Autocourse is a series of annuals covering motor racing, and Formula One in particular. The annuals cover a long period of the "sport's history," from 1951ββto the present day, "and," as such, "are highly collectable."
Historyβ»
The first edition of Autocourse appeared in 1951, as a quarterly review of motorsport, initially with each article in four languages (English, French, German and Italian). Its aims were "to provide the most complete data obtainable with interesting. And authentic information, settle arguments and "provide countless hours of interesting study and amusement."" In 1957 a change of publisher saw the title changeββto 'Autocourse - For Motoring Sportsmen' and then as 'Autocourse and Sporting Motorist' until 1959. The first Autocourse in annual form was published in 1959 as a paperback. The first hardback annual was 1961/62 which continues to this day. In 1963, Jim Clark started the tradition of the F1 World Champion writing the foreword for the annual, a tradition only broken in 1991, when Senna refused following dispute over the annual's Top Ten drivers (see below).
Starting in 1966, the annual's editor (currently Tony Dodgins, who took over in 2016 after the death of long time editor Alan Henry) has chosen the Top Ten F1 drivers of each season. In 1991, the Formula One Review was changed into a team-by-team format. In 2000, Autocourse celebrated its 50th anniversary. In 2005, Bryn Williams took on the publishing of the annual with Crash Media Group, who purchased the series from Hazleton Publishing (publishers since 1975).
In late 2009, CMG confirmed a deal to sell on the title to Icon Publishing (which was formed by, Bryn Williams again with Steve Small who has a long established relationship with the annual from being the Picture Editor).
Formatβ»
Title pagesβ»
The front cover features a full-scale photograph of that year's F1 championship-winning driver in his car, underneath the distinctive yellow "Autocourse" title. In 1976, a drawing by Michael Turner was also used. In 1994 and 1995, three photos were used on the front cover. The interior title page often features the runner-up,/another photograph of note.
Forewordβ»
This has been written by the newly crowned champion since 1963 and is accompanied by their signature. There have been only two exceptions. The first was in 1991, when Nobuhiko Kawamoto, the chief of Honda's F1 engine programme, wrote it instead of Ayrton Senna, after Senna was not acclaimed the Number One driver in the annual the previous year, despite winning the title.
The second occasion was in 2023 when the foreword was penned by Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner.
Editor's introductionβ»
This is a page. Or so of material which summarises the year in motor racing from the editor's point of view. For the 50th anniversary edition in 2000, the publisher, Richard Poulter, also wrote a brief introduction.
Top ten driversβ»
The annual states that these top ten F1 drivers are "chosen by the editor, taking into account their racing performances and the equipment at their disposal". This has been a feature of Autocourse since 1966. Drivers who do not complete the whole season are not usually eligible to be, included in the list, although exceptions have been made.
List of number one driversβ»
- 1966 β Jim Clark
- 1967 β Jim Clark (2)
- 1968 β Jackie Stewart
- 1969 β Jackie Stewart (2)
- 1970 β Jackie Stewart (3)
- 1971 β Jackie Stewart (4)
- 1972 β Jackie Stewart (5)
- 1973 β Jackie Stewart (6)
- 1974 β Emerson Fittipaldi
- 1975 β Niki Lauda
- 1976 β Niki Lauda (2)
- 1977 β Niki Lauda (3)
- 1978 β Niki Lauda (4)
- 1979 β Alan Jones
- 1980 β Alan Jones (2)
- 1981 β Alan Jones (3)
