The Mechanic: The Secret World of the F1 Pitlane

A fun read,well written and interesting. Have had a passing interest in F1 and this book gave me a good insight into what really drives this.

Although the book comes from a real F1 man, it is severely lacking the important inside information on F1 team tickling.Unfortunately, the author's position was too low.The partying and drinking, is spicy but not enough.

I had this book in my electronic collection for a long time before I finally decided to read it. What was I waiting for? I had no idea.When I finally began to read it, I simply could not stop. Priestley has done a wonderful job of relating the operations of a highly skilled and intriguing aspect of the one sport that I love.Filled with a very insightful and informative text that flows very naturally and is easy to read and understand. What a delightful read and a gem of a novel.If you are a fan of Formula One racing, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Thank-you Mr. Priestley for sharing your experience with us.

As a fan of F1 I enjoyed this book. I’ve always been curious what the life of a team mechanic was like, and although things have changed since the authors time in the sport it was still an interesting read.As a Hamilton fan I especially enjoyed the insight on Hamiltons rookie season at McLaren

His writing seems so very real. I’ve been waiting for a book like this. I hope another F1 mechanic turns to the correspondent : author side.I would love to learn about how data in F1 is integrated with the drivers perspective of car performance

I enjoyed reading this book. It was really interesting to learn more about Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton behind the scenes. I thought it was a little heavy on descriptions of drunken shenanigans and general disrespect for others and their property for my tastes, but overall it was an accurate description of life in F1 at that time, so I can't fault the author on that. This is a very personal account of Elvis' career with McLaren, so if you're looking for a lot of technical details about the races and racing in general, this isn't it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in F1.

Worth the read for the Alonso vs Hamilton year (last quarter of the book). But other than that just watch Animal House. Exploits of childish mechanics and driver drinking too much and acting privileged. Can't believe McLaren didn't toss them all out on their ear. Better books are out there.

Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motor sports. Racing both figuratively and literally across the Globe 10 months of the year from Australia to the UK to Abu Dhabi and Bahrain across the Atlantic to the US, Mexico and Brazil among other places, Marc Priestly takes us behind the scenes of one of the great teams in F1 - McLaren. Detailing story’s about the cars and the drivers, including Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton, along with the mechanics and other members of this elite sport, Priestley lifts the curtain and welcomes us into the world he long inhabited as a member of the McLaren team.

Great find, bought as present!

Amazon book, written in a very passionate way.

Interesting and good look into the world of F1

Being a formula 1 fan and having followed McLaren since 1999, reading this memoir was one of the most entertaining experiences. The writing easy on the mind. Marc combines his journey with that of McLaren's very well in the period between 2000 and 2008. Especially interesting part was about the inner experiences during the disastrous 2007 season. The book hooks you very early and keeps you hooked till the end.

The story of a F1 mechanic travelling around the world . Some nice insights into “the real”Lewis Hamilton in his first few years in F1. A bit different then the public image he carefully tries to create