adrian newey thesis ground effect pdf

• F1 – Tech Explained
• Le Mans – Tech Explained
• Regulations
• Formula Student
• Land Speed Record
• Touring Car
• Autosport International
• Print Subscription
• Digital Subscription
• Back Issues

Your special offer

Plus free access to the digital archive – over 100 back issues!

The cars of Adrian Newey

In the summer of 2014 Adrian Newey signed a new contract with Red Bull Technology ending rumours of him switching to the troubled Ferrari team. But this new contract was really the end of the Englishman’s career as a designer of racing cars. From late 2014 onwards Newey will focus on ‘other projects’ within the Red Bull operation, and will only have a consultancy role in the creation of future Red Bull grand prix racing cars.

Adrian Newey has been designing cars since 1983 and the following article looks back at each of them, but you first have to look at the early days of his career.

Even with his apparent step back from day to day design work in Formula 1 most Formula 1 teams still dream of hiring him, indeed for most of them it seems inconceivable that you would even think about firing him but but during Newey’s long and fascinating career he has been, expelled, asked to leave and outright fired.

Our story of Adrian Newey’s career does not start with a hiring but instead a firm request for his immediate departure. As a teenager Newey attended the historic Repton public school (at the same time as Jeremy Clarkson) but was asked to leave after he high-jacked a school concert soundcheck and blew out a stained glass window.

From his Repton expulsion Newey headed to college in Leamington-Spa, in the Midlands region of England. There he gained a National Diploma in engineering. This was enough for him to get a place at University of Southampton to study Aeronautics and Astronautics (a Newey designed spaceship anyone?).

The 2000’s – Losing the battle with Brawn

Is this the end?

By the end of the 2013 season it had become very clear that Newey had grown deeply frustrated with Formula 1 claiming that the regulations were becoming too restrictive and that the sport was slowly morphing into a kind of ‘GP1’ rather than the open engineering rules that he craved. His arch rival of many years Ross Brawn had retired at the end of 2013 too.

After weeks of speculation Red Bull Racing revealed that Newey was to stay with the organisation but would take a step back from designing Formula 1 cars. A short statement from the team read:

Red Bull is pleased to confirm that it has extended its successful relationship with Adrian Newey with a new multi-year agreement. As part of this new agreement, Adrian will work on new Red Bull Technology projects, as well as advising and mentoring Infiniti Red Bull Racing as it develops its Formula One cars over the next few seasons. The details of the new projects will be announced in due course.

It is thought that the most likely of these projects is the long rumoured Americas Cup project design. One of the big things that differentiates Formula 1 from almost all other sports, with perhaps the exception of the Americas Cup, is that combination of man and machine, you can have a great car with an average driver and you won’t win, a great driver with an average car you won’t win. It’s about both.”

The F1 car for the road?

Speaking about the project, Newey revealed that while he was certain that while the car concept could deliver extreme F1-like pace, it essential that that car also featured GT-like levels of comfort and capability.

“I’ve long harboured the desire to design a road car. The formation of Red Bull Advanced Technologies brought me a step closer to realising that ambition, but I believed we should work with an automotive manufacturer. Aston Martin was at the top of my list,” he said. “I’ve always been adamant that the AM-RB 001 should be a true road car that’s also capable of extreme performance on track, and this means it really has to be a car of two characters. That’s the secret we’re trying to put into this car – the technology that allows it to be docile and comfortable, but with immense outright capabilities.”

The car will apparently be offered in two variants, a very limited run of street cars (only 99-150 examples) and a more track focussed version which may or may not be used for competition.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Multiple F1 teams bring performance updates to Imola

The Student Series Aiming to Set Engineering Education Straight

How BTCC’s New Hybrid Boost Rules Will Affect the Racing

Racecar Engineering is the world’s leading publication for motorsport technology and engineering. Every issue provides unrivalled technical analysis of everything from World Championship series including Formula 1, to grass roots racing. Using the expertise of industry professionals, we look in detail at racecar design and innovation, whilst also keeping you up to date with news and developments from all the major race series across the globe.

• Tech Explained

ADVERTISING

© 2024 Chelsea Magazine Company, part of the Telegraph Media Group. | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

Help | Advanced Search

Physics > Fluid Dynamics

Title: exact solutions for ground effect.

