Over 100 ideas in the 2011 F1 Fanatic Gift Guide

2011 F1 season

7th December 2011, 23:595th December 2012, 9:44 | Written by Keith Collantine

Update: Find the new F1 Fanatic gift guide for 2012 here:

2012 F1 Fanatic Gift Guide

Whether you’re an F1 fan with a wish list, or looking for a gift for the F1 Fanatic in your life, find over a hundred gifts ideas below.

This year’s list includes a range of new F1 DVDs, a fresh crop of books and a �1,000 Scalextric model of Suzuka.

Find the right F1 gift for you below.

Videos

2011 F1 season official review DVD

It’s long overdue, but the official F1 season review is available in high definition for the first time this year.

But you’ll have to wait until after Christmas to get your hands on it. Due to the late finish of the season the review, “He’s Done It Again”, is not in the shops until December 26th.

Buy the 2011 F1 season Blu-ray DVD | Buy the 2011 F1 season DVD

Senna

This terrific documentary of Ayrton Senna’s F1 career, constructed entirely out of period footage, will be an essential purchase for many F1 Fanatics.

Buy Senna on DVD
Buy Senna on Blu-ray
Buy Senna ‘Triple-play’: Blu-ray, DVD and digital versions plus ‘Making of’ production notes

“Senna” – the Ayrton Senna movie reviewed
The Making of “Senna” – F1 Fanatic’s nine-part series on the making of the film

Grand Prix Heroes series

Grand Prix Heroes DVDs

A new series of 11 videos published by Duke which cover the careers of F1 drivers including Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Mario Andretti, Ronnie Peterson, Clay Regazzoni and Peter Revson.

Another video tells the history of Frank Williams and his team, the last in the current series looks at Mika Hakkinen’s path to Formula 1.

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011

Always a highlight of the racing season, the Goodwood Festival of Speed attracted countless great Formula 1 cars.

Buy the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011 review DVD

The DVD review of this year’s Goodwood Revival has also been released:

Buy the Goodwood Revival 2011 review DVD

Other motor sport DVDs

Season reviews and films from other racing championships:

More F1 season review DVDs

Fill the gaps in your collection:

Not enough for you? Here’s some more F1 video gift ideas.

Games

F1 2011 – The official Formula 1 game

The second generation of Codemasters’ F1 game now features the safety car plus more players in multiplayer mode, as well as all the cars, drivers and tracks from the 2011 season.

It’s also now available for Nintendo 3DS as well as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Buy F1 2011 for Sony PlayStation 3
Buy F1 2011 for Microsoft Xbox 360
Buy F1 2011 for PC
Buy F1 2011 for Nintendo 3DS

After you’ve grabbed yourself a copy, get gaming with the many other F1 Fanatics playing F1 2011 in the F1 Games groups.

Other racing games

Clothes

F1 Fanatic T-shirts

Official F1 Fanatic wear is now available in a range of three styles:

Mugs

And you can get the same styles in mug form too:

Find all the F1 Fanatic gear in the Unlap F1 Fanatic shop

Books

Memories of Senna

Prolific Senna biographer Christopher Hilton sadly passed away earlier this year. This is his latest book on the great Brazilian driver, published this year:

Buy Memories of Senna: Anecdotes and insights from those who knew him

McLaren: The wins

A history of McLaren’s racing victories. Also available as a boxed set with “McLaren: The cars”, detailing all their road and racing cars up to 2008.

Buy McLaren: The wins
Buy McLaren: The wins and McLaren: The cars boxed set

Red Bull Racing 2010 F1 car Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual

Not quire everything you need to know to service an RB6, but this mock Haynes manual offers some interesting insight into modern F1 car design.

Buy the Red Bull Racing 2010 F1 car Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual | Read the review

No Angel: The secret life of Bernie Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone biographies

Just two months after Susan Watkins’s book on Bernie Ecclestone appeared, another biography of the F1 tycoon arrived from Tom Bower.

