In fact, the anecdotes make the book – I won’t relate them all here, but a few choice picks are the insights into Michael Schumacher’s cheat at Monaco in 2006, the email from the president of Ferrari after the infamous “taxi ride”, details on the “Multi 21” fiasco, and why F1 drivers do burnouts in the exact places they do. Yet the book certainly doesn’t come off as self-serving, and Mark even relates more than a few errors – what happened in 2011 with Mercedes at the ‘Ring was my favourite, as it shows even F1 drivers are human! I suspect plenty of other drivers would have glossed over those little episodes. Would have been interesting to see their perspectives of him. He was proud to be able to go head to head with those guys. Mark’s final F1 race and a podium with two of the very best drivers. That is the way in autobiographies, so those looking for a more well-rounded view of the man will need to look elsewhere.

The story draws very little on the thoughts or observations of others, save those closest to Mark such as his partner Ann, and his father. A measure of the skill with which the book is written is that it is a fair read for such diverse audiences. Sports fans who don’t follow motor racing will get a good insight into F1 as the book certainly doesn’t assume you to be a F1 nut, and everybody who has even a passing interest in motorsport will relish the fairly blunt observations on events, people and F1 racing in general. Others may just enjoy learning about the man himself, and his story from the very earliest days to his World Endurance Racing (WEC) campaign is told in detail. As a long-term F1 fan I discovered several new and interesting insights into the sport within just the first few pages, and there was much more to come throughout the book.

Aussie grit mark webber