When Benetton joined Formula One I said to myself that change was on the way. All of a sudden a mass of colours appeared
— Bernie Ecclestone

When Luciano Benetton set off on his bike, 40 years ago, selling brightly coloured sweaters that his sister Giuliana knit, the world was a lot less smart. Today, as billionaire chairman of the Benetton Group, one of the largest fashion retailers in the world, he looks back into a passion that is so different from T-shirts, yet almost homologous in desire: Formula One racing.

And to make the point, Benetton has come out with a magnificent, informative tome, edited by Pino Allievi. The tome recalls the heady days of speed and adrenaline, of Michael Schumacher, Nelson Piquet, Johnny Herbert, Jean Alesi, two world titles and the pain and pique on the burning tracks. It’s a pleasant feeling, too, that even almost six years after the Benetton team was sold, the Benetton family remains proud of their product, even if it’s now called Renault. Renault’s back-to-back world titles confirm this.

That’s probably why the company has brought out this splendid collection of experiences, as related by the principal characters — son Alessandro, Team Principal Flavio Briatotre (now guiding Renault), Schumacher, Ross Brawn (now technical director at Ferrari) and more. Fond memories of the child who grew up into a strapping youth, stepped out, and won the world.

The book is organised in interviews interleaved with memories in brilliant pictures of Benetton Formula One’s halcyon days, of the Ludwig van Beethoven look-alike Luciano Benetton spreading charm in words: “One can do business in the vulgar sense of the term or produce publicity for one’s name, one’s brand in a more gratifying manner,” he says.

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