Adrian Newey is the most successful technician in Formula One history, having designed cars that won thirteen Constructors’ Championships and twelve Drivers’ Championships. Newey has worked with numerous successful F1 drivers and named the characteristics of a great driver in the sport.

The engineer first talked about ‘selfishness’ without being mean, and clarified that being focused and shutting out irrelevant elements of the environment is a necessity to drive successfully in F1. The second part of it is having the spare mental capacity to think about the status of the race, and their car and simultaneously manage the tyres while driving a good race.

Selfishness, though that’s not to be confused with meanness. ‘Focused’ is probably a better word. If that means shutting out other things in life while you’re in the zone, then that’s what you have to do. The other key thing is having spare mental capacity. I’m not going to name any names but there are some drivers who can drive quickly for a period of time but you know that every available neuron is going into that process.

Adrian Newey said vis BBC Top Gear.

Newey has worked with multiple drivers matching his description of a good driver, all of them winning championships in his cars. They include 1992 champion Nigel Mansell, the legendary Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher’s primary rival Mika Hakkinen, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and reigning champion Max Verstappen.

Adrian Newey reveals how he comes up with solutions for development obstacles

Adrian Newey is a British aerodynamicist who turned down a promising career in physics to pursue his passion for Formula 1. Newey is currently the Technical Director for Red Bull, having led the team to multiple championships since he joined the team in 2006.

Newey has been approached by many teams due to his intellectual brilliance during the development of his cars, albeit unsuccessfully. Newey revealed that his subconscious is responsible for a lot of the solutions he comes up with for obstacles, a phenomenon that comes with experience.

The subconscious is an amazing thing. I’ve had it many times when I’m stuck on something, give up and go and have a coffee or something. One day, one week, one month later, and a solution pops up. That comes from experience. It also taps into the managerial and developmental side of my job.

Adrian Newey said, as reported by Racingnews365

Newey is responsible for the record-breaking success of the 2023 RB19, which won 21 of the 22 races. With the RB20 rumored to be even more dominant than its predecessor, Newey is likely looking at another double championship to be added to his already impressive tally.

In case you missed it:

• Williams co-founder claims Lewis Hamilton came close to joining the Grove-based team before F1 debut with McLaren
• “Still a virtual world,” Christian Horner refutes Red Bull’s sim drivers’ claim of RB20 proving as dominant as the mighty RB19

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