If you’re stuck for Christmas presents this year, look no further than Badger’s Christmas shopping guides – and here’s another book review by Riccardo Monza – GRAND PRIX SHOWDOWN! THE FULL DRAMA OF EVERY CHAMPIONSHIP DECIDING GRAND PRIX SINCE 1950. by Christopher Hilton.

The Brazilian Grand Prix of 2008 had one of the most exciting finishes in the history of Formula 1. Who’ll ever forget the Ferrari pit prematurely celebrating Massa winning the World Championship, as Hamilton passes Glock on the final bend to take the fifth place required to win the title? Not many of us, that’s for sure. ‘Grand Prix Showdown’ by Christopher Hilton captures the event in words splendidly, along with every other championship deciding race since 1950, as the very long official title states.

‘Grand Prix Showdown’ isn’t necessarily the kind of book that you have to read from the beginning. In fact there’s no reason why you can’t just pick a year and dive straight in! Each race is spread across five to ten pages of text, giving a season summary and the run up to the concluding race. Driver’s quotes are plenty, points tallies and scoring permutations are explained well, and postscripts detailing interesting background subplots are added on for good measure. Venues vary from Casablanca to Las Vegas, but the ‘Showdown’ top two are Monza and Suzuka.

It’s difficult to judge who was the best champion down the years, but before Michael Schumacher stepped onto the scene, Juan Manuel Fangio had the best score of five titles. It’s more than impressive to read the account of how he overhauled a lead of 48 seconds to beat the Ferraris of Hawthorn and Collins at the Nurburgring in 1957. Fangio had been delayed by a pitstop and then drove beyond his usual limit, taking risks at notorious blind spots around the 14 mile circuit. ‘I don’t ever want to drive like that again’ Fangio said to Hawthorn afterwards, regarding his daredevil chase.

On occasion, some championships have been won with few victories and consistent finishes in the points. 1982 was such a year where crafty Keke Rosberg took a single win on his way to the crown, to pip a flummoxed John Watson who himself only had two wins. There had been eleven different winners that year, so the big trophy really was up for grabs. Not only the big trophy, but a big cake with a shark’s fin protruding from it was handed over to Rosberg later! Well he is from Finland.. Apparently there’s a joke in there somewhere!

The Senna and Prost battles during the late ’80’s gave us all plenty of entertainment to drool over, but what took place in Suzuka in 1990 left everyone speechless. After he failed to take the title in 1989, Senna was so determined to win, that he seemed to crash into Prost on purpose at the first corner, taking them both out and thus making himself the champion. Both Senna’s and Prost’s highly charged accounts of the event, are a real insight into the minds of two very different drivers.

Despite the tragedies and sadness tarnishing some of the races, there are several lighter moments included in ‘Grand Prix Showdown.’ Here are two stories to get you grinning; in Portugal in 1960, a car got it’s wheels stuck in the tramlines of the street circuit, running beyond the corner, then having to do a U-turn back to the track; and during qualifying in Morocco in 1958, one driver drove with a live chameleon tucked into his cockpit, as a good luck charm!

At 398 pages, it’s a fair read, but along with the text are sixteen pages of glossy colour or black and white photos of our heroes smiling or frowning, due to the outcome of their particular days racing! So if you like a good drama, ‘Grand Prix Showdown’ has plenty more like the events of Interlagos 2008 tucked away in its pages!

Published by Haynes. Hardcover RRP: £19.99 – available from Amazon here: Grand Prix Showdown!