While the Brazilian Grand Prix was unfolding at Interlagos, guess what Adrian Newey was up to? Not cheering on Red Bull, but tearing through the 2023 Classic 24 at Daytona in a slick 1965 Ford GT40, alongside Ford bigwig Jim Farley. Quite the change of scenery from the usual Formula 1 drama.
Now, Max Verstappen was doing his thing in Brazil, snagging wins in both the sprint and the main race, hitting a sweet 17 GP victories this season. But here’s the kicker – Newey missed all of that action with his RB19 masterpiece.
In a chat with The Telegraph, Newey spilled the beans on his schedule. By the end of the year, he’ll have hit 16 out of the 22 F1 rounds in 2023. Crazy, right? Back in the day, that was a full season in itself.
Now, despite Red Bull dominating the F1 scene, bagging 19 out of 20 wins, Newey dropped a bomb – only half of his time goes into Formula 1 these days. When asked what he’s focusing on, he said, “It’s difficult to say exactly, but I would say roughly 50 per cent. I suppose I’m a bit of a maverick in as much as… I’ve managed to get to a situation now where it [the F1 engineering team] can operate procedurally without me, which allows me to be spoilt enough to be able to get involved in any area I feel like.”
And as Red Bull gears up for the F1 2024 challenger, the RB20, Newey’s versatility and knack for success are getting the praise they truly deserve.