Watkins’ “Bernie” and Bower’s “No Angel” make for an interesting comparison in how different two books on the same subject can be: the former serious and quite sympathetic to its subject matter, the latter written with more flair but lacking in attention to detail in places.

Both are also available in paperback.

Buy Bernie: The biography of Bernie Ecclestone | Read the review
Buy No Angel: The secret life of Bernie Ecclestone | Read the review

In the name of glory: 1976, the greatest ever sporting duel

Soon to be the subject of a feature film, Tom Rubython tells the story of the 1976 F1 season and championship battle between Niki Lauda and James Hunt.

Buy In the name of glory: 1976, the greatest ever sporting duel

Tiff Gear: The autobiography of Tiff Needell

Fifth Gear (and former Top Gear) presenter Tiff Needell only had a brief career in Formula 1. But his autobiography, published this year, is packed with interesting anecdotes from the world of motor racing and motoring television, and plenty of Needell’s trenchant opinions.

Buy Tiff Gear: The autobiography of Tiff Needell | Read the review

Derek Bell: My racing life

Another former F1 driver best known for his driving in other disciplines: in this case Derek Bell’s remarkable sportscar racing record, including five victories in the Le Mans 24 |Hours.

Buy Derek Bell: My racing life

Driven by Desire: The Desire Wilson story

Desire Wilson’s claim to fame is being the only woman to win a race for F1 cars – not a championship event, but a round of the British series in 1980 at Brands Hatch. Wilson also tried to qualify for that year’s British Grand Prix, and makes some damning claims about her treatment at the hands of other F1 drivers.

Driven by Desire: The Desire Wilson story

Competition Car Aerodynamics

This updated second edition of Simon McBeath’s guide to racing car aerodynamics is very much one for the technically-minded.

Buy Competition Car Aerodynamics

Other F1 books

Collage

Some of the popular F1 titles released last year:

Collage – A collection of photographs, newspaper articles, prorgrammes and more telling the story of Jackie Stewart’s F1 career
The Battle for the British Grand Prix – Alan Henry on how the British Grand Prix was saved
Jochen Rindt: Uncrowned King – An excellent biography of F1’s only posthumous champion, released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of his death
Grand Prix Showdown! – A history of championship-deciding races in F1
The Science of Formula 1 Design – Exploring modern F1 car technology (read the review)
The Golden Age of Formula 1 – A photographic anthology by Rainer Schlegelmilch

F1 annuals

Autocourse 2011-2012

The latest edition of the leading Grand Prix annual includes an electronic copy of the 1971 book.

Buy Autocourse 2011-2012

Autocourse eBooks

Autocourse are in the process of offering vintage editions of their earlier motor racing review annuals. The 1971 book is the only one available on CD at present, some other copies are available via their website:

Buy Autocourse eBooks

Autocourse: 60 years of world championship Grand Prix motor racing

An extra edition published last year to mark the first 60 seasons of the world championship.

Buy Autocourse: 60 Years of Grand Prix Motor Racing

Other F1 annuals

Alternative annuals with less expensive prics tags:

Not found the F1 book you’re looking for? Find more in the F1 books section.

Pictures

PJ Tierney posters

Check out PJ’s fabulous series of Formula 1 prints.

Car-a-day by Rob Ijbema

Rob Ijbema paints a range of racing car pictures and supplied one for the runner-up in the 2011 F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship.

Darren Heath

F1 photographer Darren Heath’s spectacular pictures are available to buy as prints.

Models

You can get cars for all the different drivers and teams – here’s a small selection of choices.

Race tickets

The Monaco Grand Prix

What could be a better present for an F1 fan than tickets to see a race?

Buy tickets for the race of your choice via the links below. Several of them offer “early bird” discounts if you buy tickets far in advance of the race.

And remember to join in the F1 Fanatic groups for each race to see who else is going:

NB. Tickets may not be available for all races yet.

