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Total Competition

Lessons in Strategy from Formula One

About The Book

'A must-have insight into the awe-inspiring career of a true motor racing great' Daily Express

Total Competition
is the most compelling, comprehensive and revealing insight into what it takes to get to the top in Formula One that has ever been published.


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 cut-throat world they inhabited, where coming second is never good enough. This book will appeal not only to the millions of Formula One fans who want to understand how Brawn operates, it will also provide many lessons in how to achieve your own business goals.

About The Authors

Ross Brawn is the most successful technical director in Formula One history, having led Benetton, Ferrari, Honda, and Mercedes to world championship glory, and worked with some of the greatest names in the sport, including Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. After retiring at the end of 2013, he returned in January 2017 as F1's managing director, motor sports.

Adam Parr is a businessman, investor, and lawyer whose career has taken him all over the world. Between 2006 and 2012 he was CEO and then chairman of the Williams Formula One team, where he was responsible for bringing hybrid technology to the team as well as turning round its fortunes.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (November 3, 2016)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781471162374

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Raves and Reviews

'Frank, fearless and original... I hung on every word'

– Murray Walker

'The closest thing there is to a certificable genius'

– Wall Street Journal

‘A fascinating insight’

– Giles Richards, Observer

'It has widespread appeal as well as offering a unique insight into F1...this is a must-read.'

– Edd Straw, Autosport

'Offers valuable lessons on how to succeed in pressurised environments and forge working relationships with difficult colleagues. And for those in love with the sport, it is a must-have insight into the awe-inspiring career of a true motor racing great.'

– Daily Express

'Eccentric but brilliant...some theories from within could be applied to other professions and indeed personal lives.'

– Motorsport

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