Can I buy a £5 Secret Santa gift for an F1 fan?

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Trish wrote in with an early festive shopping question and I felt I should try to help:

Hello my name is Trish and I am seeking your help. I know this is a strange email, but any kind of response would be fabulous.

I have a Secret Santa at my work called Amy. She is Formula One mad and I need to purchase something for her to the value of £5.

I am not that clever at this kind of stuff, and would not have a clue where to look, someone gave me your address and told me to contact you. Please can you help, or suggest something for me to give a F1 fan?

F1 merchandise isn’t cheap so finding something for less than a fiver may prove a little tricky. But here’s a few ideas – good luck, Trish!

Season review videos

Recent F1 season videos are available cheaply and offer hours of F1 entertainment. And if they’re got your friend’s favourite driver or team on the cover you’re definitely onto a winner.

Last year’s video doesn’t quite fall under the £5 barrier but the previous four do. The two-disc review of the thrilling, down-to-the-wire 2010 championship is my pick of these:

Senna

I was surprised to discover the excellent documentary Senna, which was in cinemas last year, can also be picked up for less than a fiver. If Amy hasn’t seen this yet it’s a sure-fire winner for Trish:

Books

There are several Formula One books recommended by F1 Fanatic which can be had for well under five quid.

Alan Henry’s Top 100 F1 Drivers of All Time is an accessible read on the top F1 drivers to have taken to the track.

Cars at Speed may have an uninspiring title but Robert Daley’s book is an essential read for all F1 fans on the perilous early days of Grand Prix racing. The 2007 reprint is ridiculously cheap – grab it.

Former Top Gear presenter and two-time F1 driver Tiff Needell produced his entertaining autobiography last year:

Two new books on F1 titan Bernie Ecclestone have appeared recently but this earlier book is the one I refer to most.

There are stacks more F1 books out there. If you come across one which looks like a bargain and want to know if it’s any good refer to F1 Fanatic’s extensive reviews.

F1 merchandise

Finding decent, official F1 gear for less than a fiver may be tricky. The search facility on the official F1 shop offers a lowest price of £5.

But you can get unofficial and characterful F1-style merchandise from Unlap such as these Ferrari keyrings and gym bags.

And while you’re there, be sure to pick an official F1 Fanatic mug. Yes, they cost a budget-busting £8, but they represent the pinnacle of hot drink vessel technology.

More ideas

Need more F1 gift ideas? Check our last year’s gift guide:

F1 shops

Here’s one last tip for Trish: have a look for shops in your area which sell F1 memorabilia or books. I’m based in London so here are a few examples near me, although the team’s shops are unlikely to have much on offer for five pounds:

Over to you

Can any F1 Fanatic readers help Trish out with her Secret Santa quest?

Please post your suggestions for sub-£5 F1 gifts in the comments.

Prices quoted from Amazon where not specified. They are correct at the time of publication but may not include other charges such as postage. F1 Fanatic earns a commission on products sold via the links to our affiliate partners above, however you are not charged any extra. See here for more information.

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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...

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18 comments on “Can I buy a £5 Secret Santa gift for an F1 fan?”

  1. And while you’re there, be sure to pick an official F1 Fanatic mug. Yes, they cost a budget-busting £8, but they represent the pinnacle of hot drink vessel technology.

    I’d so buy one if I could. It’d completely transform my raceweekends. It’s basically a fountain of F1 knowledge, right in the form of a mug.

    1. I’m a bit picky when it comes to mugs: can I be 100% sure that the mug’s alternator will not fail? Also, can I continue to use this mug if it encounters a Venezuelan mug?

      1. @andae23
        In that case I think you should stay far, far away from Red Bull or McLaren mugs. That seem to be their real weakness. Ferrari mugs seem pretty reliable, but you need to stay well clear of anything remotely French, or something with a fake lotus badge on it, otherwise you might get in trouble.
        I don’t think that F1fanatic mugs would encounter similar issues. But whether they come add-free, or if that is an optional extra, I don’t know.

        1. @mads Yes the mugs are ad-free (unless you count the logo) :-)

        2. thatscienceguy
          29th October 2012, 22:36

          If you want to savour your drink, get a Williams mug like mine. It seems to take forever to finish.

          1. If you get a Lotus mug be careful on first use as it can be temperamental, but latter uses produce very high quality coffee.

      2. @andae23 It’s hard to answer those questions.

        Some say that creates so much downforce that even of you turn the mug upside down, the coffee doesn’t get out, and that if you hold it while reading one of @prisoner-monkeys long comments, you’ll transform into Yuji Ide.

        Others say that it was designed by Adrian Newey’s dog, and that if you blown on it, it’ll reduce drag by 10%.

        All we know is… it’s awesome !

        1. I WANT ONE!!

          1. I’d buy three different mugs: one for the friday practice breakfast, other for the saturday practice or qualifying (non-European time races) and another for the race day. It’s my dream right now!

      3. It works good only in hot conditions.

  2. “the pinnacle of hot drink vessel technology.”

    Classic!

  3. Got a question for F1 Fanatic? Send it in via the contact form. Please include your real name.

    I do hope ‘Trish’ isn’t her real name, Keith. If Amy is F1 mad, and reads F1Fanatic, then you may have just revealed her Secret Santa ;)

  4. Senna for £4.75 is it, without a doubt….
    well unless she already owns it….
    but I woudnt say no to a spare copy if given it for a secret santa… its win win win.

    1. Bit pricey if you ask me – for a DVD. The BR costs just £6.84.

  5. plus if you give a copy of Senna your get that nod of ` Ar, you know of the Senna`.

    handy if its the boss :-)

  6. I have read several books about F1 over the last couple of years myself, and most of them are now available for less than £5. Here they are:

    Formula 1 Fanatic
    Fangio: The Life Behind the Legend
    Chequered Conflict: The Inside Story on Two Explosive F1 World Championships (The story of the controversial 2007 season, compared with the 1986 season)
    It Is What It Is: The Autobiography (by David Coulthard)

    I can recommend all of them although I would pick ‘Formula 1 Fanatic’ and DC’s autobiography if I had to choose only two.

    I have bought a couple of F1 keyrings for less than £5, too.

  7. Maybe a little more expensive than what you had in mind but WTF1 has some good (and humourous) tshirts and hoodies etc

    http://wtf1.co.uk/store/

  8. Good article! Unfortunately I’m no good when it comes to adding to this list but this is a great idea.

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