If Formula One racing means something to you, Jon Nicholson's latest photographic book, Inside Ferrari, is a must-have. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the greatest F1 team of the last decade, - shot through the '03, '04 and '05 seasons - when Nicholson, one of F1's most respected photographers, was given unprecedented inside access.

So we see two dominant driver's and constructors' championships for Schuey and the boys in red, and one difficult year where Fernando Alonso ran riot on superior Michelin tyres. It's not all smiles and champagne. The 900 photos do not appear in chronological order, but rather are blended together, displaying different aspects of the team, from factory and testing to race weekends.

While it is nothing close to being an artistic or flashy book, its simple style gives you an immediate window into Ferrari's heart. 'Heart' is the word.

Viewed from the outside, the modern incarnation of Ferrari is the most heartless and ruthless F1 team in the paddock - colder and more clinical even than McLaren. But Nicholson is able to show us something different.

As Ferrari F1 boss Jean Todt says in the foreword: "Ferrari is a family (a large one, admittedly), a close-knit community driven by an indefinable spirit and a love of the sport. This is not always obvious unless you see the team working at close quarters - which is why Inside Ferrari is most welcome".

Apart from anything, it's a valuable article of record, especially now that Schumacher's announced his retirement. Three Grand Masters of the sport are on show here: first, seven-times F1 world champion, Michael Schumacher. Arguably the greatest racing driver of all time, in Nicholson's book we see him in many shots without his cap, which makes him look like a normal bloke - which is exactly what he is.

Well, a normal bloke who's won 90 F1 Grands Prix anyway.Next, Jean Todt is depicted as a loving, concerned and empathic father figure - which, again, is precisely what he is. Finally, master strategist Ross Brawn presides over technical problems, using his planet-sized brain. It will be a long time before another F1 team this strong emerges and Nicholson shows us its human inner core.

My favourite shot is almost incidental and is shown to the left. A bunch of engineers are peering at a bank of telemetry screens, every face etched with total concentration, desperate to understand what's happening with the car and trying to make it go faster. In the background, Schumacher is there, too - helmet still on after stepping straight out of the car - leaning forward and contributing to the effort like some helmeted knight.

When you see the amount of effort being expended here by so many people, it's no wonder Schuey is so animated every time he wins - more than anything, he's delighted for the team. There is nothing false about those podium celebrations and Jon Nicholson's book shows you why.

Bill Thomas