Adrian Newey, the most successful race car designer in Formula 1 history, has a busy schedule this weekend. The premiere of his latest brainchild, the RB17 hypercar, took place at Goodwood, and we spoke at length about the event.
But his mission at the Festival of Speed was not limited to this. Of course, he took part in demonstration races of cars, mainly created under his leadership, but at the same time he drove his own Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar, which was developed together with the technology division of Red Bull, and therefore inherited many of the features of Formula 1 technology.
Newey also took part in a parade of historic cars in memory of Niki Lauda, the legendary Austrian racer and three-time world champion who died five years ago. And Adrian drove the Ferrari 312B3 that Lauda raced in 1974.
Adrian Newey: “Driving a Ferrari with Niki Lauda is a very special experience. I knew him well and when I got behind the wheel of his car I tried to imagine what he experienced when driving in Formula 1, how he prepared for the start of the race, etc. I think it’s really great that we’re remembering Nicky here at Goodwood; it’s a wonderful way to honour his memory.
Of course, the cars of that time were very different from modern ones, but I like them, because my love for Formula 1 began in the late sixties, when I first noticed the Lotus 49. Then, in 1974, when this Ferrari appeared in Formula 1, I was 15 years old, and I remember drawing this car.
When I study the technical techniques of that time and the design features of these cars, it seems to me that working in Formula 1 at that time was very interesting. The technical regulations of that time were laid down on only two pages, and this is of course an absolute plus. However, the budgets were quite modest, but what is more important is that there were no research tools at that time that we use today.
That’s why designers had to rely primarily on their instincts, on intuition, because even the use of wind tunnels had only just begun. I find it all very interesting!…”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
