Hefty tome is disappointingly thin · RaceFans

The modern Formula 2 championship often produces even livelier racing the main event. It helps, of course, that it has a larger grid than F1 and its cars are identical.

That wasn’t always so. In its original guise, Formula 2 was true formula racing, featuring competition between multiple chassis, engine and tyre manufacturers.

The championship therefore proved a valuable training ground not just for future drivers and engineers but entire teams. That began to end when Formula 2 was replaced by Formula 3000 in the mid-eighties.

The heyday of F2 racing is captured in this new book from Evro which covers what was often a tremendously competitive period. When “Formula 2 The Glory Years” landed with a thud on my doorstep, I looked forward to spending several evenings working through its 500-plus pages.

It didn’t prove quite that sustaining, due to the sheer number of photographs. The amount of illustration almost borders on excessive as the book features the best part of 900 pictures, most provided by devoted F2 photographer Jutta Fausel who is credited on the cover.

There are many great shots of the unusual cars, upcoming drivers and rough-edged circuits of the time to enjoy here. F2 took in some spectacular venues the world championship never visited or abandoned, such as the Pau street circuit in France or Germany’s formidable Nurburgring.

Fausel’s lens captured the lines of the cars, candid shots of drivers and the occasional crash. Despite the monochrome cover photograph, many of the images are in colour.

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The high ratio of images to text here means this book would more accurately be described as an “illustrated history” or similar. Anyone who sees the description of the book online and forks out the best part of £100 of it may feel short-changed by how little there is to read.

What text there is covers the period well, as you’d expect given the quality of contributors, albeit disappointingly briefly. It is supported by results tables and track layout graphics.

It adds up to a well-illustrated survey of F2’s greatest period, albeit one lacking the depth I hoped for and felt it needed at this price.

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Formula 2 The Glory Years, 1967-84

Author: Bob Constanduros, Peter Higham, Mark Hughes, Ian Phillips, with photographs by Jutta Fausel
Publisher: Evro
Published: 2024
Pages: 560
Price: £95
ISBN:9781910505199