Adrian Newey facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Adrian Newey OBE
Newey in 2011
Born	Adrian Martin Newey (1958-12-26) 26 December 1958 (age 66) Colchester, Essex, England
Alma mater	University of Southampton (BSc)
Occupation	Engineer aerodynamicist automotive designer motorsport executive
Employer	IMSA GT March (1981–1983) CART IndyCar March (1984–1986) Kraco (1986) Newman/Haas (1987) Formula One Fittipaldi (1980) Haas Lola (1986) March (1988–1989) Leyton House (1990) Williams (1991–1996) McLaren (1997–2005) Red Bull (2006–2024) Aston Martin (2025 onwards)
Title	Managing Technical Partner
Spouse(s)	Amanda (m. 1983; div. 1989) Marigold (m. 1992; div. 2010) Amanda Smerczak (m. 2017)
Children	4, including Harrison
Relatives	Ron Smerczak (father-in-law)

24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2007
Teams	AF Corse
Best finish	22nd (2007)
Class wins	0

Adrian Martin Newey (born 26 December 1958) is a British engineer and car designer. He is famous for designing many winning Formula One cars. From 2025, Newey will work for Aston Martin. Before that, he was a top designer for teams like Leyton House, McLaren, Williams, and Red Bull Racing.

Many people think Newey is one of the best engineers in Formula One history. His car designs have helped teams win 12 World Constructors' Championship titles. They have also won many races between 1991 and 2024.

Newey designed championship-winning cars for Williams and McLaren. Then, he moved to Red Bull Racing in 2006. His Red Bull cars won many championships from 2010 to 2013, and again in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The RB19, designed by Newey, is the most successful Formula One car ever. It won 21 out of 22 races in 2023. Newey's designs also won CART titles in 1985 and 1986. Red Bull Racing announced in May 2024 that Newey would leave his main design role. He will focus on the RB17 hypercar project. He is expected to leave Red Bull completely in early 2025.

Early Life and First Jobs
Success in CART Racing
Formula One Career
Other Projects
Personal Life
Awards and Honours
24 Hours of Le Mans Results
See Also

Early Life and First Jobs

Adrian Martin Newey was born in Colchester, Essex, England, on 26 December 1958. His father was a vet, and his mother drove ambulances in World War II. He went to Repton school. Newey left school at 16 after an incident at a concert. He turned up the music too loud, which cracked the building's windows.

In 1980, Newey earned a top degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Southampton. After graduating, he started working in motorsport. His first job was with the Fittipaldi Formula One team. In 1981, he joined the March team. Newey began designing racing cars after working as a race engineer. His first design, the March GTP sports car, was very successful. It won the IMSA GTP title two years in a row.

Success in CART Racing

The March 86C car, driven by Bobby Rahal, won the 1986 Indianapolis 500 and the CART title.

In 1984, Newey started working on the March Indy car project. He was a designer and race engineer for Bobby Rahal. Newey and Rahal became good friends. Newey's March 85C car won the 1985 CART championship with Al Unser. It also won the 1985 Indianapolis 500 with Danny Sullivan.

In 1986, Newey moved to Kraco to engineer Michael Andretti's car. His March 86C design won the CART title and 1986 Indianapolis 500 with Bobby Rahal. At the end of 1986, Newey joined the Haas Lola F1 team. But the team closed down after the 1986 season. After working for Newman-Haas in 1987, Newey returned to March. This time, he was the chief designer for their Formula One team.

Formula One Career

March and Leyton House (1988–1990)

At the 1990 French Grand Prix, Ivan Capelli led the race and finished second in the Leyton House CG901.

Newey's first F1 car design, the 1988 March 881, was very competitive. Ivan Capelli finished second in Portugal. He even briefly led the Japanese Grand Prix.

March became Leyton House Racing in 1990. Newey was promoted to technical director. In the French Grand Prix, Capelli led most of the race. He finished second after being passed by Alain Prost. But after that, the team's results got worse. Newey was fired in the summer of 1990. He later said he had already decided to leave. He felt the team was being run by accountants, not engineers.

Williams (1991–1996)

The FW14 series won 17 Grands Prix and earned Nigel Mansell the 1992 title.

The Williams Renault FW18, driven by 1996 World Champion Damon Hill.

In the early 1990s, Williams F1 was a top team. Technical director Patrick Head quickly hired Newey. With more money, better drivers, and resources, Newey and Head became a dominant design team. By mid-1991, Newey's FW14 car was as good as the leading McLaren. But early reliability problems stopped Nigel Mansell from winning the title.

In 1992, there were no problems. Mansell won the drivers' championship. Newey secured his first constructors' title. In 1993, Williams won again with Alain Prost driving the FW15C.

The 1994 season was a difficult year for Newey's cars. The team struggled to match the speed of the Benetton B194. A sad event happened at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Driver Ayrton Senna, who had joined Williams that year, died. An investigation followed this tragic accident. Newey was part of the investigation. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing. Despite this, Williams won their third straight constructors' championship.