Abstract: "Ground effect" refers to the enhanced performance enjoyed by fliers or swimmers operating close to the ground. We derive a number of exact solutions for this phenomenon, thereby elucidating the underlying physical mechanisms involved in ground effect. Unlike previous analytic studies, our solutions are not restricted to particular parameter regimes such as "weak" or "extreme" ground effect, and do not even require thin aerofoil theory. Moreover, the solutions are valid for a hitherto intractable range of flow phenomena including point vortices, uniform and straining flows, unsteady motions of the wing, and the Kutta condition. We model the ground effect as the potential flow past a wing inclined above a flat wall. The solution of the model requires two steps: firstly, a coordinate transformation between the physical domain and a concentric annulus, and secondly, the solution of the potential flow problem inside the annulus. We show that both steps can be solved by introducing a new special function which is straightforward to compute. Moreover, the ensuing solutions are simple to express and offer new insight into the mathematical structure of ground effect. In order to identify the missing physics in our potential flow model, we compare our solutions against new experimental data. The experiments show that boundary layer separation on the wing and wall occurs at small angles of attack, and we suggest ways in which our model could be extended to account for these effects.

Submission history

Access paper:.

• Other Formats

References & Citations

• Google Scholar
• Semantic Scholar

BibTeX formatted citation

Bibliographic and Citation Tools

Code, data and media associated with this article, recommenders and search tools.

• Institution

arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs .

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

• This Just In
• Grateful Dead
• Old Time Radio
• 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
• Audio Books & Poetry
• Computers, Technology and Science
• Music, Arts & Culture
• News & Public Affairs
• Spirituality & Religion
• Radio News Archive

• Flickr Commons
• Occupy Wall Street Flickr
• NASA Images
• Solar System Collection
• Ames Research Center

• All Software
• Old School Emulation
• MS-DOS Games
• Historical Software
• Classic PC Games
• Software Library
• Kodi Archive and Support File
• Vintage Software
• CD-ROM Software
• CD-ROM Software Library
• Software Sites
• Tucows Software Library
• Shareware CD-ROMs
• Software Capsules Compilation
• CD-ROM Images
• ZX Spectrum
• DOOM Level CD

• Smithsonian Libraries
• FEDLINK (US)
• Lincoln Collection
• American Libraries
• Canadian Libraries
• Universal Library
• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Library
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Books by Language
• Additional Collections

• Prelinger Archives
• Democracy Now!
• Occupy Wall Street
• TV NSA Clip Library
• Animation & Cartoons
• Arts & Music
• Computers & Technology
• Cultural & Academic Films
• Ephemeral Films
• Sports Videos
• Videogame Videos
• Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

• Wayback Machine (iOS)
• Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

• Explore the Collections
• Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

• Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer

Bookreader item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

• Graphic Violence
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Hate Speech
• Misinformation/Disinformation
• Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
• Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

20,118 Views

43 Favorites

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

In collections.

Uploaded by raavadhan on December 7, 2020

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

• Athletistic
• Other Sports
• Wintersports

“Ancelotti builds great teams.” Arshavin – about Real Madrid’s season without a center forward

Edmonton beats dallas to reach stanley cup final, the argentine wins and stays in the national league, “i’m now part of your family.” mourinho addresses fenerbahce fans, flamengo runs over vasco and debutant coach apologizes.

I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.

Related articles

Canadian grand prix: odds from bookmakers, alonso against artificial methods to revive racing, mark hughes on why hamilton is inferior..., steiner: the circuit in monaco should be..., leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Share article

Latest articles.

Subscribe to stay updated.

An innovator and trendsetter – Adrian Newey's greatest F1 contributions

Special Contributor

• Red Bull Racing

When Adrian Newey first came into Formula 1 with Fittipaldi as what he called “junior aerodynamicist but what turned out to be senior aerodynamicist” in July 1979, not even the man himself could have envisaged how profound an impact he would have on Grand Prix racing.

Forty-five years later, he’s still driving innovation in an arena where he, more than anybody else in that timespan, has defined the breed.

READ MORE: Hunger, ingenuity and modesty – How ‘Einstein of F1’ Newey helped transform Red Bull’s fortunes

Innovation takes many forms. Most obviously, it’s about originating a brand-new idea that can be integrated into a car to bolster performance, but it can also be about applying existing technologies in a new way.

It might not even be about a specific item, but instead lie in razor-sharp interpretation of the regulations or original conceptual thinking that radically redefines the balance of the countless compromises in any design. Newey has been responsible for numerous examples of such innovation, with some of his key ideas setting the trend for modern F1 machinery.