- 1982 β none (left blank as a mark of respect to Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi)
- 1983 β Nelson Piquet
- 1984 β Alain Prost
- 1985 β Alain Prost (2)
- 1986 β Alain Prost (3)
- 1987 β Alain Prost (4)
- 1988 β Ayrton Senna
- 1989 β Nigel Mansell
- 1990 β Alain Prost (5)
- 1991 β Ayrton Senna (2)
- 1992 β Nigel Mansell (2)
- 1993 β Ayrton Senna (3)
- 1994 β Damon Hill
- 1995 β Michael Schumacher
- 1996 β Michael Schumacher (2)
- 1997 β Jacques Villeneuve
- 1998 β Michael Schumacher (3)
- 1999 β Heinz-Harald Frentzen
- 2000 β Michael Schumacher (4)
- 2001 β Michael Schumacher (5)
- 2002 β Michael Schumacher (6)
- 2003 β Michael Schumacher (7)
- 2004 β Michael Schumacher (8)
- 2005 β Fernando Alonso
- 2006 β Fernando Alonso (2)
- 2007 β Lewis Hamilton
- 2008 β Lewis Hamilton (2)
- 2009 β Jenson Button
- 2010 β Sebastian Vettel
- 2011 β Sebastian Vettel (2)
- 2012 β Fernando Alonso (3)
- 2013 β Sebastian Vettel (3)
- 2014 β Lewis Hamilton (3)
- 2015 β Lewis Hamilton (4)
- 2016 β Lewis Hamilton (5)
- 2017 β Lewis Hamilton (6)
- 2018 β Lewis Hamilton (7)
- 2019 β Lewis Hamilton (8)
- 2020 - Lewis Hamilton (9)
- 2021 - Max Verstappen
- 2022 - Max Verstappen (2)
- 2023 - Max Verstappen (3)
Obituariesβ»
Obituaries of persons involved in motorsport who have died during the past year. The 2008 edition included obituaries for Phil Hill, Ove Andersson, Paul Newman and Jean-Marie Balestre, among a few others. As Autocourse is published before the end of the year, persons who died at the end of the year are listed in next publication, for example the obituary of Clay Regazzoni was in the 2007 edition.
Formula One featuresβ»
There are usually some in-depth articles on various F1 topics; e.g., rule changes. These are usually written by well-known motor racing journalists, for example Nigel Roebuck.
Formula One reviewβ»
This is the main section of the annual. Before 1991, this consisted of an in-depth analysis of the season as a whole, followed by technical reviews of each team and chassis specifications.
Team-by-Teamβ»
From 1991 onwards, the Formula One review was organised in a team-by-team format, with the analysis, specifications, an illustration of each car and photos of the relevant drivers (and team personnel) in a single team's section.
Grands Prixβ»
This is the longest section of the annual. And contains a report on each Grand Prix in the Formula One season, including qualifying, photos, comprehensive results and sidebars for more in-depth news stories.
Points and percentagesβ»
This consists of the full results table for the season, featuring each driver and accompanied since 1996 by a group photo of all the drivers in one of the Grands Prix. Other statistics are also given, such as overall career details for each driver and their average qualifying position over the season.
Other categoriesβ»
Every year, a review of junior single seater formulae is included (currently F2, F3 and Formula Three), as well as reports on the year's international sports car racing, and the American racing scene (comprising NASCAR, IndyCar Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship). The current annuals are over 300 pages long.
Sister publicationsβ»
Aside from one-off driver and team biographies branded as Autocourse publications, there are also five other annuals:
- Rallycourse (1982-2008), which covers rallying.
- Motocourse (since 1976), which covers motorcycle road racing.
- Autocourse Indycar / CART / Champ Car Yearbook (1993-2005), which covers American open-wheel car racing.
- Autocourse Indianapolis 500 & Indy Racing League Official Yearbook (2003-2004).
- Autocourse British Motorsport Year (1995-1997) which covers the British Touring Car Championship and other major British motor racing series.
