Over 100 ideas in the 2012 F1 Fanatic Gift Guide

2012 F1 season

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The 2012 F1 Fanatic Gift Guide features over 100 suggestions for F1 presents with prices ranging from a few pounds to �90,000.

Whether you’re looking for a present for yourself, or something for a hard-to-buy-for F1 fan in your life, you’re sure to find inspiration here.

Games | Videos | Books | Merchandise | Pictures | Models | Race trips | Calendars | More

Games

F1 2012 – The official Formula One game

Codemasters’ officially-licensed Formula One game features all 20 tracks from the 2012 roster plus all the drivers and their lovingly-recreated cars. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best way to get your F1 racing fix in the off-season.

And make sure you join in with the other F1 Fanatics playing F1 2012 in the F1 Games groups.

F1 Race Stars

A new title for this year, Codemasters have given classic party racer Mario Kart an F1 twist. The result is cartoonish fun which is terrific entertainment in multiplayer mode, though the single-player version is a bit shallow.

Steering wheel

With these two games to play you’re going to need a decent steering wheel to get the most out of them. This superbly-made wheel and pedals set from Logitech even includes a manual gear lever in case you fancy a spot of historic racing, as well as the usual paddles behind the wheel for F1-style shifting.

The accelerator, brake (and clutch) are firm and well-weighted, and the entire product clamps sturdily onto a desk and feels very durable.

Videos

Official 2012 F1 season review: Victorious Vettel

The official video review of the 2012 F1 season will be called Victorious Vettel.

For the second year in a row the 2012 season review video will not be out in time for Christmas, mainly because the season now finishes so late in the year.

You can order your copy of the DVD and Blu-Ray editions of the official 2012 F1 season review here:

More F1 season review DVDs

Last year’s season review is available to tide you over until then. It might not have been a very close championship but there were lots of exciting races and the review is packed with the cream of FOM’s high-quality footage.

Fill the gaps in your collection:

Tooned

McLaren’s animated series Tooned gets the F1 Fanatic stamp of approval for clearly being written by someone who knows a thing or two about Formula One and – more importantly – being genuinely funny.

The 12 mini-episodes plus features only add up to an hour’s viewing, but the DVD is an inexpensive buy and a great stocking filler for younger fans.

Senna

There can’t be many F1 fans left who haven’t seen the hugely successful film Senna. Whatever your opinion of him, this moving film packed with contemporary footage and never-before-seen material is a essential viewing.

Grand Prix Heroes series

The Grand Prix Heroes series, released last year, covers the careers of several world champions and other top drivers. They vary a little in quality, so do check out the F1 Fanatic review before making a choice. They’re also available as a boxed set.

Other motor sport videos

Season reviews and films from other racing championships and events. Also Duke Video have reissued the classic documentary from Lotus’s 1973 season If You’re Not Winning… You’re Not Trying, which is definitely worth a look.

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

Books

Essential reads

F1 Fanatic has reviewed all the major new F1 book releases this year. Here are three which every reader should have on their shelves.

Poetry in Motion by Tony Brooks

Tony Brooks made us wait a long time for his account of racing in F1 in the fifties and sixties but it was certainly worth it. Revealing, insightful and funny, this is my F1 book of the year.

Team Lotus: My view from the pit wall by Peter Warr

Peter Warr, former Lotus team principal and Colin Chapman’s right-hand man, sadly passed away before completing his memoirs. But his fascinating recollections and uncompromising assessment of former drivers such as Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell make it an unmissable read.

I Just Made the Tea by Di Spires

An account of working as a motor racing caterer may not sound particularly interesting. But this behind-the-scenes tale is stuffed with candid and hilarious stories of Formula One drivers behaving badly. With copies going for less than a tenner there’s no excuse for missing this one.

More new books from 2012

Fans of Formula One nostalgia were very well-served by the F1 in Camera series which runs to five volumes including two on the 1970s. More than just straightforward picture anthologies, these are well-research and feature ample supporting text.

McLaren’s The Art of Racing is in a similar vein, though concentrating more on the stunning photography of Darren Heath, and coming with a rather steep price tag.

Haynes produced the second of their Owners Workshop Manuals for an F1 car, this time the Lotus 72, which was more successful than their previous effort for Red Bull’s RB6.

The Limit: Life and death in Formula 1?���??s most dangerous era gives an account of Phil Hill’s rise to the 1961 world championship, which ended in tragedy at Monza. Hill was unable to compete in the following round, the first world championship event at Watkins Glen – the history of Grand Prix racing at that track is the subject of another book.

Among those writing their memoirs this year were former F1 presenter Steve Rider and ex-F1 mechanic Tony Robinson. And if F1 stats are your thing you’ll be well-served by Formula 1: All the Races.

Inevitably there are new books appearing in the run-up to Christmas so look out for reviews of the new Grand Prix Who’s Who (fourth edition) and former Williams CEO Adam Parr’s The Art of War coming soon.

Also released in 2012 but not making it onto the recommended list were Jake Humphrey’s The Inside Track, Andrea Cremonesi and Marco Degl’Innocenti’s Meet Sebastian Vettel, Ayrton Senna: Messiah of Motor Racing and Bobbie Neate’s Conspiracy of Secrets.

