidence is brought together to give the clearest analysis yet into the above events. The book contains over 250 photos which help bring this story to life, many of which are rare and from those involved.
There are exclusive contributions from former F1 driver Mark Blundell, Benetton insiders: Willem Toet, Frank Dernie, Simon Morley (the "junior employee" blamed for the Hockenheim fire). Williams' insiders Paul West and Richard Wise. You will be astonished at what is unearthed. 1994 was tragic, chaotic, political, technical and involved some very colourful characters at the heart of the action. It's a story that will amaze.
? Did Senna hear illegal traction control on Schumacher's Benetton at Aida?
? Concealed launch control was later found on Schumacher's Benetton. Why?
? Was the Hockenheim fire caused by Benetton removing their fuel filter?
? Despite pleading guilty, why did Benetton receive no serious punishments after the fire?
? Schumacher was banned / disqualified from a quarter of 1994 races due to various infringements. Politics or cheating?
? Did a return to simpler cars contribute to the accidents?
The book seeks to answer these and many more questions.
"Enjoyed reading that [extract of the book]"
Frank Dernie, Benetton chief engineer in 1994
"The author has assembled more facts about the season than I've ever seen before and managed to get more interviews with stakeholders involved at the time than I thought would be possible."
Willem Toet, Benetton's Head of Aerodynamics in 1994
A print version of this book which is DOUBLE the length of this audio book can be found at https://www.performancepublishing.co.uk/1994-the-untold-story-of-a-tragic-and-controversial-f1-season.html This goes into more detail & includes more period quotes from those involved whilst containing over 270 mainly rare images which help explain the story in a way that the audio book could never do. For example the print book contains images which illustrate how the diffusers were cut following Imola 1994 and its subsequent affect on the cars handling. Or THAT leaked photo of Schumacher's Spa 1994 plank showing the damage, so readers can dec
The original Team Lotus, i.e. the one that competed within F1 between 1958 to 1994 carries so much affection for F1 fans. However during the 1990's serious financial problems brought an end to them. It was a huge pity given their rich history. But how did they get to that point in the first place?
This audio book guides listeners through all of Team Lotus' races between 1983 to the end of the 1989 F1 Season to seek answers. It provides analysis of those GP's & each season covered to help listeners ascertain:
· Was the loss of their founder Colin Chapman the blow that killed them?
· Were Senna's & Piquet's demands too much?
· Or were they just gradually eaten up by leaner, meaner teams during F1's expensive Turbo era?
A print version of this book will follow and is it's due for release in Spring 2020. These books might even become a set of volumes providing the complete Team Lotus' story. Other volumes may cover the periods between 1978-1983 & 1990 onwards. Help make this happen here whilst getting your hands on exclusive research: https://www.patreon.com/newbook or receive updates on future Team Lotus books here; http://www.1994f1.com/contact/ The author's previous books include the highly acclaimed: 1994 The Untold Story of a Tragic & Controversial F1 Season,
"Malik is an F1 fan ... Judging by his breakthrough effort (1994 The Untold Story of a Tragic & Controversial F1 Season) it'd be welcome news if his portfolio was to grow."
Autosport, 25 April 2019
Front cover image credit:
Dima Moroz via the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Grand Prix Racing during the 1990's was among one of the best era's of the sport. Not only did you have great F1 drivers & loud F1 engines (like the old V12's) which not only excited fans, but, the sport was full of colourful characters and it was an era before people were afraid of watching their words. This book therefore captures some forgotten, yet fascinating short stories from that time that will make you laugh, cry or even just ponder. They include:
Chapter 1 What Do The Most Successful and Worst Car of 1994 Have in Common?
Chapter 2 Funny Stories From An F1 Mechanic
Chapter 3 Brundle at McLaren
Chapter 4 Mansell's 1994 Comeback
Chapter 5 Working Within Benetton During the 1990's
Chapter 6 Unraced Projects of the 1994 F1 Season & an insight into Pacific Grand Prix racing (written in conjunction with Jasper Heijmans)
Chapter 7 Schumacher's Ferrari Controversies
Chapter 8 Schumacher's 1994 Ligier Test
Chapter 9 Herbert at Benetton
Chapter 10 Lehto at Benetton
Chapter 11 The Flying Dutchman After 1994
Chapter 12 How the Schumacher v Hill Feud Developed
Chapter 13 Paul Tracy's Benetton Test, September 1994
Chapter 14 Memories of Imola 1994 - by Mike Fairholme
Chapter 15 Roland Ratzenberger - 25 Years On
Chapter 16 Ayrton Senna - His Final Hours
Chapter 17 My Opinion on What Caused Ayrton Senna's Crash?
Chapter 18 Did a Return to Simpler Cars in 1994 Contribute to the Accidents?
Chapter 19 1994 - A Brief Overview of F1's Darkest Season
Since 2015 I've been researching all the books, internet sources and magazines (Autosport, F1 News and Motor Sport) covering 1990's F1. Furthermore I've interviewed various key figures employed by Benetton, Ford Electronics and Williams. In addition, I've studied all the on track action from time - simply because I love reliving that era of F1. This book & its short stories listed above are the fruits of all that hard work and research.
As a devoted Formula 1 fan, I thought I knew everything about the
