Newey: I'm motivated by the fear of failure

      Having created numerous championship-winning cars, the outstanding engineer Adrian Newey has taken on a new challenge and is now building a new car for Aston Matrin. In a video for his Maaden sponsors, Newey admitted that he is motivated by a fear of failure…

      Adrian Newey: “There are about 300 engineers in the team. Collaboration is the most important aspect of our work; in many respects it is more important than individual talents. This interaction helps each of us give our all.

      What does that mean personally for me? I now spend about 50% of my working time working with other engineers, either one-on-one or in briefings. I usually prefer the former. I believe that personal meetings are a good opportunity for brainstorming, whereas large briefings often become a procedural exchange of information that does not lead to new ideas. You need a combination.

      We are under tight deadlines; we need to deliver the car’s key components — the gearbox, the chassis, and the front and rear suspension — by the start of the January tests.

      To be honest, I have no idea what awaits us next season. We are going through a process of transformation. Our team grew rapidly and is now stabilizing — after the increase in personnel, collaborative work is gradually being established.

      I have never believed claims that we are about to achieve this or that. Satisfaction comes from working together to move forward. If in 2026 we take the next step, that will be our first achievement.

      In part I am motivated by a fear of failure. I have tried to learn to use it constructively, because excessive pressure leads to mistakes and narrows perspectives — you begin to see only a single goal ahead of you.

      My wife, over the last three or four months since I joined the team, has complained that I am in a ‘design trance,’ and I understand what she means — I do not pay attention to what is happening around me and am probably not very sociable. All my mental activity is focused on the task at hand, given the tight deadlines. But you cannot stay in that state for long. Ultimately, everything depends on the team, on the results of our collective work.”