De la Rosa Praises Newey’s Driver-Centric Approach

Pedro de la Rosa commends Adrian Newey’s keen attention to driver feedback, anticipating his influential role at Aston Martin F1.

Now an Aston Martin F1 ambassador, Pedro de la Rosa worked with Adrian Newey during his time at McLaren. He recalls Newey as an engineer highly interested in driver feedback, using their comments to cross-check with on-track data.

“What really impressed me about Adrian when I joined McLaren was his involvement with the race team and the questions he asked the drivers about the car’s balance and behavior,” the Spaniard explained.

“He paid close attention to the drivers’ questions and debriefings. This surprised me because, typically, technical directors don’t attend driver debriefs after qualifying or practice sessions.”

“In 2005, I was the third driver, and we had the chance to run three cars on Fridays. I remember the first race of the season in Australia, where we had the MP4-20.”

“I took part in FP1, and he asked me all sorts of questions about Turn 1 entry, steering angle, how much I was locking up in Turn 1, and what was holding me back from going faster in that corner.”

“He was very attentive to the car’s handling and balance details, but he would always ask, ‘What’s stopping you from going faster?’ Then he’d go to the wind tunnel.”

“He sought solutions, and at the next race, he would say, ‘Do you remember what you told me about Turn 1 in Australia? We’ve brought this new front wing so you can go faster.’ He took the driver’s feedback into account and applied it based on what he saw in the data.”

“He relied on data, listened to the driver, and immediately sought solutions, bringing them forward because, in the end, we all understand the problems. The difference between us is knowing who can provide solutions and who cannot.”

“Adrian is the kind of person who listens—he listens more than he talks—but he always brings solutions. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Generally, they tend to work more often than with others. That’s a fantastic asset.”

Moreover, de la Rosa is convinced that Newey, who will join Aston Martin next year, will be a leader for the team’s engineers, inspiring them and guiding their work.

“Adrian inspired me, but his influence will be a real source of inspiration for the new generation of engineers currently working in our factory, helping talented individuals emerge because people like Adrian are excellent at spotting talent, identifying engineers at his level.”

“It will be a pleasure to see him evolve within our team and enable young talents to grow as well. It’s a fantastic time in the team’s history to witness how these new generations will benefit from Adrian.”