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

by Adrian Newey

Ross Brawn had been technical director at Benetton in 1994, so I have been cautious of him since that year. We’ve both been lucky enough to enjoy success as senior engineers within our respective teams, but our style is very different: I enjoy being hands-on in the design of the car and spend at least half my working week with a pencil in my hand. I try to lead by example, doing drawings myself as well as working with other engineers to help develop their ideas. Ross is different in that respect. He is more of a technical manager and achieves his results by trying to hire the right people – most notably Rory Byrne, for whom I have great respect – and create a structure that allows them to do their job. Different styles but it’s interesting to note that one or other of our cars took every single championship from 1992 to 2013 bar four.