» Book Review: ‘ITV Sport Grand Prix Guide 2011’

ITV Sport Grand Prix Guide 2011, by Bruce Jones
Paperback, © 2011 Carlton Books, ISBN 9781847327284

Now up to its fourteenth edition, this latest instalment in The Official ITV Sport Grand Prix Guide is marketed as an essential companion guide to this year’s Formula 1 World Championship season.

Designed to make sure F1 fans are up to speed with detailed examinations of the 2011 teams, drivers and tracks, the book also reviews the preceding 2010 season, showcases changes to the sport’s rules and regulations, and discusses the talking points of the forthcoming season.

Bruce Jones is one of the best motorsport encyclopaedia writers in business, and complementing his detailed text are over 100 colour photographs and detailed circuit maps, statistics and trivia, and a full-in guide for fans to complete as the season goes along.

However, this particular edition is let down by a series of typos that should have been picked up in the editing process. Granted, you will always find a typo in a Formula 1 reference book, but there are a few too many – on top of being very obvious – that will be obvious to everyday F1 fans.

For example, Fernando Alonso is listed as coming first in the Drivers’ Championship standings in Ferrari’s profile chapter, and the championship positions of the McLaren drivers are also incorrect.

Worst of all, the 2010 championship summary page lists a series of question marks in the column where the Drivers’ Championship points should be typed, but the Constructors’ Championship points made the print edition.

But despite its faults, the bulk of the book is accurate and informative, which fans would no doubt look to as a resource for the 2011 championship season.