Calendars

A simple ‘stocking-filler’ idea:

Scalextric C1253 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1:32 Scale Race Set

Race as Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button in this slot car set complete with cars, tracks and controllers.

Buy the Scalextric C1253 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1:32 Scale Race Set

Suzuka Scalexrtric by JadlamRacing

Suzuka Scalextric

Got plenty of space in your front room? Have more than a grand to blow on the ultimate slot car racing circuit?

This model of the Suzuka Circuit, home of the Japanese Grand Prix, comes with six cars which can race simultaneously and is built from 87 pieces of track. It’s yours for �1,099:

Buy the Scalextric Digital Set SL43 Suzuka JadlamRacing Layout with six cars

Brooklands banking

Brooklands are selling the rights to sections of the banking to raise money to protect the historic circuit. Portions of the old track are sold by the square yard and prices start at �95:

Banking on Brooklands

Ferrari Opus

This was included in last year’s gift guide – although it’s four-digit price tag put it beyond the reach of all but the richest Ferrari fans.

However there are now cheaper, cut-down versions of the book available for a variety of tablet devices and e-readers. Find out more here:

The Ferrari Opus

Amalgam 1:8-scale F1 car models

Huge 1:8-scale F1 car models with price tags to match – these cost around �3,000 each.

Are you buying or hoping to receive an F1 gift this year? Share what’s on your list in the comments.

F1 Fanatic earns a commission on products sold via the links to our affiliate partners above, however you are not charged any extra.

You can help support F1 Fanatic when you buy any products (including non-F1 purchases) from Amazon. See here for more information.

Author information

Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
Read more about Keith Collantine, find all their articles and get in touch with them

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37 comments on “Over 100 ideas in the 2011 F1 Fanatic Gift Guide”

Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
7th December 2011, 9:18

I’ve dropped hints – well, anvils, really – that the Senna DVD will be out just in time for Christmas down here.

This might sound like a silly question, but is the extended cut available on DVD, or only on Blu-ray?
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  7th December 2011, 9:21
  
  @prisoner-monkeys For avoidance of doubt (because I’ve had a lot of questions about this and there’s a lot of misinformation flying around) the ‘extended cut’ is just extra interviews, no other footage beyond what’s in the film as seen in cinemas (with the possible exception of the scene with the Japanese TV crew at Imola which I think was only shown in Japan).
  
  To answer your question, I believe that’s on the DVD as well as the Blu-ray.
  1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
    7th December 2011, 9:33
    
    I don’t mind if the extended cut just includes extra interviews. I want to soak as much of it up as possible.
    1. d3v0 (@d3v0)
      7th December 2011, 15:36
      
      I have seen both and vastly prefer the original version. The extended addition really ruins the flow of the movie.
2. damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
  7th December 2011, 9:41
  
  Snap! My grandparents are getting me the Blu-Ray for Christmas and we’re going to get the family around to watch it together as we’d originally planned on seeing it at the theatre, but it wasn’t shown down here. Can’t wait to finally see what all of the fuss is about! I can’t believe it was out nearly a year and a half ago in Japan…
  1. BasCB (@bascb)
    7th December 2011, 9:49
    
    Now that sounds like great fun to spend the christmas holidays @damonsmedley! Wish my grandparents (and parents) were up for something like that to get through that testing time ;-)
  2. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
    7th December 2011, 10:38
    
    I don’t see what all the fuss about Blu-ray is. Sure, you get better picture and sound quality … but I just can’t see them replacing DVDs, the way DVDs replaced video tapes. To me, Blu-ray is more of a luxury DVD edition than anything else.
    1. damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
      7th December 2011, 10:55
      
      I actually agree @Prisoner-Monkeys; it’s not a massive revolution by any means. I’ve never actually seen a Blu-Ray, so it will be interesting to try it out on my PS3.
      
