Adrian Newey‘s story in the world of motorsport is not just an engineering career, but that of a true legend who pushed the boundaries of car racing and changed everything we knew about car design. His name was intertwined with the greatest success of the Formula 1 teams, while as a master of aerodynamics he shaped racing cars almost „out of thin air”.

Adrian was born on December 26, 1958 in Wiltshire, England. He was already attracted to the technical world as a child, and his passion for machines was soon noticed. He began his studies at the University of Southampton, where he obtained a degree in mechanical engineering. It was here that his later career-defining interests began to develop, especially in the aerodynamics of cars.

Adrian’s career began in the early 1980s when he worked for the March F1 team. His first serious work began here, and although he was not yet the designer we know today, he already showed his talent back then. But the real breakthrough came in 1985, when he worked for the Leyton House Racing team, and the car’s aerodynamic improvements brought results that caught the attention of the industry.

In 1991, Adrian joined the Williams team, which opened a new era in his career. It was here that he created the famous Williams FW14 (3.5L V10 Renault), which not only revolutionized the design of the car, but also introduced a completely new technological approach to F1. The active suspension and aerodynamics took the team to a new dimension, and although Nigel Mansell still missed out on the world title in 1992, the machine clearly showed the possibilities of the future. This year saw the introduction of active suspensions, the first used by Williams.

The next stop came in 1997, when Newey moved to the McLaren team. In 1998, the MP4/13 (Mercedes-Benz FO 110G V10) was designed with new aerodynamic solutions that eventually helped the team to two world championships with Mika Häkkinen at the wheel. At that time, Adrian was already one of the best-known engineers in Formula 1, but he still wanted more. The rules changed dramatically in 1998, especially regarding aerodynamic elements. Venturi ducts were introduced, which affected the air flow outside the cars as well.

In 2005, Adrian decided to seek new challenges and joined Red Bull Racing. At the beginning, there were no serious expectations, the team struggled in the midfield. But Adrian brought a new perspective and gave the team a new direction. The first major success came in 2009 when the team introduced the RB5 (Renault RS27 2400cc V8), a car that promised much more than anything we’d seen before. Red Bull Racing began to dominate Formula 1 when the rule change regarding diffusers was introduced. The diffusers were simplified and the airflow was more tightly controlled within the bodies. The new rules were an advantage for Red Bull, as Newey is a great aerodynamics expert.

In 2010, Sebastian Vettel won four world championships with the RB6 and RB7 (Renault RS27 2400cc V8 18,000 rpm KERS) cars, and Red Bull became the most formidable team in Formula 1. Adrian Newey’s work reached another high point here, as every detail of the cars was perfectly suited to the new rules, while delivering outstanding speed and handling.

In 2010, when he created the RB6, Newey and the Red Bull team took Formula 1 car design to a whole new level. The aerodynamics and stability of the car made the team almost unbeatable. Sebastian Vettel, the young German driver, was then fully on his way and finally won his first world championship title. The RB6 spoke volumes for Adrian Newey’s engineering genius: he created a car that allowed Vettel to dominate the toughest races. We hope you liked it, we’ll be back soon with the second part.