Adrian Newey has won F1 championships with multiple cars and all of them could qualify in the ranks of the greatest cars that ever graced the sport. In the latest Goodwood festival of speed, there were multiple Red Bull and Williams cars on the showcase, largely designed by Newey. Yet when asked if he could take any car from the collection at the arena which one would he pick, he snubbed all his cars and chose Niki Lauda’s 1975 championship car—312 B3.
“I have to say actually driving Niki Lauda’s 74 championship car up the hill has been a real privilege,” said Newey. “To sit in his car 50 years later and imagine what he must have been thinking and experiencing in that car. It must have been very special.”
1974 was Lauda’s first year at Ferrari. Even though neither Ferrari nor Lauda won the championship with that car, it was the beginning of the success that the Italian outfit was about to see.
“To be driving Niki’s old car, his championship-winning car, is so special” ❤
Adrian Newey on driving Niki Lauda’s Ferrari at Goodwood pic.twitter.com/NkqdVizx19
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 13, 2024
Lauda won his first championship in the following year, and again clinched the title in 1977, while he was very close to having a title in 1976. Therefore, Ferrari 312 BR holds a special place in the Italian team’s history.
This question was not posed to Newey alone. There were a panel of several other former and current Red Bull members who were asked the same question, and everyone had some interesting picks.
Red Bull gang pick their favorite
In this segment, David Coulthard, Daniel Ricciardo, Mark Webber, Max Verstappen, and Christian Horner also gave their picks. Webber was quick to pick the RB6. It surely holds a special place for him, as it was the first car that brought the title glory at Milton Keynes.
Verstappen made a weak quip of having any car with an active suspension. He reasoned that the rest were “bottoming a lot“. Besides Newey, Coulthard was the only one to pick a non-Red Bull car and went with the Williams’ 14B, a car designed by the legendary British aerodynamicist back in 1992.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo picked the RB10. He reasoned that since it was his first Red Bull car, it held a special place for him. Horner, like a parent who doesn’t want to name his favorite child, avoided answering the question.
Nevertheless, in a brief history of 18 years in F1, Red Bull has made some iconic cars. So picking one will always remain a tough choice.
