Book review: How To Build A Car by Adrian Newey
This is a book I found hard to put down as the insight into Formula One over a period of 35 years from Adrian Newey was compelling.
Newey is regarded as the greatest car designer in the history Formula One, designing championship winning cars for Williams F1, McLaren and Red Bull Racing. He rightly boasts his designs have won ten constructors’ championship and helped different drivers’ win over 150 Grand Prix.
For technical boffins, he gives an intriguing insight to designing a car, particularly the aerodynamic challenges and finding solutions for obstacles that arose from production.
Newey provides some extraordinary insights into many aspects of F1 that he has been part of.
As he was the designer of the Williams FW16, he was particularly in tune with the problems with the car in 1994 leading up to the fateful San Marino Grand Prix. The death of Ayrton Senna had a far reaching impact with the Williams F1 Racing team which sought to find answers. Newey, along with Frank Williams and Patrick Head were eventually charged with manslaughter by Bologna’s federal prosecutor. His insight and explanation of that period of his career is another angle on an intriguing part of F1 history.
Having achieved a 50% win rate for McLaren over the previous ten seasons and helping the company towards a period of prosperity, his account of employment contract re-negotiations with McLaren owner Ron Dennis is almost laughable. The prospect of earning less was a ‘Take it or leave it’ offer from Dennis that he turned down. A job offer for Newey from Jaguar had Dennis fuming and suddenly coming to the ‘party’. The whole fiasco gives some insight to everything that has gone wrong with McLaren, a result of a culture and tone set by one person.
As well as the technical side of F1, Newey gives an opinion on topics such as the tactics employed by Benetton in the 1994 season, his fallout with Williams and McLaren and why Red Bull Racing has given him the fulfillment in a sport that he ‘had adored since childhood.’
While he gives some insight into his personal life, his parents, his upbringing, two failed marriages,four children and a love for classic cars, he never really really delves deep into himself as a person. But arguably this is a book about his work and career.
“How to Build a Car” is a must read and a book to have on your mantle piece for avid motorsport F1 fans. Just allow yourself time to read it in one-go!
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