Adrian Newey has been a pivotal figure through his F1 career

1988 – F1’s aerodynamic template

The March 881 never won a Grand Prix, but it is effectively the prototype for the aerodynamically-driven F1 that followed. In the mid-1980s, F1 was dominated by bulky, bloated machines designed to package the potent turbocharged engines with aerodynamics taking a back seat. While the ‘lowline’ McLaren-Honda MP4/4 is celebrated to this day also tackled that trend and dominated the season, Newey’s design is the more significant car.

Knowing that March was running not only a normally-aspirated engine, but also an underpowered Judd unit putting out around 580bhp, the car had to be aerodynamically efficient to have any chance. Newey therefore focused on producing a lightweight, compact car with a small cockpit – for drivers Ivan Capelli and Mauricio Gugelmin too cramped – and tight aerodynamic packaging.

The key change was the full-integrated nose/front wing assembly, combined with an undercut shape on the bottom of the nose behind it. Before that, the convention was to have two separate flaps and a more bulky nose that extended forward of and below the wing plane.

READ MORE: Our writers share their views on where they’d love to see Adrian Newey next after his Red Bull departure

This had several benefits. Firstly, by making the front wing span the full width of the car it created the maximum downforce. Secondly, it ensured clean airflow beneath the wing and therefore to the floor. Thirdly, the low-pressure created by the undercut space below the nose helped to pull the airflow over the wing and increased the downforce created.

Effectively, this was the start of the raised nose era in terms of the conceptual objectives, even though the nose of the March itself was flat. What’s more, Newey also began the trend for more complex ‘three-dimensional’ endplates with this car, as they previously were generally flatter.

While the March 881 never won a grand prix, it is effectively the prototype for the aerodynamically-driven F1 that followed

1988 onwards – Seating position

The driver is the most awkward component to package inside the car and over the years Newey more than anyone was key in evolving the current seating position. Starting with the compact packaging of the March/Leyton House cars, which Newey himself later admitted was too extreme at times, he pushed what was possible with the cockpit configuration.

Newey worked to optimise this in the late 1980s and mid-1990s whereby he set the model for the feet and pedals to be significantly higher than where the driver actually sat, meaning the seating position became increasingly reclined over the years. This had multiple advantages as by having the driver reclined with arched back, it lowered the driver’s head for aerodynamic advantage.

The centre of gravity was also lowered and there were packaging advantages when it came to the steering column position. What’s more, the raised feet/legs meant more space for the high nose design to be optimised to maximise the airflow underneath the car.

This evolution effectively defined the seating position still used today, albeit with ongoing optimisation to maximise the benefits.

READ MORE: Adrian Newey reveals he’s ‘seriously considering changing teams’ as he opens up on future F1 plans

1992 – Active suspension

Newey was neither the first to dream up active suspension, which was pioneered in the automotive industry, nor its F1 pioneer as that was Lotus as early as 1983. He didn’t even develop the technology of the active suspension system that was an integral part of the Williams FW14B and its successor, the FW15C.

What he did do was to harness the full potential of active ride when it came to aerodynamic opportunity, having recognised the potential of it in his Leyton House days and started an in-house programme there.

Williams itself had run active ride as early as 1987, but what Newey recognised was the full extent of its value aerodynamically. He saw it primarily as a platform control device that would allow aerodynamic surfaces to be driven harder thanks to the ability to keep the car in a narrower window. He also hit on the idea of dropping the rear of the car on the straight to reduce drag at the push of a button, improving straightline performance.

Adrian Newey pictured in 1993 alongside Alain Prost during his time at Williams

1995 – Undercut diffuser

This was a key advantage of the 1996 Williams, but first appeared late in 1995 on the Williams FW17B. Newey recognised it was possible thanks to the floor regulations that introduced the ‘step plane’ towards the rear of the car.

While the diffuser was restricted in size by the rules, there was no obligation for bodywork on the step plane to extend all the way to the rear of the car. This made it possible to create a larger diffuser exit by effectively sweeping the diffuser upwards behind the rear wheels so its exit was positioned higher even than the exhausts.

This created a major downforce-generation advantage that was optimised for 1996.

1996 – Cockpit sides

Regulation changes for 1996, inspired by accidents such as the one that left Karl Wendlinger in a coma at Monaco in ‘94, meant protection of the driver’s head was improved by the cockpit sides being raised and increased headrest padding being mandated.