      But yes, they’re basically DVDs with a bigger capacity.
      1. matt90 (@matt90)
        8th December 2011, 22:13
        
        Just tried out one on my PS3 for the first time. Avatar looked pretty special, but then again I didn’t see it back to back with DVD. PS3 upscales DVDs anyway.
    2. BasCB (@bascb)
      7th December 2011, 13:32
      
      The simple fact, less and less movies and music are sold on carriers, gives a strong indication you are quite probably right there, PM
    3. vho (@)
      7th December 2011, 15:17
      
      Get a high-def TV (plasma if possible) and connect your PS3 to it using HDMI… picture quality makes DVDs look like VCR on component RCA.
      
      Although it sounds like Blu-ray has more capacity, I believe the laser temperature is higher and player has smarts around processing data on the disk rather than just playing the movie. If the movie is filmed with multiple angles you can elect to watch the movie on a different angle.
      
      Film directors now have to be very cautious on background images coming into view as the picture quality is a lot higher. With DVDs it wasn’t so bad, but with Blu-ray it can pick up any minute mistake in filming.
    4. nackavich (@nackavich)
      14th January 2012, 4:24
      
      The only way to get the full experience with Blu-Ray is if you have a television which is capable of producing Full High Definition (1080p) pictures.
      
      This is different to the HD images you get on regular free-to-air terrestrial TV channels.
      A Full HD TV scans a Full HD image (say that from a Blu-Ray disc) progressively, or in one big chunk of information. Basically just means 1920 x 1080 pixels on the screen with each frame coming up on the screen all at once rather than in a sequence of lines (called interlacing).
      
      The result is a smoother transition between frames and increased clarity. Of course, your Blu-Ray needs to be connected to your Full HD 1080p TV with a HDMI cable or the effect wont work.
      
      Honestly, its not worth the fuss.
3. Stephen Jones (@aus_steve)
  7th December 2011, 10:10
  
  haha, i’ve done the same!
4. Fixy (@)
  7th December 2011, 18:38
  
  Out of all of those, I’d like the Senna DVD more than the rest.
Girts (@girts)
7th December 2011, 9:45

My favourite time of the year :) Thanks for the list!

I have actually already ordered a book called “Formula One Fanatic” (after reading the book review on F1 Fanatic). I think I might also buy the Hakkinen DVD. And I definitely need the F1F mug. And… I think I have to ask for a rise.

I would love to hear some more opinions on Autocourse as I’ve never read these ones so far. I’ve often heard that it’s more than just ‘another F1 annual’, what is so special about it?
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  7th December 2011, 10:01
  
  @Girts I’m a big fan of Autocourse, I’ve got a little collection going although the pre-’80s ones are very expensive and charity shop finds are getting harder to come by!
  
  They’re very well-written and well-produced, authoritative in style and tone, they cover pretty much the entire motor racing season (on four wheels, anyway) and they’ve been going since the championship began.
  
  For me, Christmas Day afternoon is a dram of whisky, a few chocolates and Autocourse – the new copy or, if I’ve been good, an old one…
  1. Girts (@girts)
    7th December 2011, 10:44
    
    Thanks @keithcollantine , sounds exciting. Looks like F1-related books will continue their expansion into my bookshelves. Hopefully Harry Potter won’t get jealous :D
Stephen Jones (@aus_steve)
7th December 2011, 10:12

just going to casually forward this to my parents.. subtlety is my specialty!
verstappen (@verstappen)
7th December 2011, 10:25

Too bad my son is only (almost) 2 years old. A bit too young for the Suzuka Scalectrix, I guess.

Not to mention that I probably can’t convince the missus that spending so much money on a present is a good idea…
1. vho (@)
  7th December 2011, 15:23
  
  I almost convinced my mrs for me to buy a go kart in preparation for my un-born son. It was the lack of garage space/storage that prevented the purchase. It was a Tony Kart with 100cc Rotax – full competition spec with spare parts, 2 new sets of tyres and trailer – the owner was selling out due to illness. Anyway, I got a Hyper Stimulator to play F1 2011 instead… http://www.hyperstimulator.com
  1. BasCB (@bascb)
    7th December 2011, 16:42
    
    that looks like some real nice kit if you can spare the money and room to put it in!
Don Speekingleesh (@don-speekingleesh)
7th December 2011, 10:28

Very disappointing that Tom Bower’s book is the only one with a Kindle version. I have no interest in physical books, unless I’m buying them for the photography.

