Most people reagrds MrNewey as the artist the creator the designer the authority behind RB's success. I am not in that camp. Here is why. There are thousands of engineers and technicians and other professionals in the UK, Italy, Germany, France and in other places. Maybe 10,000 specialists dedicated to making an F1 car safe, fast, reliable, etc. So am I supposed to believe MrNewey knows something the other 10,000 specialists in half a dozen countries don't ? Really ? I don't buy that. I believe there is something else under the skin on the RB making it so fast. It cant be just aero trickery. Note how the RB pulls away on lap 1...there is no time or air flow enough to make such a big difference so early....there has got to be something else lurking under that composite body...Now let the arrows come in.
The guy has several championship winning cars under his belt. His championship winning cars goes back to the days of Williams winning, then Mclaren and now RedBull. So yeah, I think he knows something about creating championship winning cars. His masterpiece will the long awaited zero sidepod design in the RB20. IF he gets that right, how is it MercedesAMGF1 couldn't do in 2 years yet Newey does it?
Re Newey, when you look at the outcomes, of course, it takes a team to get things done. It is also a recurring theme in history (actual history, not just racing cars) that a spark of genius, or sustained success in varying conditions, is really rare. Lots of one-trick ponies, lots of fast followers, which is how most of the large tech companies “discover” things and capture a market. Very few people who have original ideas that change over time, but result in success. It’s unwieldy to discuss who is the greatest designer of all time. The materials, tracks, technologies and conditions change remarkably over the years, so maintaining greatness is that much tougher. Newey has twelve constructor's championships (soon to be thirteen) with three different teams, and seven different drivers have won thirteen (soon to be fourteen) driver’s championships driving his cars. Mercedes beat him during Lewis’ heyday, but they’ve now fielded what could be the greatest aero car of all time, one that has some new bits coming to make it even more dominant. His in-season adjustments may also be a strength that a lot of people miss. It’s never just one thing, but in American football, the savant offensive or defensive coordinator can change the nature of the game (Doomsday defense, the Greatest Show on Turf, the Steel Curtain, the hurry-up no huddle offense, nickel and dime packages, et al). Newey has that touch, all the more noteworthy that he does it with different team principles, owners and drivers. If it were me, I’d sell the farm to get him. If F1 wanted to level the field, they’d pay him a Lewis and Max level salary to consult with all the teams as a freelance artist.
Don't forget the 1988 March (Leyton House). Despite being saddled with a Judd engine and being on a rather lower-budget team, the March 881 was really the only car to challenge the all-conquering McLaren-Honda MP4/4 on sheer speed.
This list of Newey's cars doesn't include the 2023 car and the soon to be 2024 car. Notice that the RedBull team skipped the RB17 name. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Have you read his book, How to Build a Car By Adrian Newey? If not i suggest you do, it will give you huge incite into what makes him so good and also how he goes about his racing.
I always find it amusing that 10000 specialists in a half a dozen countries with the same engineering degree as Newey, access to the same CFD programs as Newey, wind tunnel data that supposedly validates their CFD programs, still bring upgrade after upgrade to the track with proclamations of .XX s/lap improvement that utterly fail time after time. There is a huge difference between a car in computer program or a wind tunnel and a car in the wild. It takes a human to understand the nuances and make the necessary adjustments. Newey cut his teeth long before the proliferation of CFD and simulators. That age is over and everyone sans Newey is left with garbage in/garbage out.
on occasion, all the advanced math might take a back seat to a greater thinker. SR71 ,Night Hawk, B2, B21. While these are math aircraft, they are born from something more.
Kelly Johnson was an aeronautical visionary. The aircraft he designed back in his day are legendary and there are quite a few of them.....be it sliderule and engineering tables(the ones with the movable L-shaped appendage). Newey is the "Kelly Johnson" in F1 and he too uses those old school engineering tables from days of old. Newey doesn't uses a CAD/CAM computer with CFD software connected via a supercomputer the size of NASA's PLEIADES. Newey at times is seen in the paddock grid walk inspecting other rival teams cars and he carries a notebook with pen in hand to write something down. Newey designing the best and fastest F1 cars with their ever changing aero rules using old school tools and beating those that would rather use a computer with terabytes of software and memory.......fascinating.
There are several factors that surround Adian Newey and his everyday lifestyle. 1) Yes, it's money and lots of it. He's worth it. 2) Family and he likes to be close to them. All of the teams Newey has worked for have been in the U.K. Most of the teams he's worked for have nothing to do with automobiles. 3) A winning team with a desire to win and cohesiveness, harmony and stability to win. 4) I'm sure Newey knows the culture of Ferrari F1 and let me tell you, given Ferrari's history, it's not an enticing one. So, a blank check from Ferrari isn't the "be-all" and "end-all" to entice Newey to join the Scuderia. There are several factors at play imo.
Well, I must say I have learned something with this post...and his book is on its way Thanks to all for your comments
John Barnard’s biography…which almost reads like a memoir…is very revealing about his time at Ferrari…and Chaparral…and McLaren. Some of those problems were associated with personality and jealousy, but at Ferrari he was resented and his ideas were resisted. As I recall Postelthwaite was given a rough time too. Brawn was the exception. I highly recommend the book, The Perfect Car.
Seems like Vasseur is a different kind of manager. In a very short time he completely modified the atmosphere within the Scuderia. No more culprits. This could be the decisive factor for Adrian Newey..
Even those who had Enzo’s blessing were not always immune to sabotage by their enemies in management….Barnard and Surtees, for instance. Ferrari seemed to be attracted to British talent for some reason. I’m not sure that’s ever been fully addressed by the scholars and historians who have written the “definitive” biographies.
I knew John Surtees from a distance in the early 60, before he went to Ferrari. He was never an engineer like John Barnard, having only completed an apprenticeship at the Vincent factory at Stevenhage. However he was a good mechanic.
True but Surtees was just one of many British drivers in the scuderia during Enzo’s time including at least one that he aggressively courted but could not land. I haven’t done a census but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were at least as many British Ferrari f1 pilots as there were Italians. My point had to do with Enzo’s apparent attraction to British talent, whether in the cockpit or in the drafting room. I wonder if someone like Doug Nye has given any thought to this. ( Or maybe it’s English speakers…Hill, Ginther, Gurney, Andretti, Scheckter, )
power between Ferrari Merc and RB is pretty much equal currently. It's all aero efficiency. Only Alpine is WAY behind in power.
+1 A insightful book into the politics at Ferrari as well as the stupidity of upper management. Rory Byrne is pretty much an equal to Newey, had he been involved for the same time then i am sure he would have been just as successful. What Newey has over all the others is 40 years experience in F1 and worked for the top teams, at the right time to exploit the opportunities.