But while the most literal interpretations of the rules led to bulky designs such as John Barnard’s Ferrari F130 that resembled an armchair and the similarly cumbersome Benetton B196 , Newey had other ideas. The result was a classic example of spotting loopholes in the regulations.

The rules specified 75mm thick Kevlar-coated foam headrests along with a minimum chassis height. Newey recognised you could lower the headrests and then add a thin piece of bodywork that satisfied the regulations.

This reduced the blockage around the cockpit and therefore ensured better airflow to the back of the car. Unsurprisingly, this design became the template in 1997 when rivals could produce new monocoques to make the most of the concept.

What makes Adrian Newey so good?

1998 – Narrow track car concept

Newey is renowned as a master of rule changes and that’s exemplified by the McLaren MP4-13 of 1998, with which he made several key decisions that set the direction for the cars of this era. A key part of that was recognising the need for a long wheelbase both to maximise the aerodynamic opportunity – a trend that continues to this day – and to create diagonal stability characteristics that weren’t dramatically different from the 1997 car.

Newey also pushed to get the centre of gravity as low as possible, hence the lowline chassis that contributed to improving the stability of the car for the new grooved tyres. The car also featured brake steer, until it was outlawed, although that was a concept conceived by Steve Nichols before Newey arrived.

READ MORE: Newey opens up on when he first thought about leaving Red Bull as he admits to feeling ‘a little bit tired’

2009 – Pullrod rear suspension

This is another example of something that Newey didn’t invent, as pullrod suspension configurations were well known. But he did kickstart a period where pullrod rear suspension became the norm. To achieve this, it required a complete repackaging of the rear end around the regulation changes that limited the height of the diffuser.

This meant a premium on ensuring that the low pressure era at the exit of the diffuser was maximised and that the airflow at the rear of the car was optimised. Whereas the pullrod had been a disadvantage under the old rules, it worked well for the new regulations.

While Newey ‘missed’ the double diffuser loophole in 2009 – although it’s worth noting it’s a geometry that was looked at but rejected because it was impossible to feed it with the necessary airflow to make it work legally in his view – the overall concept of the 2009 Red Bull was best suited to the new rules.

The overall concept of the 2009 Red Bull was best suited to the new rules

2010 – Exhaust-blown diffuser

Using the gasflow exiting the exhaust to blow the diffuser and create downforce had been done before, with Renault conducting the first experiments in 1983, but Newey, ‘re-invented’ this in 2010 with the Red Bull RB6. Newey had worked on exhaust-blown diffuser cars before, notably the Williams-Renault FW14B, but in a form that was subsequently outlawed by the requirement for any sprung part of the car visible from directly beneath the car to lie on one plane. The emergence of the double diffuser in 2009, which created the opportunity to blow the upper part of the diffuser from the side.

Newey’s first port of call was engine supplier Renault, which he urged to dig out the work done with Williams on the engine modes needed to optimise exhaust blowing in the early ‘90s. Renault quickly became adept at finding ways to run the engine not only to produce power but also act as a glorified air pump. Not only did star driver Sebastian Vettel master the counter-intuitive driving style required, but Red Bull and Renault made significant progress in off-throttle exhaust blowing – both for ‘cold blowing’ whereby the throttles stayed open with the fuel and spark cut – and later for ‘hot blowing’ whereby the ignition was retarded and fuel fired into the exhaust, igniting to energise the airflow.

Successive regulation changes attempted to curb this, but Newey and Red Bull were able to continue to find ways to use exhaust blowing to energise the floor and the exhaust, albeit with increasingly modest returns because of the rules.

READ MORE: Verstappen reveals what he said to Newey before confirmation of star designer’s Red Bull exit

2022 – New ground-effect template

With F1’s regulations becoming ever more restrictive, much to Newey’s displeasure, F1 is now less about new ideas and more about wider conceptual thinking. The reintroduction of full-blown ground effect venturi cars in 2022 allowed Newey once again to set the tone.

Where Newey was key was with his previous experience of ground-effect racing cars and in understanding the need to integrate the aerodynamic and mechanical characteristics. He fed key ideas into the concept of the Red Bull and personally designed the front and rear suspension.

With platform control a crucial demand of today’s cars and the recognition that simply being seduced by the massive downforce figures a ground-effect floor could create, Newey recognised it was about ensuring such performance could be dependably delivered without hitting bouncing and porpoising problems.

