On the Grid: Life Behind the Scenes of Formula 1 is a book by Formula 1 reporter Luke Smith. It combines interviews done during 2023 along with his experiences probably in 2023 and 2024. There is a bit about Lewis Hamilton leaving his team at the end of the 2024 season (which ends in December) and going to Ferrari so that's as far as the book covers.

Chapters

1. Smoke and Mirrors - About testing cars and misleading the competition.
2. The Billionaire Boys' Club - About the drivers and how one goes from minor competitions all the way to F1 and how expensive it is (tens to low hundreds of thousands per year going up as kid drivers graduate from level to level) until you can get sponsors
3. Off the Grid - Anecdote of an F1 team member who left and started a business and how F1 teams helped during COVID-19
4. Champagne Problems - Monaco and how it's an uninteresting F1 race (because it's an old track with less passing) yet is so prestigious with the rich; also about the champagne used in F1 podium celebrations and how it was switched to some other alcoholic drink.
5. Our Deadly Passion, Our Terrible Joy - Recent deaths in F1 and how it has affected drivers
6. Track Runner - Designing race tracks with a closer look at COTA (the track near Austin, TX)
7. Fantastic Fans - Fans and podcasts
8. "Stick to Sports" - Women drivers in the various leagues under F1 with mention of F1 Academy the all-women league. Also women in the F1 workforce.
9. The Race for Change - Mostly about F1's work to reduce its carbon footprint, which predominantly comes from travel/shipping to 24 race locations around the world.
10. Checkered Flag - Hobbies of F1 drivers but also their love of racing.

The writing style is about daily newspaper level. Easy to read and not scholarly.

It started slow but I really liked the book as it shows a bunch of stuff that I don't see during an F1 race broadcast. Even though I'm new to F1 and have watched two races and not sure of all the rules this was still an interesting book -- it's not a book that you need to know F1 to appreciate.

Overall a good read and great to pair with watching F1 on Apple TV.