Keynote SpeakersAdrian Newey OBE has conquered Formula One like no other man. He is one of the most successful and influential car designers in Formula One history.
He has won many Formula 1 Constructors’ Titles and propelled some of the sport’s most iconic racers to Drivers’ Championship success
After leaving Red Bull Racing, he joined the Aston Martin Formula One Team.
Since 2026, Newey has been team principal, technical director, and co-owner of Aston Martin in Formula One
The legendary designer’s cars have won more races and more championships than anyone in the sport’s history, and he has been described as “close to genius”.
He certainly has a legitimate claim to the title of ‘Britain’s greatest living engineer’ for the sheer depth of his success in the world’s most technologically advanced sport.
Adrian Newey Speaker:
In a fireside chat, Adrian Newey offers audiences an insightful and entertaining look at the innovation, technology, teamwork, leadership, and, above all, success that have been the hallmarks of his career.
Career:
Within months of graduating from Southampton University with a first-class honours degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics, he was working in Formula One at the Fittipaldi F1 team; however, his first taste of success came in the US, where his ‘March’ sports car designs won the most prestigious event in America, the Indy 500, for three consecutive years (1985/86/87).
Following a brief venture with March in F1, Newey was lured to the Williams team, where in partnership with Patrick Head, he brought home five Constructors’ titles between 1992 and 1997 and made champions of Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, while adding a fourth title to Alain Prost’s list of achievements.
When Newey departed Williams for fresh challenges at McLaren, he confirmed his prowess with three further championships, rounding off the decade with the 1998 Constructors’ Title and two Drivers’ Crowns for Mika Häkkinen.
After taking both Williams and McLaren to multiple title wins in the 1990s, Newey faced a fresh challenge when he joined Red Bull Racing. The end goals were the same – but this time Adrian wasn’t joining a venerable F1 institution with a cabinet full of silverware. Instead, he joined a young outfit at the start of its journey, with a chance to influence its development from the ground up.
It didn’t take him long to deliver. Newey’s revolutionary RB5 took the team to its first victory when Sebastian Vettel took the chequered flag at the 2009 Chinese GP. The RB5 claimed five more victories that season and ultimately finished second in the Constructors’ Championship. The next season saw the team go one better. With nine wins in the RB6, Red Bull Racing claimed its first Constructors’ Championship, while Vettel also took the Drivers’ title.
2011 was a year of utter dominance for Red Bull, who notched up 18 poles, 12 victories, 15 other podium finishes, ten fastest laps and both titles. The 2012 season started slowly, but as the RB8 came on song, it propelled Sebastien Vettel and the team toward their third title. The following year’s design was a real world-beater. Smashing records everywhere, the car, in Sebastien Vettel’s hands, dominated once again, delivering an amazing fourth crown for the German and yet another landslide triumph for Newey.
Adrian Newey’s determination extends beyond his drawing board (he still uses one) and in his spare time he’s an enthusiastic amateur racer; perhaps a predictable pastime for a fiercely competitive soul for whom second-best is never acceptable. He’s brought that quality to every post he’s held in a long and impressive career.
In 2014, Adrian achieved his 150th Grand Prix victory before announcing his decision to step back from Formula One to take on fresh challenges and work on new technology projects.
In January 2015, it was confirmed that F1’s most eminent designer would join forces with Olympic sailing legend Ben Ainsley, in a bid to win the America’s Cup. He is also bringing his design expertise to a revolutionary new supercar project.
How to Build a Car:
In his bestselling autobiography, How to Build a Car, Adrian offers a fascinating insight into his extraordinary career at the pinnacle of motorsport.
From his early fascination with engineering to designing championship-winning cars for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull Racing, Newey reveals the innovation, creativity and relentless pursuit of perfection behind his success.
Packed with personal anecdotes and technical insights, the book explores the challenges, triumphs and groundbreaking designs that have helped shape modern Formula One.