Combined with the rounded shape of the chassis that allowed space for the venturis to be made more powerful – something that has subsequently been made more pronounced, this meant Red Bull was one step ahead of its rivals from the start of the current rules era.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

6 Winners and 5 Losers from Monaco – Leclerc hit the jackpot, but who else played their cards right in Monte Carlo?

RB boss Bayer hails Tsunoda for ‘big step forward’ in 2024 as he makes statement on his future

Verstappen responds to more questions about his F1 future as he insists change of teams ‘not on my mind’

POWER RANKINGS: Who put on a perfect performance in the Principality?

DRIVER MARKET: The F1 race winners vying for a seat with Haas for 2025

Welcome to GPFans

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

• Leaderboard

F1 Standings

• Race Calendar

Are you a F1 Fan? Follow GP Fans

• Privacy and Terms

Special Newey project that birthed RB19 MONSTER and massive Red Bull F1 advantage

Since the dawn of car racing, it’s been all about the drivers. Of course it has. Swashbuckling heroes who drive superfast supercars at death-defying speeds in the name of sport are naturally going to be the centre of attention. It is about them. And remains so.

But in 21st-century Formula 1, an alternative hero has emerged. Not sexy, not heroic, but studious, highly qualified and with an eye for detail usually associated with those other heroes who undertake life-saving surgery.

The engineers and scientists have always been there, designing the cars that the swashbucklers then proceed to drive at breathtaking speeds, but we knew little about them. We didn’t need to and, in many ways, didn’t want to.

But on Sunday, during Sky Sports' coverage of the Spanish Grand Prix, Martin Brundle, in conversation with David Croft, made a comment that perfectly, and accurately, captured the higher profile role played by today’s F1 eggheads.

They were discussing the contract extension recently signed by Adrian Newey to keep him at Red Bull.

"Christian Horner is going to hate me for saying this, but whatever the best-paid driver is worth, Adrian Newey is worth even more."

READ MORE: Why Adrian Newey is the BEST and WORST thing to happen to F1

And who could argue?

Without the involvement of Newey, it’s unlikely that Red Bull would have a stranglehold on the sport that has led to a 129-point lead in the 2023 Constructors’ World Championship after just seven races. Without Newey, it’s unlikely that Max Verstappen would be crossing finishing lines nearly two kilometres ahead of his nearest rival.

The changes in regulations that came into effect in F1 in 2022 played squarely into one of Newey’s biggest strengths, namely the new ground-effect floors.

There were other significant regulation changes, like a simplified front wing, a sharp new rear wing and 18-inch tyres with wheel winglets, but it is his expertise around ground effects that has elevated Red Bull to another level.

To help understand why Newey, above all of the other highly experienced and qualified engineers in the F1 paddock, was able to grasp the intricacies of this new concept quicker than his competitors, it’s worth re-visiting his route into F1.

The Southampton (Ground) Effect

It was at the University of Southampton in 1980 that Newey graduated with a first-class honours degree in aeronautics and astronautics and it was during this time he first worked on the phenomenon known as ground effects.

He told Auto Motor und Sport: “I studied ground effect as an aerodynamic phenomenon at university, and the subject of my last project during my studies was its application to motorsport.”

Little did he know at the time the role that piece of work would play in his professional career some 40 years later.

Upon leaving university, he was offered an internship by the Fittipaldi Formula 1 team but just a year later joined the March team where, after a short spell as a race engineer, he started designing race cars.

His magic touch was obvious from the very beginning and for two years running his March GTP sports car won the IMSA GTP title.

His meteoric rise through the motorsport ranks was underway with his next stop being at March’s Indy Car team, where his March 86C won the Indy Car World Series title and the Indianapolis 500.

In 1991 he moved to Williams where, over a five-year spell, he enjoyed continued success but also experienced tragedy.

Mixed fortunes at Williams

While working alongside Patrick Head, Newey’s Williams’ record read 59 race wins, 78 pole positions and 60 fastest laps from 114 races, but the tragedy came in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when Ayrton Senna, driving the FW16, crashed and died.

In the years that followed, Newey and several other members of the Williams team were charged with manslaughter; charges for which they were initially acquitted and then, following a re-opening of the case, granted a full acquittal in May 2005.

