Guest Author - Christine Blachford

Autosport provide one of the most comprehensive websites about Formula 1, but that is for another review. The magazine covers more than just F1, encompassing such sports as rallying, GP2, A1 GP and many international events. But the first few pages are often dominated with F1 news.

The magazine is weekly, at a reasonable price in the UK of £2.60 (roughly $5, just under 4 Euros), and is reliably up to date with all the news and features that you need to know. The layout of the magazine is always similar as well, which really helps to keep consistency. You know which section is your favourite, so you always know where to go to first.

There are interesting classifieds in the back few pages, and my favourite section is the Vacancies. It is always things for engineers and designers and mechanics, but it’s always interesting to see which F1 team is currently recruiting.

There are a few column pages from people in the know, with insights and opinions that are really worth reading and taking the time to digest. They quite often provide a point of view that you would never have thought of and can sometimes clear up arguments that you and your friends have been having.

The majority of the articles are features about teams, or drivers, or the latest rule changes, or the latest technical developments. There should be something for everyone in there, but there are plenty of fascinating pictures if you don’t have time to read the words.

The annual Autosport International trade show that takes place at the NEC in Birmingham , UK is obviously from the team behind the magazine. There is plenty of coverage before and after the event so that if you can’t get there, you don’t miss anything, and if you are lucky enough to attend, you get a souvenier to remember it by.

There are some interesting free gifts given away if you choose the option to subscribe. I’m never one to recommend subscribing to something, because in the UK the post can never be relied upon. Something as time sensitive as a weekly magazine is quite a risk, because if it arrives late, you don’t have time to read it before the news is old and there’s a new magazine to take it’s place. However, that’s not to say you shouldn’t consider subscribing, because there are some great savings to be made, and this is a magazine you want to arrive on your door mat every week.

Autosport is more fun than some of the more serious, monthly racing magazines, and has the advantage of being weekly to cover some of the more breaking news stories. I highly recommend it, so long as you are not looking for something that is solely F1 related.