Editor | Anthony Rowlinson |
---|---|
Categories | Sport |
Frequency | Monthly |
Circulation | 64,897 a month |
First issue | March 1996 |
Company |
Haymarket (1996-2016) Motorsport Network (2016-present) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Website | www.f1racing.co.uk |
ISSN | 1361-4487 |
F1 Racing is a monthly magazine focused on Formula One racing that launched in March 1996.
F1 Racing's launch was the culmination of a year of preparation by UK publishers Haymarket. The magazine's genesis was inspired by the sport's peak in popularity following the death of Ayrton Senna, and high-profile rivalry between Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill. Haymarket's weekly Autosport and Motorsport News titles supplied a pool of talented writers and their contacts: with the weekly market well served, F1 Racing would be more feature-based and former Autosport writer Mike Herd was appointed editor.
Two business decisions in particular made the new title feasible: Haymarket's focus on agreeing annual (rather than monthly or ad-hoc) deals with advertisers, and its publication of a German edition to capitalise upon Schumacher's popularity. A private 'dummy' test issue was produced in November 1995, dubbed 'Issue Zero', before the first issue proper was published to coincide with the beginning of the 1996 season.
Much of the title's growth took place under long-standing editor Matt Bishop, who took over the helm of the title in December 1996. Bishop left both F1 Racing and Autosport (for which he wrote an online column) in late 2007 to join McLaren and was replaced as editor of the monthly magazine by the then executive editor Tim Scott, and later by Hans Seeberg. On 9 May 2012 it was announced that Anthony Rowlinson would become the magazine's new editor.
In July 2005, F1 Racing celebrated its one hundredth issue; it continues to publish in over twenty countries, and claims the title "The World's Best-Selling Grand Prix Magazine." In the one hundred issues, Michael Schumacher had been cover feature over forty times — more than any other driver — including the first issue in March, 1996. In February 2001, a "Michael Schumacher Special Edition" was published.
Many well respected journalists and photographers contribute to the magazine. Such regulars have included journalists Peter Windsor and Alan Henry, and renowned photographers Darren Heath, Steven Tee, Rip (Ripley & Ripley) and Lorenzo Bellanca. Damon Hill was 'Guest Editor' in January, 2000, which featured an interview between him and Michael Schumacher. From the March 2006 issue to the February 2007 of F1 Racing, Max Mosley, then president of the FIA, had a monthly column in the magazine.