Looking forward to getting TT3D – loved it in the cinema.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
7th December 2011, 10:52

Great Grand Prix Racing Heroes series was broadcasted on MTV3MAX recently, and I can definitely recommend it. I’ve watched plenty of F1 documentaries, and it still had some unseen footage and other nice stuff. £15 per part is a bit pricey though.

Oh, and this years review is pretty cheap for a BR (especially comparing to the DVD), I though Bernie might want to milk some more money with the HD stuff.
1. damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
  7th December 2011, 12:31
  
  I agree. They were shown on Australian TV too and the quality of the footage, despite its age, was amazing. It also taught me a lot and made me feel more for the drivers I never witnessed racing.
PJ (@)
7th December 2011, 12:34

Thanks for the mention Keith, much appreciated :)

In addition to finding the posters through my portfolio, people can head directly to the store here: http://shop.pjtierney.net

Also, a quick note about shipping dates from Ireland: http://www.blog.pjtierney.net/2011/11/latest-posting-dates-for-christmas.html

Finally, you may want to place your order before the 15th (13th would be the ideal deadline) as I’m flying to the UK on the morning of the 15th to do some work for Konami. I’ll update the blog post with that info.

Thanks again everybody for your support all season :)
-PJ
KeeleyObsessed (@keeleyobsessed)
7th December 2011, 14:25

Got plenty of space in your front room? Have more than a grand to blow on the ultimate slot car racing circuit?

I actually race Slot Cars every week… How much room will I need? :P I need to start saving…
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
7th December 2011, 23:28

Great list! I got the season review last year as well as a couple of books. It was great. Hopefully something similar this year.

Tempted to buy myself a W01 Airfix at the weekend.
crooky369 (@crooky369)
7th December 2011, 23:40

Anyone else thinking of holding off on Senna because of it’s frankly annoying bias look on that period of F1?
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
8th December 2011, 19:02

Question. Has anyone ever bought the FOM season review books, and the JA on F1 yearbooks? Or Autocourse? Are they any good?
mags (@mags)
8th December 2011, 19:40

I dropped hints to the boyfriend to buy me Senna for Christmas. He got it last week… Taken him 11 years but he’s finally getting the right idea… now to convince him that I really need a sky subscription and a trip across Europe ovet the “summer”…
matt90 (@matt90)
8th December 2011, 22:14

@keithcollantine

Jenson Button 1st Hungarian Grand Prix 2011 (1:43 scale)
Lewis Hamilton 1st Hungarian Grand Prix 2011 (1:43 scale)

From the link, I think you mean German.
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  13th December 2011, 11:13
  
  Changed, thanks.
Calum (@calum)
9th December 2011, 8:54

Buy 3DS, buy F1, check how steep 3d Eau Rouge is!
Journeyer (@journeyer)
12th December 2011, 1:04

Singapore GP tickets have just been released this morning. Knock yourselves out!
PJ (@)
12th December 2011, 13:34

Quick note: There’s 1 British racing poster left in the store (plus 3-4 of each of the others). Best snag it now as I won’t get a chance to put the next batch together until after Christmas.

Speaking of, if you’re in the UK/Ireland I recommend ordering by Wednesday evening at the latest, as I’m out of the country from Friday through the rest of the weekend.
GeorgeDaviesF1 (@georgedaviesf1)
13th December 2011, 8:54

a sky box?
Scalextric (@scalextric)
31st December 2011, 18:41

The Scalextric look great. Want. Also I want this for the play room.