By 1995, Newey wanted to be a technical director again. But Patrick Head was a founder of Williams, blocking his path. Williams lost both championships to Benetton in 1995. This created more distance between Newey and Williams. By the time Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve won both titles in 1996, Newey was preparing to join McLaren.

His time at Williams ended with his cars winning 59 races. They also achieved 78 pole positions. Four drivers won world championships with his designs during these seven years.

McLaren (1997–2005)

Mika Häkkinen in a McLaren MP4-13.

Newey could not fully design the 1997 McLaren car. He focused on improving the 1997 car and designing the 1998 car. A win at the 1997 European Grand Prix gave McLaren a boost. When racing began in 1998, the McLaren MP4/13 was the car to beat. McLaren won titles in 1998 and 1999. Mika Häkkinen almost won a third drivers' title in 2000.

In 2001, Newey nearly signed with the Jaguar F1 team. This team was run by his friend Bobby Rahal. But McLaren boss Ron Dennis convinced Newey to stay. Newey and Rahal later said the deal failed due to internal team politics.

Even though he stayed, rumors continued that Newey wanted to leave McLaren. By late 2004, his future seemed uncertain. People thought he might go back to Williams or even leave Formula One. McLaren denied these rumors. But in April 2005, it was confirmed his contract was extended only until the end of the year. He was expected to take a break or retire. However, in July, he announced he would stay with McLaren for 2006.

Red Bull (2006–2024)

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at the 2010 Malaysian GP in the Red Bull RB6. Vettel won his first title that year.

Sebastian Vettel won his second title in 2011 driving the Red Bull RB7.

Sebastian Vettel won his third title in 2012 in a Red Bull RB8.

Despite his earlier statements, Red Bull Racing announced on 8 November 2005 that Newey would join them in February 2006. Reports said Newey would earn about $10 million a year at Red Bull. McLaren had not wanted to increase his salary.

Newey had little influence on the 2006 car. Red Bull's season started poorly. But their lead driver, David Coulthard, finished third at the Monaco Grand Prix. This showed the team was improving. The 2007 Red Bull car was fast but not very reliable. Drivers often had to retire from races. Still, Red Bull finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship.

Newey designed the 2009 car, which was a big improvement. Red Bull achieved one-two finishes in Shanghai and at the British Grand Prix. Both races were won by Sebastian Vettel. Red Bull finished second in the Constructors' Championship that year.

The 2010 Red Bull car (the RB6) was excellent. It won races on different types of tracks. Red Bull won the Constructors' Championship. On 14 November 2010, Sebastian Vettel won the World Drivers' Championship. This made Newey the only F1 designer to win championships with three different teams.

The 2011 RB7 was even faster and very reliable. It was the most dominant car. It took 18 out of 19 pole positions and won 12 races. On 9 October 2011, Red Bull won the World Drivers' Championship again. Sebastian Vettel became the youngest double champion. Red Bull also secured the Constructors' Championship.

In 2012, the RB8 faced strong competition from McLaren and Ferrari. But Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel still won the championship at the exciting 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.

In 2013, the RB9 and Sebastian Vettel dominated the season. They defended both the World Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. Vettel set a record by winning 9 races in a row.

The RB19, designed by Newey for the 2023 season, driven by Max Verstappen.

On 8 June 2014, Red Bull Racing announced Newey had extended his contract. He would take on more responsibilities. Red Bull reportedly turned down a large offer from Scuderia Ferrari for Newey.

After 2014, new V6 turbo-hybrid engines were introduced. Newey's cars were held back by the Renault engines. But a switch to Honda power in 2019 helped the team. Between 2014 and 2020, most of his cars won at least two races. The 2021 season saw Red Bull return to championship contention. The RB16B design won the Drivers' Championship with Max Verstappen. In 2022, the RB18 was very strong. It gave Verstappen his second Drivers' Championship. Red Bull also won their first Constructors' Championship since 2013. The RB19 in 2023 became one of the most dominant F1 cars ever. It won 21 out of 22 races.

At the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen took Red Bull's 100th win. This was also Newey's 200th win in Formula One. Later that year, Red Bull broke McLaren's record of 11 consecutive victories. They won the Hungarian Grand Prix. In Italy, Verstappen broke Vettel's record of 9 consecutive wins. This was also Red Bull Racing's 15th win in a row, setting new records.

In April 2024, news spread that Newey might leave Red Bull Racing. Red Bull confirmed he was contracted until at least the end of 2025. But days later, it was reported that Newey's departure was confirmed. Newey is set to leave Red Bull Racing in early 2025. He will step away from his Formula One duties. He will still work on their first hypercar, the RB17.

Aston Martin (2025–)

Newey has signed a contract with Aston Martin Racing. He will join the team on 1 March 2025. He will be a shareholder and Managing Technical Partner. This timing is perfect for the new 2026 F1 rules.

Other Projects

Newey loves collecting and driving sports cars. He has raced in Le Mans Legend races. In 2007, he raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Newey and his co-drivers finished 22nd overall.

In 2010, Newey worked as a chief technical officer for the video game Gran Turismo 5. He collaborated with game designer Kazunori Yamauchi and driver Sebastian Vettel. Their work led to the concept cars Red Bull X2010 and Red Bull X2011 in the game.

Newey was given his own Red Bull RB5 car in 2010. This was a thank you for his work with Red Bull Racing. He first drove the car at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

In 2010, Newey was in an accident while racing in the Ginetta G50 Cup. His car was hit hard, but he was not seriously hurt.

In 2018, Newey became an advisor for the W Series. This is a racing championship for women drivers.

Personal Life

Newey has been married three times. His first wife was Amanda, a nurse. They had two daughters. They were married from 1983 to 1989. He married his second wife, Marigold, in 1992. They separated in 2010. They have a daughter and a son, Harrison. Harrison also became a racing driver. He won the 2016–17 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship and the 2017–18 Asian Le Mans Series.

Newey has been married to Amanda "Mandy" Smerczak since August 2017. She is the daughter of actor Ron Smerczak.

Awards and Honours

Formula One World Championships

Newey's first championship-winning cars from each of his teams, and his most recent: Williams FW14B (1992), McLaren MP4/13 (1998), Red Bull RB6 (2010) and Red Bull RB20 (2024)

Cars designed by Newey have won 12 Constructors' titles and 14 World Drivers' Championships. This includes four Constructors' titles in a row for Red Bull from 2010 to 2013. Newey has designed cars for 40 Formula One entries. He has won World Championships with 15 of them and races with 31, as of 2024.

Season	World Championship		Chassis	Engine	Statistics
Season	Constructors'	Drivers'	Chassis	Engine	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	WCC
1988	Newey becomes chief designer at March
1988	—		881	Judd	18	0	0	0	3	6th
1989	—		CG891	Judd	14	0	0	1*	0	12th
1990	March becomes Leyton House with Newey promoted to technical director
1990	—		CG901	Judd	16	0	0	0	1*	7th
1991	Newey moves to Williams as chief designer
1991	—		FW14	Renault	16	7	6	8	17	2nd
1992	Williams	Nigel Mansell	FW14B		16	10	15*	11*	21	1st
1993	Williams (2)	Alain Prost	FW15C		16	10	15*	10	22*	1st
1994	Williams (3)	N/A	FW16		16	7	6	8	13	1st
1995	—		FW17		17	5	12	6	17	2nd
1996	Williams (4)	Damon Hill	FW18		16	12*	12	11*	21	1st
1997	Williams (5)	Jacques Villeneuve	FW19		17	8	11	9	15	1st
1998	Newey moves to McLaren as technical director
1998	McLaren	Mika Häkkinen	MP4/13	Mercedes	16	9	12	9	20	1st
1999	N/A	Mika Häkkinen (2)	MP4/14		16	7	11	9	16	2nd
2000	—		MP4/15		17	7	7	12*	22	2nd
2001			MP4-16		17	4	2	6	13	2nd
2002			MP4-17		17	1	0	2	10	3rd
2003			MP4-17D		16	2	2	3	13	3rd
2004			MP4-19		18	1	1	2	4	5th
2005			MP4-20		19	10	7	12*	18	2nd
2006			MP4-21		18	0	3	3	9	3rd
2007	Newey moves to Red Bull as CTO
2007	—		RB3 STR2	Renault Ferrari	17	0	0	0	1	5th
2008			RB4 STR3		18	1	1	0	2	6th
2009			RB5 STR4		17	6	5	6	16	2nd
2010	Red Bull	Sebastian Vettel	RB6	Renault	19	9	15	6	20	1st
2011	Red Bull (2)	Sebastian Vettel (2)	RB7		19	12	18*	10	27	1st
2012	Red Bull (3)	Sebastian Vettel (3)	RB8		20	7	8	7	14	1st
2013	Red Bull (4)	Sebastian Vettel (4)	RB9		19	13	11	12*	24	1st
2014	—		RB10		19	3	0	3	12	2nd
2015			RB11		19	0	0	3	3	4th
2016			RB12	TAG Heuer	21	2	1	5	16	2nd
2017			RB13		20	3	0	2	13	3rd
2018			RB14		21	4	2	6	13	3rd
2019			RB15	Honda	21	3	2	5	9	3rd
2020			RB16		17	2	1	3	13	2nd
2021	N/A	Max Verstappen	RB16B		22	11	10	8	23	2nd
2022	Red Bull (5)	Max Verstappen (2)	RB18	RBPT	22	17	8	8	28	1st
2023	Red Bull (6)	Max Verstappen (3)	RB19	Honda RBPT	22	21	14	11	30*	1st
2024	N/A	Max Verstappen (4)	RB20	Honda RBPT	24	9	8	4	18	3rd
2025	Newey departs Red Bull and enters gardening leave