In 1997, he moved from Williams to McLaren , where he stayed until the end of 2005. It was a spell of mixed fortunes by Newey standards, with two driver world titles, in 1998 and 1999, and the constructors’ title in 1998, but in the early-2000s they struggled to compete with Ferrari in the era of Michael Schumacher.

The internal politics of F1 made for a turbulent spell for Newey, with McLaren boss Ron Dennis continually denying that his chief engineer was on the verge of leaving the team, but finally it happened in February 2006 when the overtures of Red Bull proved too great to resist.

The Red Bull years

Newey’s early years at Red Bull were unremarkable, not helped by the fact he was working on a car he hadn’t designed, but the signs were ominous for the rest of the grid when they finished second in the 2009 constructors’ championship with a car that appeared to be improving race by race.

With Sebastian Vettel as their number one driver and with Newey churning out lightning fast and reliable race cars – the RB6, RB7, RB8 and RB9 – they went on to complete the driver/constructor double for four consecutive seasons, from 2010 through to 2013.

Seven championship-free seasons were to follow for Newey and Red Bull as they struggled to match the power and speed of the Mercedes driven by Lewis Hamilton and, for one season, Nico Rosberg, but by 2021 the gap had been closed sufficiently for Verstappen to clinch the drivers’ title amid the controversy of Abu Dhabi at the final race of the season.

Then followed the specification changes. In particular, the one that landed in the dead centre of Newey’s sweet spot.

That final project, undertaken at Southampton, where he examined, in minute detail, ground effect and its application to motorsport suddenly made sense.

The upshot is that Red Bull are currently two or three steps ahead of their closest rivals at every turn and have put themselves in a position where it’s conceivable they go on and win every single race of the 2023 season.

Quite how they will fare when the day comes for 64-year-old Newey to call time on his career is one for Christian Horner to worry about, but Brundle was right.

It boils down to the quality of the car and, whatever your view of them, Red Bull know a good thing when they see it.

Whatever they decided to pay Newey in his new deal, it’s not enough.

READ MORE: Who is Helmut Marko? The genius behind Red Bull rise to power

Red Bull 'civil war' KEY to Ricciardo's F1 future

• Yesterday 21:57

Perez REPLACEMENT temptations revealed by Red Bull target

• Yesterday 20:57

Change your timezone:

Latest news.

Newey Ferrari signing completed as 'greedy' Horner BLASTED - GPFans F1 Recap

• Yesterday 23:57

F1 star achieves SURPRISE two-wheeled podium

• Yesterday 22:57

Verstappen SNUBBED by Mercedes star after offer

• Yesterday 19:57

Racing star reveals Cullen relationship MORE than just trainer-racer

• Yesterday 18:59

F1 Race Calendar 2024

• F1 News 24/7

Related news

Marko details 'unacceptable' Ricciardo incident after major Monaco drama

Marko delivers sly jibe at F1 rivals as Red Bull domination wanes

• Constructors

Driver Standings 2024

Constructor Standings 2024

• Oliver Bearman
• Charles Leclerc
• Carlos Sainz
• Lando Norris
• Oscar Piastri
• Pierre Gasly
• Esteban Ocon
• Sergio Pérez
• Max Verstappen
• Alexander Albon
• Logan Sargeant
• Lewis Hamilton
• George Russell
• Nico Hülkenberg
• Kevin Magnussen
• Fernando Alonso
• Lance Stroll
• Valtteri Bottas
• Zhou Guanyu
• Daniel Ricciardo
• Yuki Tsunoda
• Aston Martin
• Haas F1 Team
• Red Bull Racing
• Stake F1 Team
• Visa Cash App RB

About GPFans

Follow us on your favorite social media channel.

• /formula1fanpage
• @gpfansglobal
• /GPFansGlobal

Corporate & Media

Realtimes | Publishing Network

• FootballTransfers.com
• FootballCritic.com
• FCUpdate.nl
• Fightfans.co.uk
• MovieMeter.nl
• MusicMeter.nl
• WijWedden.net
• Kelderklasse
• Anfieldwatch
• MeeMetOranje.nl

Adrian Newey on Formula One and his time at Southampton

Adrian Newey, the world’s most successful Formula One car designer, tells us about his experiences as a Southampton student and life after Southampton.

What made you choose Southampton?

At six years old, I knew that I wanted to be a motor racing engineer. I chose Southampton because I figured that a degree in aeronautical engineering would give me the skills I needed to learn about racing cars and I was aware that Southampton had a long affiliation and direct contact with racing teams.

What were your first impressions?

I loved the practical elements of the degree course. Southampton has good laboratories and the experiments were fascinating to me. My first year was difficult because I struggled with maths; around Christmas I had contemplated quitting. A lecturer in my department, Ken Bergin, encouraged me to stay. He was an inspiration throughout my degree; and as I progressed through the course, I enjoyed it more and more. In third year students do design projects, but the University only allowed one motor-oriented project at the time. Ken made sure I got that project, which really helped to cement my desire to work in motor sports.

How did your time at Southampton influence your life and your career?

My degree from Southampton gave me a competitive edge. It also filled a critical skills gap because I had just done a final project on ground-effect aerodynamics on racing cars, in which not many people in F1 had had training at that time.

At the time, motor racing was not a recognised industry and job opportunities were scarce. F1 teams only employed a handful of engineers. I did the milk round, applied to all the teams and, just when I thought I would have to consider other options, I was offered a job.

Is there anything that you have found out about the University recently that has surprised you?

I’ve been impressed by Southampton’s sensible and structured growth over the years. I’m proud that it is seen as a top UK university. Many of the graduates we recruit to Red Bull are from Southampton. This is not because of any loyalty on my part, but because Southampton graduates consistently produce better CVs, interview well and bring the right skills to the table.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I love the immediacy of our field. In our job what we are working on now we will see realised within a matter of months or hours, whether that is good or bad, or for all the world to see. In other fields it could take years to see your work come to fruition.

We are constantly trying to marry fresh, creative ideas that will stand the test of physics. In previous positions I have come into a more mature team and provided the design-based expertise. At Red Bull we worked to build the infrastructure and the research-oriented side of the engineering from the ground up before we had the tools to design a car.

What motivates you?

The opportunity to focus on designing the car. I delegate as much as I can so that 50 per cent of my time can be at my drawing board sketching and developing ideas.

What are you most proud of?

The championships we have won at Red Bull. It has always been a dream to win, but often our dreams are not fulfilled. To be able to win with Red Bull has been fantastic.

Do you have any tips for new graduates?

I realise this is a difficult time to be a graduate and it’s also a tough job market. If you are not fortunate enough to get your dream job, then accept a position that is close and will put you in the job market and keep striving towards your goal. I’m not a big fan of endless gap years – I think you need to get out and get on with it to decide what your next step is going to be.

Can you sum up your Southampton experience in three words?

Key formative years.

Exclusive: Adrian Newey working on radical ground-effect system for dogs

Red Bull’s aero genius determined to solve traction on polished floor conundrum

Here's TopGear.com's roving correspondent, Cory Spondent, with his mostly incorrect exclusives from the world of motoring

Having now built his most successful ever single seat racing car, fabled F1 designer Adrian Newey has turned his attention to the next logical step. The RB18 and Valkyrie hypercar designer is working on a radical new ground-effect system for dogs.

The new side-skirts and fan will keep clumsy Labradors under control when on a highly polished floor, allowing greater hallway speeds and avoiding excursions off into the skirting board.

Insiders have seen plans to roll out further models for different breeds, including a long-wheelbase model for Great Danes and a lightweight version for West Highland Terriers. Set-up work is currently underway with the plan being for a full reveal at Crufts, where the system will attempt a new lap record at the agility event.

You might like

Catching Zs: a (quiet) drive in an electrified Datsun 240Z

Jaguar F-Type: sports car or proper grand tourer?

Ricci's Garage: scratching a 4x4 Japanese itch with... a Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution

Usyk vs Fury rematch venue confirmed as new Skoda Superb’s boot

“I really needed a new challenge outside of Formula One and road cars,” Newey said. “I quickly realised that nobody had – NO DON’T GO IN THERE – really looked into making properly efficient and high-performance propeller-assisted traction control for dogs.

“We’ve had a few hiccups along the way and – OH FOR GODS SAKE GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THAT – but the countless hours spent in the wind tunnel and in a muddy field trying desperately to recall will all be worth it.

“NO DON’T EAT THAT NO STOP. *Sigh*, he’s chewed through a prototype. Again.”

Top Gear Newsletter

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox.

Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

F1 24 review: a modest seasonal update

Here are 12 electric pickups you need to know about

Tesla Cybertruck

Top Gear's top 20 electric cars

More from top gear, trending this week, can rivian's next-gen evs turn it into a global powerhouse, here are nine of saab’s greatest hits, woah, byd claims it’s created a 1,300-mile plug-in hybrid set-up, here are 10 interesting classic cars for under £5,000 we found this week, subscribe to the top gear newsletter.

By clicking subscribe, you agree to receive news, promotions and offers by email from Top Gear and BBC Studios. Your information will be used in accordance with our privacy policy .

Sorry, something went wrong

Try BBC Top Gear Magazine

How Adrian Newey’s incredible F1 mind fixed Red Bull’s porpoising issues

Adrian Newey in the Red Bull garage. Miami, May 2023.

Adrian Newey referred back to a key early lesson from his Fittipaldi Automotive days to rid Red Bull of their bouncing issues with the very first upgrade.

The new regulations for 2022 marked a huge shift in the challengers gracing the grid as Formula 1 returned to ground effect aerodynamics, an era which has been aced so far by Red Bull with Newey at the helm of the design team.

The RB18 already set an incredible standard with 17 grand prix wins out of 22, a level of dominance only taken to new heights in F1 2023 with the RB19, Red Bull having accounted for 15 of the 16 victories so far this season.

Adrian Newey set Red Bull course with swift porpoising fix

A key sticking point for several teams at the start of this new regulatory era was a bouncing phenomenon known as porpoising, a characteristic which held Mercedes back in particular with their W13 through the first half of the 2022 campaign.

For Newey and Red Bull though, only one upgrade was needed for the opening race in Bahrain to make porpoising a non-factor.

Asked during the Beyond the Grid podcast whether they knew the RB18 was “born well” after just 10 testing laps, Newey replied: “Yes, we did.

“We had an amount of bouncing, not as bad as the other teams, but we still had some bouncing which we needed to get on top of, and I think had a reasonable understanding of what we needed to do to do that.

“So come the first upgrade we had for the Bahrain race, then bouncing was much less of an issue than it was for other teams.

“And that meant that we didn’t have to put a lot of our development energy into fixing bouncing, such as Ferrari and Mercedes did.”

PlanetF1.com recommends

Revealed: The five longest winning streaks by a single driver in F1

Most F1 wins by engine: RBPT take 31st victory with Suzuka triumph

Ground effect aerodynamics actually formed the basis of Newey’s university thesis, and were present in the series when he took his opening steps.

And it was a “very early lesson” learnt with his first team, Fittipaldi Automotive, which helped him assure that porpoising did not become a long-lasting issue for Red Bull.

Newey would discuss how a weight-saving idea backfired on Keke Rosberg’s car and proved that mastering ground effect aerodynamics goes beyond just optimising the aero side.

Asked if his knowledge of porpoising was something he had from “back in the day”, Newey replied: “Well, funnily enough, it was to an extent in as much as I very clearly remember Fittipaldis [Fittipaldi Automotive].

“And Harvey Postlethwaite, who was the the technical director there, because the cars were running so stiff, he had the idea to save a bit of weight by throwing away the front dampers and springs and replacing them with bump rubbers, which is something he tried in his Hesketh days.

“I remember Keke Rosberg coming past on the old pit straight at Silverstone and the front wheels are in the air as he came past it’s bouncing so badly, and I think that was a very early lesson that this isn’t just about aero, it’s also the coupling of aero and suspension.”

Red Bull retained the Constructors’ Championship for F1 2023 courtesy of Max Verstappen’s victory last time out at Suzuka, as the Dutchman closes in on his third World Championship in as many seasons.

Read next: Andretti ‘successful’ with one 11th F1 team bid officially rejected

Share this Article

Related articles.

New Adrian Newey to Ferrari hint with huge Williams double signing dismissed – F1 news roundup

Sunday's fast-paced news wrap is go, go, go!

Adrian Newey to Ferrari rumours grow as Monaco fan footage emerges

Adrian Newey's interaction with a Ferrari fan in Monaco fuelled the rumours that he could be heading for Maranello...

Guenther Steiner questions Williams ‘wishful thinking’ amid Adrian Newey, Carlos Sainz rumours

"A few weeks ago, Adrian Newey was going there. I don't hear anything about that one anymore..."

When Ron Dennis ‘absolutely lost it’ and almost fired Adrian Newey… over paint

June 1st marks Ron Dennis' birthday (happy birthday, Ron!), so here is a fun anecdote from Adrian Newey to mark the occasion.