Red Bull CTO and F1 royalty Adrian Newey currently stands as one of the most calm and composed entities in the world of motorsports. However, back when he was still a student, the British engineer led a polar opposite life, often leading to a life riddled with unwanted hurdles.
Appearing as a guest on the Apple Podcast Formula For Success, Red Bull’s CTO sat alongside David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan to reveal lesser-known secrets from his days as a student. From getting kicked out of school to staying away from the academic path in college, Newey revealed it all. Despite studying in an all-boys school, which was a family tradition, Newey was never too far away from girls. Another important interest in his life at the time was bikes. Hence, the young Briton shifted his focus from the academic and professional goals of his life to more personal pursuits involving girls and bikes.
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Newey also recalled an incident involving Fittipaldi’s Harvey Postlethwaite, who was his first-ever mentor. In 1980, Postlethwaite called Newey up for an interview at their Berkshire base. Fresh out of college, Newey went for the interview on a Ducati 900 SS, which he bought by taking a loan from his grandmother since his parents hated even the idea of a motorbike.
When Postlethwaite first saw the bike, he enquired about its finer details before taking it out for a spin. He would come back 15 minutes later and tell Newey he had great taste in automobiles before asking him, “When can you start?”
How Adrian Newey got the boot from his family’s legacy school
Wanting to enjoy his youth, Newey wasn’t a fan of the fact that his family enrolled him in an all-boys school because of their legacy. Given his constant escapades with girls and bikes, Newey once went overboard with his ‘interests.’ Around the time when he was 16, was seeing the daughter of his music teacher from school. During one of their “cuddling” sessions, the teacher caught Newey with his daughter and things went out of hand. The incident led to Newey’s immediate expulsion from the school.
“@RachelBrookesTV: Adrian Newey’s school reports! #inspired #ssnhq pic.twitter.com/3JlBs6dcyZ” this is brilliant.
— Stu Hodgson (@stuhodgson) January 9, 2015
However, it became a blessing in disguise for the now 64-year-old, as he then went to the local college, which was a co-ed institution. The switch led to Newey transitioning from an all-boys culture to the modern and vibrant punk era- something Newey always wanted. For a while, Newey lost all sense of direction and responsibility, focusing only on his personal escapades and partying with friends. He almost flunked out of college, too, before taking control of his life once again.
