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Adrian Newey

Formula 1 employee

Adrian Newey
Credit: Thompson/Getty
Vital statistics for Adrian Newey
NationalityGBR
PositionChief technical officer
TeamRed Bull Racing

As Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull Racing since 2005, Adrian Newey has turned the team around from a midfield marque to a quadruple championship-winning outfit. His clever work with a pencil, and ability to read between the regulation lines, has allowed the Red Bull cars to reign supreme for many seasons. However, after the 2014 rules clamped down on how much design was available, Newey confirmed he would be stepping back from Formula One to concentrate on other interests.

Biography

Adrian Newey attended Southampton University, where he studied Aeronautics and Astronautics. His thesis on the ground-effects principle caught the attention of the Formula One paddock, and he joined the Fittipaldi team soon after graduating. He moved to the March squad, employed as a race engineer for their Formula 2 project. He moved up to a design role with March’s IndyCar team, helping to create a title-winning car on his first attempt.

After a brief stint away from March, Newey was back with the team and pushing them back into Formula One. Now at the technical director level, he joined Williams for the 1991 season, producing cars that took five Constructor’s titles. He continued to bring titles to McLaren, when he moved there in the late ‘90s, with three more constructor trophies coming his way. Having won with very successful teams, Newey started hunting for a new challenge, and joined the newly coined Red Bull Racing.

He moved to the Austrian squad ahead of the 2006 season, with his influence not being felt until 2007. The team’s first victory came in 2009, with German superstar Sebastian Vettel on board. Red Bull finished second in the championship that year, but turned it into victory for 2010. The following four seasons were just as successful, with 2011 in particular showing supreme dominance with Vettel winning 11 of 19 races, only finishing off the podium twice.

As well as designing the best motorsport has to offer, Newey has also tried his hand behind the wheel, participating in the endurance racing of Le Mans, the hill climbs at Goodwood and more. For 2015 and beyond, Newey confirmed that he would be focusing more on his interests outside Formula One, concerned by the lack of flexibility in the rules for encouraging design and thinking outside the box.