What F1 Can Teach You About Life and Work

Pitlane Lessons

From the industry leading speaker, business consultant, coach & mentor from the high performance world of Formula One, these are the key lessons learned at the elite level of sport – and how to make them work for you

Marc 'Elvis' Priestley worked for McLaren Racing as a Formula One mechanic and member of the pitstop crew from 2000-2009. He worked with a distinguished list of drivers including Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen, Jean Alesi, Juan Pablo Montoya, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. 
 
Following his retirement from McLaren, Elvis's first broadcast role was as pitlane reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live, where he was able to share his vast technical experience of the cars and equipment with listeners. Since then, Elvis has become an integral part of Sky's F1 coverage. He is now a co-host on the channel’s studio-based chat show, The F1 Report, as well as attending a number of Grand Prix events. 
 
Twitter: @f1elvis

Foreword by Jake Humphrey, author of HIGH PERFORMANCE. 
 
Formula 1 teams operate at the highest level of any competitive sport – and indeed of any industry. With huge sums of money, global prestige and even lives on the line, they must constantly work at an elite level to survive and succeed. 
 
Drawing on over a decades’ worth of experience working for one of the most successful F1 teams in history, Marc Priestley shows how you can take lessons learned from and amongst the world’s best, and use them in your work and life. 
 
Looking at areas including teamwork, leadership, celebrating success, responding to failures and more, these are lessons taken from the pitlane, and applied to every day life.

Marc 'Elvis' Priestley

The principle is sound, as are the author’s credentials… [A] genuine attempt to reflect the day-to-day realities of a relentless life on the road. And it is relayed by someone who doesn’t feel duty-bound to toe the corporate line

Here we are privileged to have Marc’s take on the Formula 1 world from the inside… Marc was lucky enough to work alongside David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, among others, but it is his close relationship with Kimi Raikkonen that we gain most insight into as we read… In short, it is a must read for any F1 fan, and I can highly recommend

The Secret World of the F1 Pitlane

In the high-octane atmosphere of the Formula One pit lane, the spotlight is most often on the superstar drivers. And yet, without the technical knowledge, competitive determination and outright obsession from his garage of mechanics, no driver could possibly hope to claim a spot on the podium. These are the guys who make every World Champion, and any mistakes can have critical consequences. 
 
That's not to say the F1 crew is just a group of highly skilled technical engineers, tweaking machinery in wind tunnels and crunching data through high-spec computers. These boys can seriously let their hair down. Whether it be parties on luxury yachts in Monaco or elaborate photo opportunities in gravity-defying aeroplanes, this is a world which thrills on and off the track. 
 
Join McLaren's former number-one mechanic, Marc 'Elvis' Priestley as he tours the world, revealing some of Formula One's most outrageous secrets and the fiercest rivalries, all fuelled by the determination to win. 
 
This is Formula One as you've never seen it before.

Marc 'Elvis' Priestley

Praise for The Mechanic

The principle is sound, as are the author’s credentials… [A] genuine attempt to reflect the day-to-day realities of a relentless life on the road. And it is relayed by someone who doesn’t feel duty-bound to toe the ...

Here we are privileged to have Marc’s take on the Formula 1 world from the inside… Marc was lucky enough to work alongside David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, among others, but it is ...

Books by Marc 'Elvis' Priestley

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter