Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey
Adrian Newey
Born	December 26, 1958 (age 67); Colchester, Essex, England
Occupation(s)	Engineer, aerodynamic specialist, automotive designer, motorsport executive
Years active	1980–present
Known for	Technical director and co-owner at Aston Martin Formula One team; former technical director at Leyton House, McLaren; chief designer for March and Williams; chief technical officer at Red Bull Racing

Adrian Martin Newey (born 26 December 1958) is a British engineer, aerodynamic specialist, automotive designer, and executive in motorsport. Since 2025, he has held the position of technical director and co-owner at Aston Martin competing in Formula One. Earlier in his career, he served as technical director at Leyton House and McLaren, acted as chief designer for both March and Williams, and was chief technical officer at Red Bull. Recognized as one of the most influential engineers in Formula One history, Newey’s vehicle designs have contributed to winning 12 World Constructors' Championships and numerous Grands Prix victories between and .

Following his success in creating championship-winning cars for Williams and McLaren, Newey joined Red Bull Racing in 2006. Under his design leadership, the team secured consecutive drivers' and constructors' titles from 2010 through 2013, captured the drivers' championship again in 2021, and reclaimed both championships in 2022 and 2023. The RB19, designed by Newey, stands as the most triumphant Formula One car ever, achieving victory in 21 out of 22 races (95.45%). His engineering expertise also led to triumphs in the 1985 and 1986 CART championships. On 1 May 2024, Red Bull announced that Newey would reduce his involvement with daily Formula One design responsibilities to concentrate on the development of the RB17 hypercar project slated for 2025, with a full departure from the company planned for early 2025.

Early life and career

Born on 26 December 1958 in Colchester, Essex, England, Adrian Martin Newey is the son of Richard and Edwina Newey. His father practiced veterinary medicine, while his mother served as an ambulance driver during the Second World War. He attended Repton, where he was a schoolmate of motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson. At age sixteen, Newey left Repton following an incident at a Greenslade concert where he increased the volume excessively, resulting in damage to the venue’s stained glass windows.

Newey graduated with first-class honours in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Southampton in 1980. Immediately after graduation, he entered motorsport by joining the Fittipaldi Formula One team under Harvey Postlethwaite’s guidance. In 1981, he moved to work with March, initially as a race engineer for Johnny Cecotto in European Formula 2, before transitioning to car design. His first significant project was the March 82G GTP sports car, which achieved notable success by winning the IMSA GTP title for two consecutive years.

CART career

In 1984, Newey became involved with March’s Indy car program as both designer and race engineer for Bobby Rahal at Truesports, establishing an important professional connection. His design of the March 85C car earned the 1985 CART championship driven by Al Unser, while also securing victory at the 1985 Indianapolis 500 with driver Danny Sullivan. The following year, Newey joined Kraco to engineer Michael Andretti’s vehicle; meanwhile, his design of the March 86C won both the CART championship and the prestigious 1986 Indianapolis 500 with Rahal behind the wheel.

At the close of 1986, Newey transitioned to the Haas Lola Formula One team with ambitions to enhance its competitiveness before it withdrew later that season. In 1987, he worked as race engineer for Mario Andretti at Newman-Haas, before returning to March as chief designer for their Formula One efforts.

March/Leyton House (1988–1990)

Adrian Newey's inaugural Formula One design, the March 881, surpassed expectations when Ivan Capelli achieved a second-place finish at the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix and even led the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix for a brief period.

When March evolved into Leyton House Racing in , Newey was elevated to the position of technical director. During the 1990 French Grand Prix, Capelli led most of the race before ultimately securing second place. Despite these highlights, the team's overall results deteriorated, culminating in Newey's mid-season dismissal. Reflecting on this, Newey stated: "I was let go, but I had already decided to leave—once an accountant takes control of a team, it’s time to move on. It does affect your confidence, but Williams had approached me."

Williams (1991–1996)

Throughout the early 1990s, Williams F1 emerged as a leading contender in Formula One, driven by technical director Patrick Head alongside designer Adrian Newey. Supported by substantial financial resources and elite drivers, Newey’s FW14 chassis reached performance parity with the dominant McLaren by mid-1991; however, reliability challenges and competition from Ayrton Senna prevented Nigel Mansell from capturing the championship.

The 1992 season saw Williams assert clear dominance, clinching both the drivers' title with Mansell and the constructors' championship—marking Newey’s first constructors’ triumph. The team successfully defended their constructors' crown in 1993 with Alain Prost piloting the FW15C.

In 1994, performance waned as Williams faced stiff competition from Rory Byrne's Benetton B194. The year was further marred by Senna’s tragic fatal accident following his move to Williams. Despite this setback, Williams secured their third consecutive constructors' championship but failed to claim the drivers' title. Legal issues surrounding Senna’s death strained Newey’s relations with team management.

By 1995, Newey aimed to advance into a technical director role elsewhere but was impeded by Head’s founding status at Williams. After losing both championships to Benetton that year, internal tensions escalated. Following Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve’s championship victories in 1996, Newey was placed on gardening leave before transitioning to McLaren.

During his seven seasons at Williams, Newey contributed to 59 race victories, 78 pole positions, and four drivers' championships.

McLaren (1997–2005)

Newey joined McLaren in 1997 and initially enhanced Neil Oatley’s car while concentrating efforts on developing the 1998 model. The McLaren MP4/13 dominated that season, securing back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999; Mika Häkkinen narrowly missed out on a third drivers’ title in 2000.

In early 2001, Newey signed a contract with Jaguar Racing under Bobby Rahal but remained at McLaren after intervention by Ron Dennis. Internal conflicts within Jaguar and Ford weakened Rahal’s position, leading to his dismissal within months.

Speculation about Newey leaving McLaren persisted throughout 2004, with rumors linking him either back to Williams or to retirement. Despite Ron Dennis denying these claims, Newey's contract was extended through the end of 2005. In July 2005, he announced he would remain at McLaren for the 2006 season rather than taking a planned sabbatical or retiring.

Red Bull (2006–2024)

Although initially there were doubts, Red Bull Racing successfully acquired Adrian Newey starting February 2006, reportedly offering an annual salary near $10 million after McLaren chose not to match the offer. Newey's impact on the 2006 car was minimal, and the season commenced poorly with only two points earned over the first six races. Nevertheless, lead driver David Coulthard achieved a podium finish at Monaco, indicating gradual improvement. The 2007 car, equipped with Renault RS26 engines following Ferrari’s engine contract moving to sister team Toro Rosso, demonstrated strong speed but suffered from unreliability, resulting in numerous retirements. Despite these setbacks, Red Bull secured fifth place in the Constructors' Championship after McLaren’s disqualification.

The 2008 chassis was recognized for its intricate design. Early in the season, Red Bull consistently scored points and achieved a podium; however, performance waned during the latter half, with the team finishing behind Toro Rosso. The 2009 vehicle represented a significant performance advancement, achieving multiple victories including one–two finishes at Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, ultimately placing second in the Constructors' standings.

The RB6 of 2010 dominated qualifying with 15 poles out of 19 races and clinched the Constructors' Championship. Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship that year, making Newey the sole designer to have secured Constructors' titles with three different teams. In 2011, the RB7 combined both pace and dependability, winning 12 races and capturing both Drivers' and Constructors' Championships.

In 2012, despite stiff competition from McLaren and Ferrari, Red Bull and Vettel emerged victorious in a dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix to claim the championship. The following year saw the RB9 and Vettel dominate after summer break, successfully defending both titles while setting a record with nine consecutive race wins.

In June 2014, Red Bull extended Newey’s contract amidst rumors of Ferrari interest, broadening his responsibilities to include new technology initiatives. With the introduction of V6 turbo-hybrid engines in 2014, performance was hampered by Renault power units until a switch to Honda engines in 2019 revitalized Red Bull’s title challenge. From 2014 through 2020, every car except the RB11 secured multiple race wins; models such as the RB10, RB12, and RB16 finished as runners-up in the Constructors' Championship.

The RB16B secured Max Verstappen’s Drivers' Championship in 2021. The subsequent RB18 maintained dominance throughout 2022, delivering Verstappen’s second Drivers’ title and securing Red Bull’s first Constructors’ Championship since 2013. The following RB19 became one of Formula One’s most commanding cars, achieving a record win percentage of 95.45%, surpassing even the legendary McLaren MP4/4 from 1988.

At the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen earned Red Bull’s milestone 100th victory and marked Newey’s 200th Formula One win. Later that year, Red Bull set new records for consecutive victories at Hungary (12) and Italy (15), with Verstappen breaking Sebastian Vettel’s previous nine-win streak.

