When you get to a certain age, being asked what you want as a gift - for any occasion - becomes as tricky as mustering an opinion on soft furnishings.
Should you find yourself in such a quandary over the next week or so as Father's Day approaches, here are a few ideas that might inspire you.
Ignore this, and you can’t complain when you get some fresh socks, a tie you’ll never wear and a novelty bottle opener to go with the half dozen others you never use either.
Formula 1 Car by Car 2000-09 - Peter Higham
For fans of our Bring Back V10s podcast (and its V8s adventures), this book is perfectly pitched.
Telling the story of each season team by team, you get to slip into the warm bath of nostalgia when there was a full-length Monaco GP without a single change of position (2003). Truly, things were better back then.
But joking aside, the format of the book means no stone is left unturned, and you get to see the aerodynamic space race of the era play out in front of you. From the really quite basic 2000 cars to the over-appendaged marvels of 2008, the rate of development that takes place over the course of the book is staggering, and shows why the controversial ‘double diffuser’ regs of 2009 were so badly needed.
At £60, it’s good value too, given the depth and breadth of information on offer.
Find out more and order your copy here
McLaren Formula 1 Car by Car - Stuart Codling
There’s plenty of V10s loveliness in this tome too, as we take a trip through McLaren’s superb F1 heritage.
From the M2B that started it all (in white, not papaya) through to the MCL60 of 2023, each car is given a detailed analysis, while the landscape format allows the imagery to ensure that the cars really are the star.
There’s a detailed tech-spec for each car too [with tyres showing where the market is for this type of book these days], and naturally a full breakdown of all the results.
For fans of the brand this is a must have, but you don’t have to wear the colours in order to admire some of the finest machinery ever to grace the grand prix circus. And at £45, by modern book standards, it’s a bargain!
Find out more and order your copy here
A Ginetta Driver Development simulator session
The advances in simulator technology mean not only are they a vital component of car and driver development today, but they also create the opportunity for motorsport fans to enjoy an experience that would previously have been the preserve of a lucky few.
Setting the benchmark for race driver simulator facilities in the region, SIMTrack Driver Performance Centre is based at Ginetta racing HQ, just off the M1 north of Leeds.
They offer a choice of two bespoke, fully immersive simulator cockpits to replicate a range of different racing car chassis, both provided with professional coaching, data and video analysis tools.
Their simulator facility combines market-leading hardware, software, and one-to-one driver coaching to supplement your physical on-track programme, helping drivers of all levels to become the best they can be.
To get 20% off any session use Promocode 'FASTDAD20'
F1 24
The recent release of F1 24 to PC as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles means it’s timed perfectly for a dad who’s big on F1 and gaming.
This year’s title has had a whole raft of changes made to career mode offering up a more immersive driver career experience.
That can be played through as either your own created driver, one of the current F1 drivers or even some classic drivers from F1 history.
With the list of ‘Icon’ drivers including the likes of James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, Mark Webber and plenty of others, there’s a good chance your dad’s favourite driver from years past is playable in F1 24.
The Race Members' Club
It'd be remiss of us not to mention our very own The Race Members' Club in our Father's Day gift guide.
Membership has a whole host of benefits including unlimited access to The Race, our vast members' only podcast offering and the chance to ask questions on race review episodes of The Race F1 Podcast, a reduced ad environment, discounts and loads more.
Plus you'll be playing a key part in ensuring The Race continues to produce world-class independent motorsport coverage.
As part of The Race Members' Club you'll also have an exclusive 15% discount code to use on The Race Shop.
Click here to find out more about The Race Members' Club
Father's Day Cards exclusive to The Race Shop
Brand new for 2024, The Race has launched a collection of Father’s Day cards. The Race Shop is packed with a range of motorsport apparel and gifts perfect for motorsport loving dads, including Bring Back V10s merchandise and our brand new Castrol Heritage motorsport collection.
And as a special offer, if you spend £40 in The Race Shop between now and June 2, you can get a FREE FATHER'S DAY CARD of your choice. All you need to do is add your chosen card to your basket, then once you get to £40, the card will be automatically discounted. No promo code required!
Click here to visit The Race Shop
