14/05/2025
NEWS STORY
Despite Lawrence Stroll's investment in the Silverstone-based outfit, Adrian Newey claims that there is one vital area in which the team is still lacking.
"Lawrence's vision has created a great facility, the best facility in F1," the design guru tells the team's own website, "but it is important that we now optimise how we use it.
"Formula 1 is about people," he continues. "Yes, there is a lot of technology, but it's people who drive things forward," he adds.
"My previous team had one of the worst wind tunnels in F1 and operates out of an unremarkable series of buildings on an industrial estate," he says, referring, of course, to Red Bull, "but it managed to get everybody working together and developed a great group of people.
"We have many talented people," he says of his new outfit, "but a few areas need strengthening with greater numbers, and we need to get everyone working together better, using these tools and developing our abilities."
Despite the issues the team is experiencing with its 2025 contender, Newey remains resolutely focussed on next year's car, aware that the rules overhaul is a potential game changer.
To this effect, what with the need to still develop this year's car, the Briton admits there is great pressure to optimise resources, what with the added demands of the cost cap.
"It's always difficult when you have a big regulation change like this and all teams are resource-limited, because of the budget cap and simply because of staffing levels," he explains.
"One area of our team that needs to grow is the aerodynamics department," he admits. "But in the short term that means we've got to decide which directions are going to be the most fruitful and really concentrate our resources on those.
"Of course, in doing that, there's always a danger that we've missed an avenue," he adds. "Quite often, you have to go a long way down a certain branch before you know whether it's going to be a fruitful one or not.
"I never like to say to a fellow engineer that they shouldn't pursue something, but given the short timescales, in this case, I have to do that."
Adding to the dilemma is the continuing concern over the current season.
"Lawrence understandably wants us to do as well as we can in 2025 so there's a small team still working on this year's car from an aerodynamics point of view," he reveals. "I've had a few lunchtime conversations with that small group, discussing the car and what we can do about it."