The former wartime airfield at Silverstone is Britain’s most important motor racing circuit and is best known as the home of the British Grand Prix, which was first staged there in 1948. This magnificent book tells Silverstone’s entire history, covering the great races, influential characters and unforgettable events, as well as the evolution of the circuit itself. The book is profusely illustrated, including plenty of rare photographs that have not been published before. Produced with the full assistance of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) and Silverstone Circuits, this is the last word on the history of the much-loved ‘home of British motor racing’.

The story of Formula 1 at Silverstone from the first grand prix to the present day told through historical photographs.

The formative years of the 1950s are explored in this fourth installment of Evro's decade-by-decade series covering all Formula 1 cars and teams. When the World Championship was first held in 1950, red Italian cars predominated, from Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati, and continued to do so for much of the period. But by the time the decade closed, green British cars were in their ascendancy, first Vanwall and then rear-engined Cooper playing the starring roles, and BRM and Lotus having walk-on parts. As for drivers, one stood out above the others, Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio, becoming World Champion five times. Much of the fascination of this era also lies in its numerous privateers and also-rans, all of which receive their due coverage in this complete work. Year-by-year treatment covers each season in fascinating depth, running through the teams -- and their various cars -- in order of importance. Alfa Romeo's supercharged 11⁄2-litre cars dominated the first two years, with titles won by Giuseppe Farina (1950) and Fangio (1951). The new marque of Ferrari steamrollered the opposition in two seasons run to Formula 2 rules (1952-53), Alberto Ascari becoming champion both times, and the same manufacturer took two more crowns with Fangio (1956) and Mike Hawthorn (1958). Maserati's fabulous 250F, the decade's most significant racing car, propelled Fangio to two more of his five championships (1954 and 1957). German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz stepped briefly into Formula 1 (1954-55) and won almost everything with Fangio and up-and-coming Stirling Moss. Green finally beat red when the Vanwalls, driven by Moss and Tony Brooks, won the inaugural constructors' title (1958). Then along came Cooper, rear-engine pioneers, to signpost Formula 1's future when Jack Brabham became World Champion (1959).

The greatest duel in FORMULA 1 history: the 1976 season between Austrian Niki Lauda and Britain's James Hunt. As the '75 season ended, Hunt was out of FORMULA 1 racing while Lauda was world champion and the odds-on favorite for ’76 with a year’s contract ahead of him and Enzo Ferrari begging him to sign a multi-year deal. James Hunt, without a drive until Emerson Fittipaldi broke his McLaren contract, grabbed the McLaren drive with both hands and the help of friend John Hogan and Marlboro cigarettes. The result? Two drivers in an epic sixteen-race battle across the globe for the '76 title, ultimately decided by a single point. Fame, wealth, drugs, sex, and the rest of globetrotting 1970s FORMULA 1 racing are encompassed in the Lauda vs. Hunt duel. At the '76 German Grand Prix, Lauda nearly died in a fiery crash, only to emerge six weeks later, severe burns on his face and head, to pursue his rivalry with Hunt. It all came down to the last race, a rain-soaked affair in Japan, where Hunt won the championship by the slimmest possible margin. The book is a study in contrasts during an era of Brut aftershave and disco sex parties. James Hunt, legendary philanderer and FORMULA 1 rock star, versus supernatural racer Niki Lauda, who in '75 set the first sub-seven minute lap around the Ring.

The story of Silverstone's dramatic opening in 1948 and the colourful figures involved in its first Grand Prix

Art of the Formula 1 Race Car brings a selection of these spectacular machines into the studio to expose not just the engineering brilliance of these cars, but also their inherent beauty.

A close-up look at the fastest cars in the world and the drivers who race them, follow Formula One's fascinating story. The concept of aerodynamics is also broken down into basic terms.