F1 annuals

Autocourse 2012-2013

Beautifully presented and brilliantly written, Autocourse annuals are highly collectable. This year’s edition will hit the shelves in time for the Christmas rush. You can order it directly from the publishers below with free UK postage.

The publishers have also made their 1971 to 1976 editions available as eBooks.

Second-hand copies of these sell for well over �200 each, but the electronic versions are available at �20 each or �80 for all six.

Official F1 annual

Haynes publish the officially-endorsed Formula One season annual which includes a foreword by Bernie Ecclestone, a round table interview with top F1 personalities and more.

Through the Eyes of Formula One

“Through the eyes of Formula One” (not reviewed) is a new book produced for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity in which all the drivers from the 2012 season and many more prominent F1 personalities have taken photographs and annotated them. It offers a rarely-seen glimpses into the drivers’ personalities, and all proceeds from its sale go to charity.

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

Merchandise

F1 Fanatic

We’ve just launched a brand new design in the official F1 Fanatic range – the wireframe design is available on T-shirts and mugs:

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

F1 teams

The teams’ ranges of official merchandise seem to get larger every year. Here’s a selection of highlights. The Pirelli wristbands must be the ultimate F1 geek accessory:

Retro

Declare your allegiance to one of F1’s past teams with this striking range of retro T-shirts from former Grand Prix winners. Also Toleman:

Pictures

PJ Tierney posters

Check out PJ’s fabulous series of Formula 1 prints and his final set of 2012 prints on sale.

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

Race trips

Grandstand Motorsports Grand Prix tours

There are few better presents for an F1 fan than a trip to see a Grand Prix.

Grandstand Motorsports take the hassle out of arranging a trip to an F1 race and will tailor-make a package that suits your requirements:

Race tickets and packages

You can buy tickets for all the confirmed rounds on the 2013 F1 calendar via the links below.

If you have any questions about going to the race, do post them in the form for each race where other readers will be able to help.

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

Calendars

The Autocourse calendar features large, brightly-coloured pictures of the top drivers and cars of last year. Those who preferred the low-nose look of the McLaren will appreciate the picture of Jenson Button on his way to victory in Melbourne.

A selection of other F1-related calendars are also listed below.

More ideas

Scalextric

You can’t beat Scalextric for retro racing appeal. The cars in this McLaren set may look a bit too pre-2009 but there’s lots of fun to be had and the circuit is more interesting than anything Hermann Tilke has come up with. There’s also a smaller version available for those lacking floor space.

Eddie Jordan luggage

Yes, you did that right. And no, they’re not designed by the same people that do his styling. But the Jordan-boss-turned-BBC-pundit does credit the Duolite GT case with making sure “my shirts arrive at any Grand Prix in style”.

Carbon fibre panelling means the case looks the part. It takes weight-saving to lengths Adrian Newey would surely approve of: the cabin bag weighs a mere 2.3kg and fits in overhead storage. However claims that its “F1 inspired aerodynamic shape” will make for a “speedier run to catch the plane” is taking things a tad too far.

Find out more about the Duolite GT range here.

GP International Magazine subscription

I contributed to the first two issues of new Formula One magazine GP International and they’re offering a special deal for subscribers through F1 Fanatic. Use the code GPFF when you sign up and you can get a 12-month subscription for just �27.

Memento Exclusives

Memento Exclusives specialise in turning old F1 car parts into usable items. Some of the pieces go for four-figure sums but there are more more affordable items as well which make for special gifts:

Amalgam F1 car models

If money is no object then you have to consider Amalgam’s beautiful large-size F1 car models. They even create full-size replica steering wheels, but expect four-figure price for all of their products.

Got �90,000 to spare?

@Mads suggested this one in the forum – a full-size F1 simulator with a truly terrifying price tag:

Over to you

Need more gift ideas? Have a look here:

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

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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...

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7 comments on “Over 100 ideas in the 2012 F1 Fanatic Gift Guide”

  1. Profile Photo

    celeste (@celeste)
    1st December 2012, 17:43

    I would take a S Vettel 3 championship tshirt, a “I just made tea” book too… cheers…

  2. Profile Photo

    xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
    1st December 2012, 19:45

    Why didn’t you add in some things like kart gloves etc?

  3. Profile Photo

    Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
    1st December 2012, 21:18

    I think they should keep Artwork in Progress as the DVD title… it’s a bit like “poetry in motion” (and better than their usual lame titles)

    1. Profile Photo

      John H (@john-h)
      1st December 2012, 22:18

      “Common sense does not come into it”

  4. Profile Photo

    dragoll (@dragoll)
    2nd December 2012, 6:44

    The 1 essential book in my eyes is Jackie Stewarts’ – Winning is Not Enough… If you have never read this, I urge you to do so, it changed the way I look at life, and also provides a very good back drop to the safety issues facing the sport in the 60’s & 70’s…

  5. Profile Photo

    Scalextric (@scalextric)
    3rd December 2012, 0:29

    You can’t beat Scalextric for retro racing appeal

  6. Profile Photo

    AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
    4th December 2012, 13:55

    I think I might paste this page URL into emails to loved ones and hope I get showered in F1 gifts for Christmas :D

Comments are closed.