And Colossally That's History: Adrian Newey - The making of an F1 design genius
The Race F1 Podcast
The Race Media Ltd
4.5 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 October 2025
⏱️ 80 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today, Adrian Newey is widely recognised as an F1 design genius, with his cars having been driven to 14 drivers’ world titles, 12 constructors’ titles, and more than 220 Grand Prix victories.
But where did his extraordinary talent for designing (and engineering) racing cars come from? That’s the topic of the latest episode of And Colossally That’s History, which delves into the roots of Newey’s unprecedented success.
Hosts Matt Bishop and Richard Williams share incredible tales from Newey’s youth which foreshadow the man he’d become, including the time he used ingenuity and a rules loophole to avoid punishment at school.
There’s also plenty of chat about Newey’s career before his big breakthrough with Williams in the early 1990s, such as the transformational work he did in sports prototypes, the period he spent race engineering a pair of Indycar legends, his disastrous first foray into Grand Prix racing, and the giant-killing successes with F1 minnows Leyton House that caught Patrick Head's attention.
Along the way you’ll learn how Adrian acquired and honed the skills and design preferences that would later make him the most valuable technical brain in the F1 paddock.
Oh, and listen out for Matt's anecdote about the amazing declaration former McLaren boss Ron Dennis once made to him about Newey…
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello everyone, it's Jamie Lang here from Great Company podcast, and I want to let you know that my podcast is currently being sponsored by Premier Inn. Now, this episode is sponsored by Premier Inn, the UK's largest hotel chain with over 800 hotels across the country. So wherever work takes you, there's a Premier Inn nearby. Now, every room has a super comfy bed. I've stayed in them. They're incredible. And blackout curtains, so you'll wake up refreshed and ready for the day ahead. And don't forget the unlimited breakfast to fuel your mornings. So for your next work trip, get better sleep for your money at Premier Inn. Book now at Premier Inn.com. Gina's a muncher. Jackson Nibbler. Lucy likes to linger. |
| 0:40.4 | But not for too long. |
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| 1:37.4 | The Athletic |
| 1:38.7 | Hello and welcome to And Colossally That's History. |
| 1:49.4 | I'm Matt Bishop and joining me as ever on the podcast that reappraises motor racing history is my good friend Richard Williams. |
| 1:58.0 | Thank you Matt. |
| 1:58.9 | It's great to be back with you for episode two of season four, |
| 2:02.8 | where we're going to be delving into the life, |
| 2:05.0 | or more specifically part of the life, |
| 2:07.7 | of another legendary F1 character. |
... |
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