That Adrian Newey guy...

Someone usually any one time has the edge, but things can change very quickly in F1.

IMO Alot can be said about how the designers have interpreted the rules given on the restricted rules/parameters of the cars built.

Newey is very good.

 

No matter how good the player a hot hand lasts only so long.

 

I'll bet you say that to all the boys.

 

Another comment from "Down Under"?

 

Adrian Newey has more of an impact on the drivers championship than the drivers

 

When he went to Rud Bull my first reaction was WTF ?
Obviously he knew the deep pockets and commintment RBR had.
With next to zero testing compared to years past a clever design(er) is critical to sucess.
The Mclarens and Ferraris have the depth to catch up but a winner out of the box is what the "new improved F1" seems to dictate.

I'm glad to see a "new" team do well.
But wish they werent just a soft drink company.

 

Such a great write up, exactly my thoughts. I still feel that the only other Designer had he stuck around and not gone off to Thailand for Scuba Diving, could have given Newey a decent run for his money in terms of design right out of the box as you mentioned.

 

agreed

 

Byrne was better than both Barnard and Newey, very under-rated designer

 

I've worked with a lot of good engineering heads and one thing I've found is not only are they talented but they know how to attract and utilize good talent underneath them. I don't know Mr. Newey but my guess is from observing the complexity and rapid changes in F1 technology, he must have this attribute.

Let's just say I'm a huge fan of his work.

 

Same reason EVERY time: Money. Or lack of a top engine.

Actually, Money may not be it so much as all the intangibles, look at both Toyota and Honda - both put a ton of money into it, and what do they have to show for it?
And on the flip-side you had Toro Rosso two years ago bag a win, albeit in the rain, with a very good up-and-coming driver.
This parallels Toleman in 1984, almost, if Jackie Ickx would not have been 'pressured' to throw the checkered flag at Monaco, in the rain.

+1

 

John, do you really think so, I think Byrne was very underrated as well, but Newey just seems to nail it since his time in the late 80's with Leyton House, through the 90's with Williams and McLaren, granted Byrne's cars from 2000 to 2005 were all conquering.

 

Well said.

Ferrari's trump card has always been their "backyard" test track.

When superior test drivers like Lauda and MS were with the Scuderia, they were able to test and test and test and fine-tune the chassis until it was virtually unbeatable.

IMHO, the inability to "pound the pavement" has severely handicapped the ability of the larger teams to close the gap when a smaller team steals a march on them by designing a superior chassis.

Under the present rules all they can do is detective work (using photos and intelligence gleaned from other teams via ex-employees or current employees being paid well to "leak" info).

Even when they make design changes they are unable to test them under real conditions except at the race weekends where there are so many variables working at the same time, that it is very difficult to evaluate the actual effect of an improvement due to weather conditions, track conditions, traffic conditions, etc. that are constantly changing...

Slightly off-topic, but MS's trump card was his superior testing skills matched to regulations and a team that gave him virtually unlimited testing. Probably the KEY reason for his lack of competitiveness in his comeback tour...they took away his Ace card...

With the limitations on testing, what you bring to the table "out of the box" you can ride the advantage for a long time into the season. In this environment, the designer is the most important element of the package...and Newey is the King of the designers. He is done it for many years for many teams.

Frank

 

Some of Neweys McLarens sucked.

 

True about that, but I also think that the MBZ engine had a lot of reliability problems as well that hindered them.

 

Yep, helped by the rev restrictions.

 

Senna said, in 1991 I believe, that the Toleman chassis he drove a few times in 1984 was the best chassis he ever had, designed by???

 

The great Rory Byrne, Franco. The Toleman team became Benetton, later Renault, and of course Brawn & Byrne.