The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car [Paperback]

Steve Matchett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2005

Former F1 mechanic turned TV broadcaster Steve Matchett is trapped overnight in New York, in a fogbound JFK Airport with some fellow motor racing enthusiasts. With no sign of the fog letting up and a long twelve hours to get through, talk inevitably turns to Formula 1. During the course of the night, and fuelled by regular trips to the departure lounge bar, the three protagonists, drawing upon Matchett's encyclopaedic knowledge of life in the F1 pit lane, decide to piece together the perfect Formula 1 Grand Prix car ...Starting with the monocoque (or chassis) and moving through the engine type, gearbox, exhaust, suspension and aerodynamics etc, no bolt is left unexamined in Matchett's comprehensive and detailed, technical expose of the inner workings of the fastest cars on the planet. In straightforward, clear and concise language, Matchett explains how the F1 teams have arrived at their current state-of-the-art designs; how, exactly, a Formula 1 car is put together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fluent, often entertaining" SUNDAY TIMES SPORT "Formula One's just kicked off and here's about the best mood-setter for it there's been for a good many years. This highly original piece of work does exactly what it says it will. And very well too." LADSMAG "A good idea, well done." MOTORSPORT "A loving, detailed account of F1's greatest achievements." ZOO WEEKLY "Steve Matchett is one of the best writers on the sport. Matchett's latest book is well worth a look ... informative and fact-filled." DAILY EXPRESS MOTORING "Formula One fans should read Matchett, who does a good job of reducing science to a comprehensible level." THE TIMES BUSINESS --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Steve Matchett has spent over twenty years in the pit-lane. Now living in western France he writes on F1 for a variety of publications and works as a broadcaster for a US motor sports channel. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Orion (August 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752865242
• ISBN-13: 978-0752865249
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #737,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating intro to F1 technology, September 28, 2004

By 

M. Rosen (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car (Hardcover)

I'm a big F1 fan and enjoy listening to Matchett's commentary on the Speed F1 broadcasts. He's intelligent, well-spoken and has a deep base of knowledge of the F1 universe. This book literally picks Matchett's brain for every scrap of knowledge about the mechanics and science (and art) of Formula 1 racecar design. It's built around a somewhat affected premise of a long airplane flight conversation with some fictional F1 fans. This is the only part of the book that feels a little weak. He doesn't write fiction as well as facts, and his new-found friends come off sounding like a group of wealthy British twits. One even asks Steve "What say you, old man?". Please tell me no one still says things like that.

I still strongly recommend this book. I learned a lot about F1 car design and the science of racing in general, as well as some interesting background on the people involved in the sport.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Nuts and Bolts of Formula One, September 16, 2005

By 

Leo Lim (Collierville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car (Hardcover)

Matchett's latest offering opens the readers' eyes to the pinnacle of motorsport engineering that is Formula One and he does not disappoint.

Discussions on this book center around a car's "stressed members" namely the monocoque, engine and gearbox. Also mentioned is the design of the fuel tank which I find particularly interesting in light of BAR's "disqualification" from the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix for essentially using the same design as described here.
The reader also gets to differentiate between a pull rod vs a push rod suspension, twin keel vs single keel, oversteer vs understeer. Quite interesting also are Matchett's insights into the tire war.

My only beef with this book is that for a technical introduction to Formula One, it should contain more schematic drawings so that a reader who is not a mechanical engineer can readily grasp it without going through secondary sources. The context in which this book unfolds i.e. in an airport lounge among a group of stranded passengers seems out of place and sometimes gets in the way of the technical detail.

Little shortcomings notwithstanding, this has proven to be quite a good technical introduction to Formula One and inevitably makes the reader look beyond the drivers and pay closer attention to their steeds which are the real works of art.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but not indepth regarding F1 technology, January 29, 2008

By 

FerrariF1Fan (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car (Paperback)

I actually read this book about 3 months ago but forgot to publish a review of it. I bought this book hoping that I'd get some detailed info regarding current F1 cars. Although the book covered many topics relating to the cars, it just didn't have the info I was looking for. I've been looking for something that will provide detailed info regarding the design and function of the various components on a modern F1 car. It's possible that the book I'm looking for hasn't been published yet. At any rate, this wasn't a bad read for an F1 fan.