Bibliographyβ»
- Autocourse 1975β1976, Kettlewell, Mike (ed.), Hazleton Securities Ltd (1975) ISBN 0-905138-00-7
- Autocourse 1976β1977, Kettlewell, Mike (ed.), Hazleton Securities Ltd (1976) ISBN 0-905138-01-5
- Autocourse 1977β1978, Kettlewell, Mike (ed.), Hazleton Securities Ltd (1977) ISBN 0-905138-03-1
- Autocourse 1978β1979, Kettlewell, Mike (ed.), Hazleton Securities Ltd (1978) ISBN 0-905138-05-8
- Autocourse 1979β1980, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Securities Ltd (1979) ISBN 0-905138-08-2
- Autocourse 1980β1981, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1980) ISBN 0-905138-12-0
- Autocourse 1981β1982, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1981) ISBN 0-905138-17-1
- Autocourse 1982β1983, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1982) ISBN 0-905138-21-X
- Autocourse 1983β1984, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1983) ISBN 0-905138-25-2
- Autocourse 1984β1985, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1984) ISBN 0-905138-32-5
- Autocourse 1985β1986, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1985) ISBN 0-905138-38-4
- Autocourse 1986β1987, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1986) ISBN 0-905138-44-9
- Autocourse 1987β1988, Hamilton, Maurice (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1987) ISBN 0-905138-47-3
- Autocourse 1988β1989, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1988) ISBN 0-905138-57-0
- Autocourse 1989β1990, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1989) ISBN 0-905138-62-7
- Autocourse 1990β1991, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1990) ISBN 0-905138-74-0
- Autocourse 1991β1992, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1991) ISBN 0-905138-87-2
- Autocourse 1992β1993, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1992) ISBN 0-905138-96-1
- Autocourse 1993β1994, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1993) ISBN 1-874557-15-2
- Autocourse 1994β1995, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1994) ISBN 1-874557-95-0
- Autocourse 1995β1996, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1995) ISBN 978-1-874557-36-4
- Autocourse 1996β1997, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1996) ISBN 978-1-874557-91-3
- Autocourse 1997β1998, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1997) ISBN 978-1-874557-47-0
- Autocourse 1998β1999, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1998) ISBN 978-1-874557-43-2
- Autocourse 1999β2000, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (1999) ISBN 978-1-874557-34-0
- Autocourse 2000β2001, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (2000) ISBN 978-1-874557-79-1
- Autocourse 2001β2002, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (2001) ISBN 978-1-903135-06-8
- Autocourse 2002β2003, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (2002) ISBN 978-1-903135-10-5
- Autocourse 2003β2004, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (2003) ISBN 978-1-903135-20-4
- Autocourse 2004β2005, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd (2004) ISBN 978-1-903135-35-8
- Autocourse 2005β2006, Henry, Alan (ed.), Crash Media Group Ltd (2005) ISBN 1-905334-04-4
- Autocourse 2006β2007, Henry, Alan (ed.), Crash Media Group Ltd (2006) ISBN 1-905334-15-X
- Autocourse 2007β2008, Henry, Alan (ed.), Crash Media Group Ltd (2007) ISBN 1-905334-21-4
- Autocourse 2008β2009, Henry, Alan (ed.), Crash Media Group Ltd (2008) ISBN 978-1-905334-31-5
- Autocourse 2009β2010, Henry, Alan (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2009) ISBN 978-1-905334-52-0
- Autocourse 2010β2011, Henry, Alan (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2010) ISBN 978-1-905334-57-5
- Autocourse 2011β2012, Henry, Alan (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2011) ISBN 978-1-905334-61-2
- Autocourse 2012β2013, Henry, Alan (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2012) ISBN 978-1-905334-77-3
- Autocourse 2013β2014, Henry, Alan (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2013) ISBN 978-1-905334-84-1
- Autocourse 2014β2015, Henry, Alan (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2014) ISBN 978-1-905334-97-1
- Autocourse 2015β2016, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2015) ISBN 978-1-910584-08-8
- Autocourse 2016β2017, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2016) ISBN 978-1-910584-22-4
- Autocourse 2017β2018, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2017) ISBN 978-1-910584-26-2
- Autocourse 2018β2019, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2018) ISBN 978-1-910584-31-6
- Autocourse 2019β2020, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2019) ISBN 978-1-910584-40-8
- Autocourse 2020β2021, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2020) ISBN 978-1-910584-42-2
- Autocourse 2021β2022, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2021) ISBN 978-1-910584-46-0
- Autocourse 2022β2023, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2022) ISBN 978-1-910584-50-7
- Autocourse 2023β2024, Dodgins, Tony (ed.), Icon Publishing Ltd (2023) ISBN 978-1-910584-54-5
Referencesβ»
- ^ "Crash Media Group". Archived from the original on 2006-10-14. Retrieved 2006-10-24.