By Carlo Platella
Adrian Newey’s adventure in Red Bull comes to an end after almost twenty years. In Milton Keynes the British engineer demonstrated that he could have an impact even on a team that was not yet established, such as Williams and McLaren were at the time, demonstrating a design vision that transcends regulations, eras and organizational structure. Go beyond national borders now appears as the last great test to further cement his name in the Formula 1 Hall of Fame.
Victories in Red Bull
Never in the history of racing should we make the mistake of attributing the successes of a team to a single individual, whether driver or engineer, especially in an era in which team personnel number in the thousands. It would therefore be inappropriate to recognize the merits of specific solutions or entire cars solely to the genius of Newey, who has always offered a very valuable contribution. The determination of the English engineer comes to mind when in 2011 he persuaded the Red Bull technical management to install the KERS battery close to the gearbox, in a prohibitive environment due to high temperatures and vibrations. An undoubtedly bold choice, but which allowed the RB7 to be set up with aerodynamic volumes that could not be replicated by the competition until the following year.
Even more than in the design details, however, Newey’s contribution lies above all in the 360° vision of the car, outlining the objectives and guidelines to obtain a final result that is as organic as possible. Above all, the successes of the ground effect Red Bulls in the last three years speak for themselves, all deriving from the winning setup for 2022. On the RB18 Adrian concentrated mainly on the suspensive group, aware of the importance of mechanics to stabilize the height from the ground and exploit the maximum aerodynamic potential of the surface. All without running into the limits of porpoising, skilfully managed thanks also to the theoretical references of the physics of ground effect, knowledge well known to him and which constituted the topic of his degree thesis.
The consecration
In Williams, Adrian Newey had won his first world titles, then demonstrating in McLaren that he could also have an impact in a different team, moreover in a particularly rigid reality such as the Woking team under the direction of Ron Dennis. The challenge subsequently taken up and won in Red Bull was even more ambitious, contributing to the construction of a new top team which in just a few years came to dominate the scene.
In Milton Keynes Newey extended his personal collection of world championship triumphs, spread over three different regulatory cycles and in a time span that spans over thirty years from Williams to Red Bull. A period in which Formula 1 has evolved profoundly, both in aerodynamics and in engines, with the advent of the hybrid, but even more so in working methods. Computerized CFD simulations have taken over wind tunnels and track tests, outlining increasingly virtual development and testing techniques. The successes of Vettel and Verstappen’s Red Bulls remain evidence of how Newey managed to provide a valuable contribution even in an era profoundly different from the one in which he began, highlighting how his intuition and design vision transcend the times, regulations and work organization.
The future
The English engineer leaves Red Bull announcing that he is looking for new challenges. Aston Martin’s is an attractive prospect, but it would propose a process of building a top team similar to the one already faced in Milton Keynes. Ferrari probably embodies the most attractive destination, not only for the ambition of contributing to the return to world championship success of the most famous car manufacturer in the world. For an engineer who has proven he can make an impact across multiple decades, teams and regulatory environments, venturing into an environment outside the UK, with a different culture and working approach, would in all respects represent a new challenge. All this by fitting into an already established organizational structure with strong external media pressure, experiencing the need to reconcile tradition and the desire for renewal.
Furthermore, in Maranello Newey would experience the reality of for the first time a team that creates the engine and chassis internally, an opportunity to leave a greater mark also in the housing of the new 2026 power unit in the car. A task that has never been so important and challenging, on a generation of cars that will be smaller than the current ones, but where the bodywork will continue to interact aerodynamically with the bottom. All in a company that would hardly deny the opportunity to try its hand at designing future supercars or Le Mans Hypercars, should Newey feel the desire.
The contribution to Ferrari
In the event of Adrian Newey’s arrival at Ferrari, the combination would be appetizing ones. The engineer who has so often reacted with creativity and concreteness to the introduction of a new regulation would find himself working in the team which, with the regulatory revolutions of 2017 and 2022, proposed quite a few original solutions. In recent years, Ferrari has, if anything, lost its way when it comes to developing the initial project in subsequent seasons, where Newey’s empirical modus operandi, who has always preferred conscious evolutions to sudden revolutions, would become invaluable again. What is certain is that in the event of landing in Maranello, Adrian would hardly have the opportunity to make an impact in the short term, one more reason why the Cavallino would constitute that new challenge so sought after.
