Total Competition

Book excerpt: A compelling, comprehensive look at “the awe-inspiring career of a true motor racing great” and what it takes to get to the top in Formula One (Daily Express). Across four decades, Ross Brawn was one of the most innovative and successful technical directors and then team principals in Formula One. Leading Benetton, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn, and Mercedes, he worked with drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, and Lewis Hamilton to make them world champions. In 2017, he was appointed F1’s managing director, motor sports, by the sport’s new owners Liberty Media. Now, in this fascinating book written with Adam Parr, who was CEO and then chairman of Williams for five years, he looks back over his career and methods to assess how he did it, and where occasionally he got things wrong. Total Competition is a definitive portrait of modern motorsport. In the book, Brawn and Parr explore the unique pressures of Formula One, their battles with Bernie Ecclestone, and the cutthroat world they inhabited, where coming second is never good enough. This book is a fascinating read not only for the millions of Formula One fans who want to understand how Brawn operates; it also provides many lessons in how to achieve your own goals in business and life. “Frank, fearless and original . . . I hung on every word.” —Murray Walker “This is a must-read.” —Autosport