In April 2024, reports surfaced regarding Newey’s possible departure from Red Bull Racing; nevertheless, the team confirmed his contract would extend through at least 2025. Just five days later, it was reported that his exit was imminent with an official announcement expected prior to the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.

Newey officially departed from Red Bull in early 2025 but remained involved in developing their inaugural hypercar, the Red Bull RB17, while reducing his direct involvement in Formula One activities.

Aston Martin (2025)

Beginning 1 March 2025, Newey entered into an agreement with Aston Martin to become both a shareholder and Managing Technical Partner, focusing on preparations for the upcoming regulations.

Ayrton Senna's Fatal Accident

After Ayrton Senna tragically lost his life during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in a vehicle that Newey contributed to designing, he faced manslaughter charges alongside other Williams team personnel. In December 1997, Newey was cleared of all charges, a verdict later confirmed on appeal in 1999. Although the Italian Supreme Court reopened the investigation in 2003, he was ultimately fully exonerated in 2005.

Additional Pursuits

Newey is passionate about collecting and driving sports cars, actively participating in events such as the Le Mans Legend races. Despite experiencing accidents with a Ford GT40 in 2006 and a Jaguar E-Type at the Goodwood Revival, he maintained his involvement in racing. In 2007, he drove an AF Corse Ferrari F430 at the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, achieving 22nd place overall and fourth within his class.

In June 2010, Newey took on the role of chief technical officer for the PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 5, collaborating with Sebastian Vettel and Polyphony Digital's Kazunori Yamauchi. This collaboration resulted in concept vehicles such as the Red Bull X2010 and Red Bull X2011, which were featured within the game.

On 2 July 2010, Red Bull Racing honored Newey by presenting him with a Red Bull RB5, which he subsequently drove at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Later that year, he was involved in a crash during the Ginetta G50 Cup event at Snetterton but escaped without serious harm.

In October 2018, Newey was appointed to the advisory board of the W Series, an all-female racing championship utilizing Formula 3-homologated Tatuus T-318 chassis.

Personal Details

Newey's first marriage was to Amanda, a nurse; they wed in 1983 and had two daughters before separating in 1989. He married his second wife, Marigold, in 1992; they parted ways in 2010 and had two children together—a daughter and a son, Harrison Newey, who is a racing driver notable for winning both the 2016–17 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship and the 2017–18 Asian Le Mans Series.

Since August 2017, Newey has been married to Amanda "Mandy" Smerczak, daughter of South African actor Ron Smerczak.

Formula One World Championships

Chassis designed by Newey have been instrumental in securing twelve World Constructors' Championships alongside fourteen World Drivers' Championships. This includes four successive Constructors' titles from to with Red Bull. Over his career, Newey has overseen design for forty Formula One cars, accumulating fifteen World Championships and thirty-one Grand Prix victories as of .

