In his 37-year F1 career, Adrian Newey has produced cars that have fetched 25 world championships so far. However, the one closest to his heart won none but marked his arrival on the scene. That car is the very first F1 car he designed back in 1988 for Leyton House. Speaking with his manager Eddie Jordan in a special feature for Oyster Yachts, Newey revealed how he overcame adversity to make that car a competitive one.
He said, “So, our car was probably 100 horsepower down on the turbos.” He continued, “Anyway, we came up with a design which, I suppose, changed the direction of Formula 1 a little bit.” He then further added,
“That sounds a bit arrogant but at that time, a few years had been all about bolting the biggest, most powerful engine you could in, and then the biggest rear wing you could find to go with it. And because I knew we had quite a low-power engine, we really concentrated on aerodynamic efficiency.”
Newey revealed how the entire team consisted of just 50 individuals. Despite that, they kept mastering the concept until the car was good enough to compete among the bigger teams.
Towards the latter part of the season, Newey recalled Ivan Capelli securing a P2 finish at Estoril (Portugal). Later in Suzuka, the Frenchman led the Grand Prix but since he accidentally switched off the engine, it cost him a race win.
Not many know about this remarkable feat of Adrian Newey. His achievements with Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull often eclipse his formative years. That is perhaps because of the trophies he collected in these times.
In all these years, F1 has seen several eras of regulations come and go. Somehow, the genius has managed to adapt every time and find something for himself.
What is next for Adrian Newey?
Adrian Newey grabbed the headlines in the build-up to the Miami GP with speculations over a possible exit from Red Bull. As the Austrian team confirmed the news, links to different teams started doing the rounds of the internet. The 65-year-old is finally ready to begin the hunt for his next destination as well.
Adrian Newey has said for the first time that he expects to stay in F1 after he leaves Red Bull next year pic.twitter.com/mzmlQPRwFx
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) May 16, 2024
That wasn’t the case until the recently concluded race in Florida. When questioned by Martin Brundle, Newey made it clear that he was in no mood to pick his next team anytime soon. He expressed his desire to take a step back for a while from F1.
The change in that stance is certainly good news for the potential suitors. Those majorly include Ferrari and Aston Martin.
As Newey himself once admitted to regretting not working with Ferrari, Maranello seems to be his next destination. However, Lawrence Stroll won’t give up the race to get his signature.
