Filling the many gaps in Formula 1 records, this book rewrites the racing history books.
The history of F1 can be neatly divided into two eras, the first formally ending January 1980 when the terms Grand Prix and World Championship became synonymous, although there would be three more non-championship races after that date. However, up to January 1973, over half of F1 races were not included in the Championship results for the spurious reason that each country should have just a single F1 race.
The classification of many F1 races as “non-Championship” did a disservice to the achievements of drivers of the Fangio, Moss, Clark and Stewart era and, even more so, to the four pre-Championship years which began in 1946.
When, today, a commentator says “Rosberg’s 16th win equals the F1 wins of Stirling Moss”, this is manifestly untrue. If the same drivers, in the same F1 cars, compete at the same tracks, and over a similar distance, then each race deserves to have its place in the records as a “Championship quality” event. This book includes such races alongside contemporary Championship races and, combined with known figures since 1980, produces what can surely be accepted as “The Real Score” of Formula One.
‘Formula One – The Real Score?’ is written by Brian Godfrey Harvey, who qualified in engineering design and was involved with products as diverse as diesel and jet engines, JCB earth movers, Lotus sports cars and process plants. He retired in 2006, having spent the previous 30 years as a freelancer.
Brian was always attracted by the precision aspect of his work, as evidenced by the accuracy of this book. A visit to Oulton Park in 1957 cemented an interest in circuit racing that has never waned. Formula 1 and its history have been avidly recorded by Brian for almost 60 years now.