Martin Brundle Scrapbook Review

Martin Brundle's career in Formula 1 has spanned nearly three decades, where he has been transformed from on-track ace to the new voice of Formula 1. 

He has had a hugely diverse and varied career in F1 and sportscars, which brought plenty of success. The Martin Brundle Scrapbook, published by Porter Press, gives a fascinating and in-depth insight into the Brit’s rise to motorsport’s pinnacle and his hugely successful post-F1 racing career in broadcasting. 

He may not have won a Formula 1 race or world championship, but he had a very successful career in the sport. He just never got the opportunities that he deserved. He joined Benetton in 1992, just as they were building up to their championship success in 1994 and 1995. He moved to McLaren for 1994 when they were moving between Honda and Mercedes engines and raced for Jordan prior to their move to the front. 

Images (c) Motorsport News and Abigail Humphries

However, one thing that he really did excel at was sportscar racing. It is fair to say that whilst he was a very good F1 driver, he was an even better sportscar driver.

The book really is a run through of his entire life, looking at his childhood growing up in Norfolk and how he discovered racing. I learned so much about Brundle's racing career from reading the book, particularly the early years. I knew about his F1 career and success in sportscars, but I never really knew how his career started. 

I found out from the Scrapbook that Martin didn't go through the usual karting route. Instead he went banger and saloon car racing before then progressed to touring cars. It was only when he reached touring car level that he decided to try out racing in single seaters. 

I knew of his famous F3 battle with Ayrton Senna but I didn't realise how close it was between them. The book looks in-depth at this season and the commentary from Martin gives a great look into that successful and hotly fought season. That season just showed what a great driver Martin is. He may not have got the big breaks like Senna did, but he could be just as fast or even faster. 

Throughout the book, we get a detailed description from a number of key characters in Brundle's life as well as commentary from the man himself. The 256 page book includes more than 80,000 words from family, friends and people who helped Martin all the way through his career. 

The spread of people that took part in the book is very impressive - it must have taken quite some time to complete and compile. The commentary gives a great insight into his career all the way through Formula 1 and sportscar racing from different points of view. 

Images (c) LAT

It details the horror and pain of his terrifying Dallas crash in 1984 while driving for Tyrrell. This part of the book is actually quite emotional, with Martin going through the accident and the difficult few months that followed - which included Tyrrell's disqualification from the championship - and his injuries that he still feels today. 

I learned so much about his extensive career - that is still going strong today - alongside discovering plenty of new facts about his broadcasting career. The book also contains quotes from Martin's commentary. Here are a few examples: 

"Hug the inside line like it's your favourite granny" 

"The drivers know this circuit like the back of their hands, and that's with their gloves on." 

"Before I got a serious job in TV, I used to drive these racing cars a bit." 

"Ran out of space, ran out of grip and finally run out of talent." 

I have had the pleasure of meeting Martin on a few occasions. He is exactly as described in the book: Friendly, down to earth and very professional. He is personally my voice of F1 as I started watching after Murray Walker retired, so it is great to read more about his career and find out so many new things about him. 

It is also interesting to read Martin's thoughts on key figures in motorsport. We get to read his views on the likes of Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso. More so, it is interesting to see what other people think of him. You can really tell what a respected, professional and nice chap he is. 

Overall, the Martin Brundle Scrapbook is a fascinating read that is - largely - well put together and at a high quality. I would definitely recommend it to any Formula 1 fan. 

 

Martin Brundle Scrapbook is available to buy on Amazon and Porter Press. You can follow Martin on Twitter here and check out his website for more information.