Ultimate F1 gifts guide 2008: Season review DVDs and other videos

The 2008 F1 DVD review hit the shelves on Monday and you can read a full review of it here.

Here’s some more ideas if you’re planning to buy a DVD or video for an F1 fan – or hoping to unwrap one yourself.

F1 DVD reviews 2003-2008

The official F1 season highlights videos are very popular with fans for one obvious reason: it’s the only official, legal video record of a season’s racing you can buy.

The official videos make use of all the extra high-quality footage that doesn’t get broadcast on the standard feed used by most television companies. That alone makes them ideal gifts for F1 fans.

The 2008 F1 season review DVD has just gone on sale. Following Lewis Hamilton’s championship victory demand is likely to be quite high in Britain, so if you’re buying one there make sure you get your order in early.

Buy the official 2008 F1 DVD season review

DVD reviews of other recent seasons are available:

• 2007: Kimi Raikkonen grabs the title while war breaks out between McLaren team mates Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Read the full review of this DVD. (Buy this DVD)
• 2006: Alonso beats Michael Schumacher to the championship in the Ferrari star’s final season. Read the full review of this DVD. (Buy this DVD)
• 2005: Alonso out-runs Raikkonen to the title in a season that saw some memorable races, including Raikkonen’s phenomenal win at Suzuka. Read the full review of this DVD. (Buy this DVD)
• 2004: Schumacher annihilates the opposition to win his final championship for Ferrari. Read the full review of this DVD. (Buy this DVD)
• 2003: Schumacher triumphs in a closely-fought battle with Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya. Read the full review of this DVD. (Formula 1 World Championship 2003)
• 2000: Schumacher’s finest hour – his first championship for Ferrari. Read the full review of this DVD. (Buy this DVD)

More F1 DVDs and videos

Lewis Hamilton fan? Die-hard Tifosi? Here are some more video choices:

• Life behind Lewis – Looks at the rookie debuts of Lewis Hamilton and Anthony Davidson in 2007, but suffers from a lack of original race footage. (Read the full review of this DVD) (Buy this DVD)
• Ferrari at 60 – Highly watchable Ferrari retrospective, packed with fabulous cars and memorable drivers. (Read the full review of this DVD) (Buy this DVD)
• Michael Schumacher: The Complete Story – Schumacher biography, but like the Hamilton one lacks race footage (Buy this DVD)
• Lotus Goes Turbo (Buy this DVD)
• 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed DVD – Loads of Formula 1 stars and great F1 cars of the past and present (Buy this DVD)
• Le Mans 24 Hours DVD collection (1980-1989) – A decade of Le Mans classics from the days when the cars were turbocharged brutes and F1 racers were allowed to join in the fun (Buy this DVD)
• Murray Walker’s Motorsport Madness (Buy this DVD)

F1 video reviews, 1981-2002

The 1981-2002 championships are, at present, only available on video cassette. However many of these are worth collecting especially:

• 1982, 1984, 1986: Clive James’ excellent and often hilarious narration makes these videos worth buying
• 1985: An unusual review which is narrated by many of the competing drivers including Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet
• 1989: Vintage Senna-versus-Prost stuff.
• 1994: Memorable for all the wrong reasons, but still a pivotal year for Formula 1, including the death of Senna, and Schumacher first, deeply controversial world championship

F1 DVD reviews, 1970-1980

If you’re looking for video action from the 1970s, when F1 cars and drivers were arguably at their most flamboyant, check out Brunswick’s series of videos. You can buy all ten of the 1970s one as a complete set, and they are also available individually, as is a disc on 1980. Here are some highlights:

• 1975: Lauda ends Ferrari’s title drought while a host of different drivers win races, including James Hunt for the eccentric Hesketh outfit. Buy this DVD
• 1976: The unforgettable title battle between Lauda and Hunt, one of the most famous championship duels F1 has seen. Buy this DVD
• 1980: A tense fight between Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet. Buy this DVD.

Still to come in the ultimate F1 gifts guide: clothes, caps, books and money-no-object presents…