THE FORMULA by Joshua Robinson & Jonathan Clegg (Monoray)

*****

IT is the billion dollar circus that travels the world, attracting millions of fans, the biggest A-List celebrities and big brand sponsors. It’s fast, furious and noisy; life and death dressed in glitz and glam.

But Formula 1 wasn’t always this way, and this eminently readable account of its rise and fall – and rise again – is an excellent examination of the seismic shocks that have shaped today’s extravaganza.

The authors, both acclaimed Wall Street Journal sportswriters, trace F1’s transformation from a sport followed by middle-aged nerds obsessed with tech specs to today’s showbiz and social media spectacle.

In keeping with that shift, it’s a propulsive read that motors along like a thriller, taking in behind-the-scenes sleight of hand, industrial espionage, outrageous cheating and cut-throat double dealing.

The remarkable thing is that the writers have not sensationalised the goings-on – they’ve had no need to. From the appalling death toll in the early days to driver vendettas, conspiracy and controversy, it’s all here.

“If F1 was starting to look like a lawless, chaotic sport populated by ruthless maniacs with no ethical qualms about risking drivers’ lives, it’s because it kind of was,” Robinson and Clegg say at one stage.

The two most influential protagonists emerge as Bernie Ecclestone, who revolutionised the sport, and current owners Liberty Media, whose deal with Netflix fuelled F1’s reinvention for the modern day.

But, with a new season almost upon us, has the balance between sport and showbiz swung too far?