F1 UPGRADES
Enhance the F1 experience with the latest must-have products
RENAULT SPORT LAYSHAFT AND GEAR LAMP Price £439 www.mementoexclusives.com
Function always leads form in Formula 1. But when precision engineered racing car parts have been finished with, their aesthetic qualities can be put to new uses.
This stylish lamp forms part of a new collection from Renault Sport F1 Heritage, with a base created from a genuine, race-used gear ratio set on carbon fibre anchoring a layshaft stem.
The parts have all been sourced from Renault F1 cars that raced between 2002 and 2010. Their provenance is ensured by unique parts identification numbers, supported by an official team certificate of authenticity.
CODEMASTERS F1 2017 GAME PS4, Xbox One & PC Price From £49.99 www.formula1-game.com
F1’s official video game evolves year on year. The annual updates are always worth getting so you can have current driver/ team combinations and new circuits to race on, but this time the team at Codemasters have excelled themselves.
We took Fernando Alonso’s Honda-powered Mclaren for a spin around the floodlit Singapore Marina Bay street circuit, and although we were able to keep up with the field around the twisty course, when they pulled away on the straights we found ourselves crying out loud: “No power!”
The game’s producers have taken their cue from other racing simulators such as rfactor and Project Cars, and now you can adjust the AI settings to a figure between 0-110. So if you find the ‘expert’ setting too easy, but ‘legend’ too hard, you can configure the game exactly to your liking. We found it dialled in perfectly with a Logitech G29 steering wheel and pedals.
There’s some great detail, too. On the final lap in Singapore, the firework display lights up the Tarmac, and if your engineer is speaking to you from the pits, his voice crackles as you pass under bridges.
As well as the usual career modes and time trials, you can now take on a challenge that ranks you on a global leaderboard. Get to the top and you’ll be invited to take part in the new official Formula 1 esports world championship.
And we haven’t even mentioned the slew of classic machinery you can drive. Now’s your chance to take Mansell’s FW14B or Senna’s 1991 Mclaren MP4/6 for a spin.
T-LAB EXPERIMENTAL SEUL LES BRAVES SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS T-SHIRT Price £27 www.t-lab.eu
The latest from one of our favourite producers of cool racing garb, this T-shirt pays homage to Belgium’s beloved grand prix circuit in the Ardennes: Spafrancorchamps. The printed logo, ‘seul les
braves’, translates as ‘only the brave’, while the stylish track imagery is a three-colour screenprint onto dark grey 100 per cent cotton. The T-shirt won’t fade through regular washes, and is available in small, medium, large and extra-large sizes.
CASIO EDIFICE F1-INSPIRED WATCH Price £325 www.edifice-watches.co.uk
Two variations of Casio Edifice’s latest F1-inspired timepieces are available, both of which feature Bluetooth technology that links to your smartphone, plus a device that displays your average speed when travelling.
Design and technical input are courtesy of Toro Rosso, ensuring Casio maintain their growing reputation for quality at the reasonably priced end of the luxury watch market.
LOTUS 18: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF STIRLING MOSS’S ‘912’ Author Ian Wagstaff Price £60 www.porterpress.co.uk
This is the tenth volume in Porter Press’s wonderful ‘Great Cars’ series, which steps beyond the life of a famous make and model to delve into the specifics of a particularly special chassis. And as Formula 1 cars go, there are few more precious than this one.
The Lotus 18 ‘912’ was a Rob Walker entry that Stirling Moss drove to his final world championship grand prix victories at the 1961 Monaco and German Grands Prix.
During a year in which Ferrari’s 156 ‘Sharknose’ largely dominated, Moss delivered a pair of virtuoso performances that were not only two of his finest, but also among the greatest victories ever in F1 history.
The author is a regular contributor to this series and, as usual, has explored the deepest recesses to uncover sumptuous detail and nuance, aided by the recollections of Walker’s trusted mechanic, Tony Cleverly. We particularly like the context-setting chapter on what else was happening in the world during 1961, a pleasing touch most racing books overlook.
Almost 300 evocative photographs, printed on paper of the highest quality, ensure this rather expensive tome is still terrific value.
The car remains a popular campaigner in historic racing circles, the chapter on which offers an up-to-date coda to the story of a gloriously celebrated F1 classic.