Who is Adrian Newey?
- therookiereporters
- Jul 31
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Adrian Newey is currently Aston Martin’s technical director and co-owner. He is the most sought-after aerodynamicist and engineer in the motorsport world, and here is why.
Childhood and School Life
Adrian’s love for cars first blossomed when he tinkered with model cars after watching his dad in his workshop. Born in 1958, he was infatuated with all things motorsports and would always read his version of the ‘Bible’- an Autosport magazine. Adrian’s time in education was all but enjoyable, with him struggling in lessons and being labelled a “troublemaker” in class. Yet, that didn’t stop him from becoming the man he is today. Adrian wouldn’t just try to make something go faster; he would figure out exactly how to gain time. When he was younger, he took part in karting but after not a great deal of success, he backed out as a driver and focused on what his heart had always been set on- mechanics. In his pursuit, he studied aeronautics at the University of Southampton, graduating with honors.
Early career
After multiple job offers subject to sponsorships that never pulled through, Newey finally landed his first job at Fittipaldi as a “Junior aerodynamicist” in the early 1980s. By 1982, Newey had to make a tricky decision - stay in Formula One and move to Lotus, or join the March Formula 2 Team as a race engineer. He ultimately chose to expand his skill set and joined March, first as a race engineer for Christian Danner, then as one for Johnny Cecotto. Newey took on the task of re-designing the 82G that competed in the 1982 Le Mans but resulted in a DNF (Did Not Finish). With his skill, intelligence and eagerness to find solutions, he managed to take 40 kilos out of the car, helping it to achieve faster laptimes. This car went on to finish second in the 24 Hours of Daytona 1983 race. At just 24 years old, he gained experience in Formula 2 and IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) as a race engineer. Newey was then tasked with designing March’s Formula 2 and Indy Cars for 1984. He then joined an IndyCar team, Truesports, to be the race engineer for Bobby Rahal in the March 84C. After, he was race engineer for Danny Sullivan and together they won the Indianapolis 500 before Newey became race engineer for Michael Andretti, son of Mario Andretti. In late 1986, Adrian was contacted by Bernie Eccelstone about the position of technical director for Brabham, however, he continued as Mario Andretti’s race engineer in 1987.
Newey’s work with Williams
After being contacted by Patrick Head at Williams, Newey joined as chief designer and began to work on the FW13 before beginning to design the 1991 car (FW14). Adrian finally got to experience a Grand Prix win with Patrese and Mansell finishing 1-2 at Mexico City that year. By mid-season, the FW14 was proving an equal contender against Senna in the McLaren. Unfortunately, reliability issues at the beginning of the season meant Mansell was unable to fight for the championship win. The following season, Mansell claimed the driver's crown after a dominance not repeated utill Ferrari and Schumacher. They took their momentum from 1992 into 1993 with the FW15C serving to continue the Williams dominance. However, in 1994, there was a dip in performance as they struggled to match Benetton’s B194.
Tragically, Ayrton Senna lost his life in a fatal crash in Imola while he was driving one of Newey’s cars. That year, Williams didn’t take a third consecutive constructors’ title; they faced a possible manslaughter charge for Senna’s accident, which meant Newey’s relationship with Williams’ team management began to crumble. By 1995, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve were teammates and secured both championships in the following year, where Newey was placed on gardening leave as he transferred to McLaren.
Adrian’s time at McLaren
Newey’s time at the Woking-based team would span 8 great years. In 1997, Newey struggled with his role in the team, having to improve a pre-existing car designed by Neil Oatley rather than having input in the original design stages. Despite any struggle, the team did manage a win that year at the European Grand Prix. The following year, the MP4/13 was the car to beat on the grid. Mika Häkkinen clinched the ‘98 and ‘99 championships, narrowly missing out on the 2000 title that went to Michael Schumacher and his prancing horse.
By 2004, Newey’s future at McLaren was uncertain and stories began circulating about him departing from the team. In April 2005, his eventual departure was confirmed and he was expected to announce his retirement from the sport. However, this didn’t happen as he stayed with McLaren till 2006 before joining his most successful team, Oracle Red Bull Racing.
Rise of Red Bull
Confirmation came on the 8th of November 2005 that Adrian Newey would start his journey with the Austrian team. It was rumoured that he was getting $10 million per year. Newey couldn’t influence the 2006 car to a great extent due to his new position at the team and the extensive period of time needed for sustainable development. The following season, powered by Renault, the RS26 proved more hopeful, with it managing to place fifth in the constructors' due to the McLaren Mercedes being disqualified. In 2008, Adrian and Geoff Willis worked extremely hard to roll out the most advanced chassis seen from the Milton Keynes Factory. Webber scored 5 consecutive points finishes and Coulthard clinched a podium in Montreal. However, their success wasn't matched in the second half of the season with their sister team (Torro Rosso) managing to out-score them in the championship. By 2009, Newey was familiar with Red Bull’s operations and managed to craft an excellent race car that meant Sebastian Vettel won in Shanghai and the British Grand Prix, with Mark Webber making it a 1-2. Mark won in Germany, then they got a hat-trick of wins at the end of the season with another 1-2 in Abu Dhabi.
2010 proved to solidify their success in history further as they won races in all conditions and on different types of tracks, highlighting the car's versatility. They went on to win the Constructors’ Championship that year making Newey the first ever F1 designer to win a Constructors’ Championship with 3 different Formula One teams. The team carried their momentum into 2011, by taking 17 out of 18 pole positions and winning 12 races. They then won the Driver’s and Constructor's Championship with Vettel that year, making Vettel the youngest double champion in history. Even with a challenging battle across the season with McLaren and Ferrari, they managed to repeat their efforts after a dramatic 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.
With the introduction of V6 engines, the Renault engine couldn’t bring the performance needed, so the team ultimately switched to Honda in 2019. Between 2014 and 2020, they came second in the constructors’ championship in 2014, 2016 and 2020. After a controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021, Max Verstappen won the Driver’s Championship with Red Bull. Max went on to win 4 consecutive titles (2021-2024) with Adrian's expert car design and input at Red Bull. The RB19 became the most dominant car ever with a win rate of 95.45% thanks to Newey’s efforts. Max went and won Red Bull’s 100th race and Newey’s 200th win in 2023 at the Canadian Grand Prix, marking a great milestone for Newey's career.
Just before the Miami Grand Prix 2024, Newey’s departure from Red Bull was announced. He stepped away from all duties afterwards, leaving them to continue developing his last work. Max managed to take the championship due to consistent points-paying results, but McLaren claimed the Constructors’ Championship with Ferrari second, leaving Red Bull third come Abu Dhabi.
Newey’s New Chapter
Aston Martin announced Adrian was going to join the Northamptonshire-based team in September 2024. He is yet to have a large impact on the team, undoubtedly directing his full focus on the 2026 car due to the new regulations. Can he rise to the challenge and take Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll to the top step soon?
Article written by Alice Seager ©️ Alice Seager 2025
