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Deschenaux's bible puts F1 facts at the tip of the tongue

SEPANG: If you've ever wondered how Formula One television commentators seem to have every possible fact or statistic about drivers and teams at their fingertips, look no further than F1 guru Jacques Deschenaux.

Deschenaux, 62, and his wife, Claude, who are from Switzerland, are the people behind what is commonly referred to as the "F1 bible" for all the media people who cover the sport.

The bilingual (English and French) book that exceeds 1,200 pages is called the Grand Prix Guide and contains every possible fact and statistic for all drivers, races and teams since 1950.

Book of wonders: Deschenaux holding up the Grand Prix Guide, also known as the F1 bible, which he started in 1979.
Deschenaux, who with the help of his wife produced the first edition of the book in 1979, said the idea behind having such a compilation was that it would save journalists from having to carry some 20 reference books to any race.

"Being a commentator, I found it necessary to have the facts to fit any situation that may occur on the track at my fingertips," he said.

Deschenaux, who hails from Geneva is the former Television Suisse head of sports. He has some 35 years' experience in covering F1 races, and this year's Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix is his 495th race.

He said the first edition of the book was so well received by the media community that he decided to continue updating and improving the book.

"It was very difficult at the start having to verify who had the fastest times, as the organisers used to be the timekeepers back then. We also had conflicts about semantics with the teams," he added.

Deschenaux said writing and updating the book to what it has become today was initially difficult and only became easier once the age of personal computers dawned.

"Still, there are a few errors every year and the amount of time I spend travelling around the world and waiting in airports gives me time to find the mistakes and look at how I can improve the book further."

However, Deschenaux said he would be retiring this year and that when he told his colleagues this, the only question they had for him was, "What about the book?"

"Instead of asking about me, they were more concerned about the book," he said with a chuckle, adding that he would continue updating the book for as long as he could.

"I still love F1 and will try to get involved in another way.

"I have seen it evolve. I have covered F1 since the drivers were older than me, right up to now, when they could probably be my sons (in terms of age)."