Book review: Derek Warwick’s ‘Never look back’

384 pages on a driver who was always there throughout the eighties and nineties, but rarely found himself where he wanted to be: at the front. Never look back is the fascinating story of the (racing) life of Derek Warwick.

In 1985, Derek Warwick seemed set to become Britain’s next F1 world champion, after signing with Renault. After a first promising season, it all unravelled and Renault left F1 as a team at the end of the 1985 season.

No ‘what if’

When Renault pulled out of F1, Warwick secured a contract with Lotus, only to find its new star – Ayrton Senna – blocking his transfer; the Brazilian claiming the team couldn’t cater to the needs of two Number 1 drivers. It says much about Warwick’s character – and the quality of this book – that he does not wallow in ‘what if’ sentiment. He even goes so far as to accept why Senna stood in his way to F1 glory.

Superstox

To write his autobiography, Warwick collaborated with F1 authority, David Tremayne. In the preface, he describes Warwick as a man who played the cards he was dealt. A fitting description of a guy – a self-described ‘welder from Arlsford’ – who never in a million years imagined himself hitting the heights he did. When was the last time a world champion driver from Superstox (the UK’s equivalent of sprint cars) made it to F1 and then won another world title in sports cars…?

Dangerous times

Entertaining, moving, down-to-earth, Never look back is a gripping read. There are times when the sidebars by relevant witnesses come across a bit confusing; but overall, they add interesting information that would otherwise not have had a place in the book. What Warwick’s career shows is just how dangerous F1 still was in period. He was first on the scene when Gilles Villeneuve crashed at Zolder in 1982; he replaced Elio de Angelis after his fatal accident during testing at Paul Ricard in 1986, and his testimony of team-mate Martin Donnelly’s crash at Jerez in 1990 is chilling. But nothing quite prepares you for the long, very emotional chapter on Derek’s younger brother, Paul, who was killed during an F3000 race counting for the British championship, at Oulton Park in 1991.

Costing just €71 ($79), and printed in China, Never look back is a good-quality hardback from expert publishers Evro. Warwick’s recollections are brutally honest, often funny and devoid of any PR polishing. More importantly, they offers a highly interesting insight into racing – F1, sports cars, touring cars – in the eighties and nineties.

Watch one of Derek Warwick’s most famous moments in F1 – the 1990 Italian GP in Monza – here.

Evropublishing.com

Author: Derek Warwick & David Tremayne

ISBN: 9781910505908

Pages: 384

Price: €72 ($79)