Season	World Championship		Chassis	Engine	Statistics
Season	Constructors'	Drivers'	Chassis	Engine	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	WCC standing
Template:F1	Newey appointed chief designer at March
Template:F1	—		March 881	Judd	18^{[lower-alpha 1]}	0	0	0	3	6th
Template:F1	—		March CG891	Judd	14	0	0	1*	0	12th
Template:F1	March rebrands as Leyton House; Newey promoted to technical director
Template:F1	—		Leyton House CG901	Judd	16	0	0	0	1*	7th
Template:F1	Newey transitions to Williams as chief designer
Template:F1	—		Williams FW14	Renault	16	7	6	8	17	2nd
Template:F1	Williams	Nigel Mansell	Williams FW14B	Renault	16	10	15*	11*	21	1st
Template:F1	Williams (2)	Alain Prost	Williams FW15C	Renault	16	10	15*	10	22*	1st
Template:F1	Williams (3)	n/a	Williams FW16	Renault	16	7	6	8	13	1st
Template:F1	colspan=2 style="background:#EAECF0;" \|—	Williams FW17	Renault	17	5	12	6	17	2nd
Template:F1	Williams (4)	Damon Hill	Williams FW18	Renault	16	12*	12	11*	21	1st
Template:F1	Williams (5)	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams FW19	Renault	17	8	11	9	15	1st
Template:F1	Newey joins McLaren as technical director
Template:F1	McLaren	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren MP4/13	Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains	16	9	12	9	20	1st
Template:F1	n/a	Mika Häkkinen (2)	McLaren MP4/14		16	7	11	9	16	2nd
Template:F1	—		McLaren MP4/15		17	7	7	12*	22	2nd
Template:F1			McLaren MP4-16		17	4	2	6	13	2nd
Template:F1			McLaren MP4-17		17	1	0	2	10	3rd
Template:F1			McLaren MP4-17D		16	2	2	3	13	3rd
Template:F1			McLaren MP4-19		18	1	1	2	4	5th
Template:F1			McLaren MP4-20		19	10	7	12*	18	2nd
Template:F1 2006			McLaren MP4-21		18	0	3	3	9	3rd
rowspan=2 Template:F1 2007	align=center colspan=10 style="background:#DDDDDD;"	Newey transitions to Red Bull as CTO
colspan=2 rowspan=3 style="background:#EAECF0;"	—	Red Bull RB3 / Toro Rosso STR2*	Renault / Ferrari**	17	0	0	0	1	5th*
Template:F1 2008	Red Bull RB4 / Toro Rosso STR3*	18	1*	1*	0	2*	6th*
Template:F1 2009	Red Bull RB5 / Toro Rosso STR4*	17	6	5	6	16	2nd*
Template:F1 2010	Red Bull Racing	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull RB6	Renault	19	9	15	6	20	1st
Template:F1 2011	Red Bull Racing (2)	Sebastian Vettel (2)	Red Bull RB7	Renault	19	12	18	10	27	1st
Template:F1 2012	Red Bull Racing (3)	Sebastian Vettel (3)	Red Bull RB8	Renault	20	7	8	7	14	1st
Template:F1 2013	Red Bull Racing (4)	Sebastian Vettel (4)	Red Bull RB9	Renault	19	13	11	12	24	1st
Template:F1 2014		colspan=2 rowspan=7 style="background:#EAECF0;"	Red Bull RB10	19	3	0	3	12	'2nd'
Template:F1 2015		Red Bull RB11	19	0	0	3	3	4th
Template:F1 2016		Red Bull RB12	rowspan=3 align=left	TAG Heuer***	21	2	1	5	16	'2nd'
Template:F1 2017		Red Bull RB13	20	3	0	2	13	'3rd'
Template:F1 2018		Red Bull RB14	21	4	2	6	13	'3rd'
Template:F1 2019		Red Bull RB15	rowspan=3 align=left	Honda		21		3		2		5		9		'3rd'
Template:F1 2020		Red Bull RB16		17		2		1		3		13		'2nd'
Template:F1 2021		n/a		Max Verstappen		Red Bull RB16B		22		11		10		8		23		'2nd'
Template:F1 2022		Red Bull Racing (5)	Max Verstappen (2)	Red Bull RB18	Red Bull Powertrains		22		17		8		8		28		'1st'
Template:F1 2023		Red Bull Racing (6)	Max Verstappen (3)	Red Bull RB19	Honda RBPT		22		21†		14		11		30*		'1st'
rowspan=2│Template:F12024		n/a║Max Verstappen║Red Bull RB20║Honda RBPT║24║9║8║4║18║''3rd║
align=center colspan=10 style="background:#DDDDDD;"│Newey leaves Red Bull and commences gardening leave
Template:F125 │align=center colspan=10 style="background:#DDDDDD;"│Newey joins Aston Martin as technical director and co-owner

Legend: (Bold) Personal best; (*) constructor record; (†) Formula One record

IMSA GT Series

IMSA GT Championship: 1983, 1984 (in the capacity of designer)
24 Hours of Daytona: 1984 (as a designer)

CART IndyCar Series

CART IndyCar World Series: 1985, 1986 (serving as designer)
Indianapolis 500: 1985, 1986 (in the role of designer)

Honors and Distinctions

- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (2012)

Honorary Doctorates

Doctorate of Science, University of Sussex (2013)
Doctorate of Engineering, Oxford Brookes University (2013)

Publications

How to Build a Car (2017)

24 Hours of Le Mans Performance Record

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Vehicle	Category	Completed Laps	Overall Position	Class Position
2007	Template:Country data ITA Template:Namespace detect showall AF Corse Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Aucott Racing	Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Joe Macari Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Ben Aucott	Ferrari F430 GT2	GT2	308	22nd	4th
Template:Center

External links

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