Chichester writer’s Goodwood-inspired McLaren book makes Sunday Times Bestseller list

The book is a behind-the-scenes look at the rise, fall and resurgence of one of Formula One’s most iconic teams.

It’s his third book, but the first to chart, and much of it was written just a few miles from home, in the grounds of Goodwood.

“I started writing it in the grounds of Goodwood, which was where Bruce McLaren, the team founder, had a crash and died,” Ben said. “Then immediately after that, they go and win a race in America.

"So it’s kind of like this; something bad happens, then something good happens, then something bad happens.

"That repeating pattern struck me."

The book taps into the current momentum at McLaren, particularly the team’s 2023 upturn and the dynamic between drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Hunt, who now writes for Motorsport.com, builds the narrative around interviews with the team’s key personnel, including a foreword by McLaren CEO Zak Brown.

“I could sense the change,” he says. “In 2023 it felt like they were the upwardly mobile team, so I pitched the idea. Fortunately, it came off.”

Although it draws on the team’s history, Forever Forward is deliberately focused on the present. “There’s plenty of books about how McLaren came to be,” he says.

“But mine is always quite fast-paced. I didn’t want to dwell on the past, just give enough to show why it matters now."

Originally from South London, Hunt moved to Chichester four years ago. He says the proximity to Goodwood, and its heritage, helped shape the book’s tone and inspired him.

Ben Hunt added: “Being close to Goodwood and the rich heritage there, you're kind of always inspired to write more, do more, just by the old stories from the past.

“But my stuff’s all very contemporary.”

Hunt had long wanted to be involved in sport, and when a career as a professional footballer didn’t materialise, writing became the path.

“I was seven years old when I knew I wasn't going to be good enough,” he told Sussex World.

“But I wanted to be involved in sport, and as a sports writer, it combined the thing I loved at school, which was telling stories.”

He first worked across all major UK newspapers covering football before a surprise opportunity led him to Formula One.

The author said: “One evening, a sports editor said to me, ‘Do you fancy doing Formula One? We’ll fly you around the world.’ I thought I’d be doing it for two years. I'm now doing it in my 13th year.”

The book has already been well received internationally, riding the wave of renewed interest in the sport sparked by Drive to Survive and anticipation around the upcoming F1 film.

Hunt says he’s already working on the next title: looking at Lewis Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari, and what it might mean for the future of the sport.

“There’s plenty of opportunities for new books,” he says. “Formula One is in a funny moment right now. And that’s what I always try to capture,” Hunt concluded.

You can find his new book, Forever Forward: The Inside Story of McLaren here – www.amazon.co.uk/Forever-Forward-inside-story-McLaren/dp/1529940990.