F1 - Reading Crossover: Dirty Air Series by Lauren Asher
- therookiereporters
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Books are deep sources of knowledge and open the gates to endless worlds. So, how about reading a book series that builds one of those worlds in the pinnacle of motorsports? This article covers the Dirty Air Series written by Lauren Asher, who gives us thrilling stories set in the world of Formula 1.
About The Author And The Series
The Cuban-American author of the series, Lauren Asher, is recognised as a bestseller by many media organisations such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly. She tends to write romance books and is the author of 3 romance series and a novella. Her first series, the Dirty Air Series, takes place in our friendly neighbourhood F1 paddock and its chaotic world. The series includes four books: Throttled, Collided, Wrecked and Redeemed. The books were published during the pandemic years (2020-2021) and are connected to one another. They include different romance tropes with dual POV, which means the readers can see both the female and male main characters’ views. Asher claims that she became an F1 fan after watching the Drive To Survive docuseries and got inspired to write the series afterwards. Now that we know a little bit more about our author and her series, let’s take a closer look at the books! (Important Note: These books also include spicy romance scenes. If you don’t like those kinds of books/scenes or underage, have a careful consideration before you start reading this series!)
Book 1: Throttled
The American Prince of the grid, Noah Slade, the unrivalled world champion with the playboy attitude. The Italian team Bandini(equivalent of Ferrari) and Noah are the ones to beat, but being the best has its toll on the American. Under the influence of his abusive father, who masks his tyranny with his fame in the paddock, he always has to be the best. In every turn, in every lap, in every PR event, in every financial deal, he’s forced to perform. His biggest challenge on track rises, when Bandini signs Santiago Alatorre, the Spaniard he collided with on track before. However, he’s not the only Alatorre testing him. Maya Alatorre has just graduated and is trying to find a way to build her career. Thanks to his brother Santi, she’s familiar with the world of Formula 1 and wants to travel around the world with his brother, so she can explore her options to shape her future. Despite his brother’s strict protection and being busy making a career, new friends, she can’t ignore the strong calling from the other side of the Bandini garage. The forbidden fruit, the distraction that they both can’t afford, but so badly want. Although they find comfort from each other, our duo must always stay on guard due to the circumstances. After all, it’s important to stay alert, while driving in full throttle, both on track and in love.
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Love, Forced Proximity, Brother’s Teammate/Rival
Book 2: Collided
The sympathetic and beloved German, Liam Zander, is considered to be one of the quickest drivers on the grid. With his McCoy car(this series’ Mercedes), he’s expected to go up against Bandini and his best friend on the grid, Noah. However, Liam is running out of his contract and his womaniser behaviour is growing his team principal’s patience thin. He needs to prove he’s the right guy on track and keep a low profile off-track. The solution comes in the unexpected form of Sophie Mitchell, daughter of Bandini’s team principal, the rival team to beat. She follows her father around the world through the F1 season, with the promise of keeping up with her lectures. However, she’s getting crushed between her father’s wishes and her own. In order to find what she truly desires, Sophie makes a deal with Liam. Our duo is set for a collision course, one slip-up and it may come to an end.
Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Forbidden Love, Friends with Benefits, Rival’s Daughter
Book 3: Wrecked
Jax Kingston may seem like a party boy, a womaniser in the F1 paddock, but he’s a completely different person inside. All those parties and his bad habits are just the masks that hide the mentally wrecked Brit. So, before his habits and mentality consume him faster than he races, his team finds someone for help. Elena Gonzalez is the Mexican PR expert hired by McCoy to fix Jax’s reputation and keep him in line. Despite the tough task, she doesn’t have many options other than taking it, as she struggles with financial issues. The more she tries to help him, the more he pushes her away, but soon they realise that they’re as broken as one another. Scarred by the past, anxious for the future, they’ll either heal together or wreck each other.
Tropes: Forced Proximity, Enemies-to-Lovers, Found Family, Health Issues, Traumatic Past
Book 4: Redeemed
On the Spanish side of the Bandini garage, Santiago Alatorre is a driver on top of his game with even brighter years expected to come. However, a career-threatening accident turns Santi’s life upside down. Despite his sister Maya’s and brother-in-law Noah’s best efforts, he remains hidden and away from the paddock, somewhere around Lake Como in Italy. Although everything seems hopeless and he doesn’t seem to have that spark anymore, an unexpected stranger slowly starts to lure him out of his own shell. Growing up with an abusive mother and without a father, Chloe Carter has had enough of her mother and her addictions. With the help of her best friend Brooke, she goes on a journey to find her long-lost father, which brings her to Lake Como. During the search for her father, Chloe finds herself in the middle of a carnage with Santi. Out of nowhere, she ends up in a fake relationship with the Spaniard. Despite the shocking start, the more they get to know each other, the more peace and sympathy grow between them. Finding Santi’s spark and Chloe’s father may be a tough task, but to redeem the loss and pain they went through in life, maybe all they need is some inspiration and push from one another.
Tropes: Grumpy-Sunshine, Fake Relationship, Forced Proximity, Small Town Romance
In summary, Lauren Asher’s Dirty Air Series brings fiction and romance to the doorsteps of the F1 paddock. In her first series, her ability to clarify some F1-related terms or situations for her readers, regardless of their interest in motorsports, is eye-catching. It shows the amount of research she went through before writing a series about her newfound interest by that time. While the dual POV provides an opportunity to understand both sides of the story, Asher’s smooth storytelling captivates the readers. Dirty Air Series gives motorsports fans a different angle of the F1 paddock and makes non-motorsports fans curious to look deeper into a world that they might end up liking, just like the author herself.
Article written by Emre Albas © Emre Albas 2026
