I Just Made the Tea : Tales from 30 Years Inside Formula 1

Di Spires is an unassuming Warwickshire woman who, with husband Stuart, travelled the world in Formula 1 for 30 years, worked with five World Champions and become 'Mum' to some of the biggest names in the pitlane, as well as hundreds of the sport's unsung heroes. In all that time she ran the team motorhome for a succession of different teams, including Lotus in the Senna era and Benetton in the Schumacher era. Her memoir looks at Formula 1 from an unusual viewpoint. As well as Formula 1 people, she has encountered personalities from every walk of life, from royalty to criminals on the run. Her stories range from the hilarious to the tragic and provide a unique insight. This is a fast-paced read packed with surprising snippets and observations, with plenty of intimate insight into what the drivers are really like.

With her husband Stuart, Di Spires spent 30 years running team motorhomes in the Formula 1 paddock and her experiences resulted in this book. Prior to that she was a civil servant working for ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) resolving strikes, and such was the demand for ACAS's services at British Leyland that for a long time she had a permanent office there. Her co-author is also someone with two aspects to his working life. Bernard Ferguson has worked in motor racing for 40 years, 23 of them at Cosworth, latterly as Director of Motorsport. In retirement he decided to try his hand at writing by taking on this project with Di Spires.