Adrian Newey reveals he invests significant time in projects outside of developing F1 cars with Red Bull.
Few would dispute Adrian Newey’s status as the most influential F1 designer of the 21st century. The 64-year-old has been an instrumental part of Red Bull’s success in the last fourteen years, transforming the team into an all-time juggernaut.
His numbers speak for themselves, having claimed multiple World Championships across various regulation changes. The last two years are just another example of his ability to understand and develop cars in a way others often cannot.
Even during Red Bull’s Championship drought from 2014-2020, there were extraneous factors limiting the Austrian outfit. Most significantly, it was the Renault engine that prevented Newey’s designs from fighting for Championships during this era.
Still, the team’s success in the last three years is surely compensating for this. Speaking of recent success, Adrian Newey’s talents are being used beyond the world of Formula 1.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, he confirmed that “only 50% of his efforts are spent on F1. Other projects are also occupying hit intention, including work on submarines.
Red Bull’s pool of talent
This isn’t a particularly unique revelation, with several senior engineers across the paddock invested in other activities. James Allison famously spent some time working on yachts before being recalled by Mercedes to fix the W14’s weaknesses.
Returning to Red Bull, it is worth noting that their talent goes beyond one person. Pierre Wache, technical director at Milton Keynes, is often overshadowed by the stature of his colleague Adrian Newey. However, the French engineer is also a crucial piece of the team’s technical powerhouse.
Rivals have spent significant amounts to sign Red Bull’s top talents, evidenced by Aston Martin’s acquisition of Dan Fallows and McLaren’s recent agreement with Rob Marshall.
Christian Horner’s ability to minimise the brain drain has been crucial in their success. Moving forward, the Austrian squad will invest further in growing their technical expertise – as rivals work to close the gap.
