Adrian Newey’s F1 championship-winning cars from FW14B to RB19

Adrian Newey today (26 December) celebrates his 65th birthday in a year where he has contributed to yet another F1 championship-winning car.

He and his Red Bull colleagues created the RB19, which won 21 of 22 grands prix to dominate both the 2023 F1 constructors’ and drivers’ world championships.

However, it was not the first championship the legendary designer has contributed towards, with 14 of his cars claiming a title. Red Bull’s chief technical officer has often been at the forefront of F1 car design, so here are the championship-winning machines he has worked on at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.

Williams FW14B

• 1992 F1 constructors’ world champion
• 1992 F1 drivers’ world champion – Nigel Mansell
• 2nd in 1992 F1 drivers’ world championship – Riccardo Patrese

Newey’s first championship-winning car is one of the most legendary machines in F1 history. The FW14B won 10 of 16 grands prix in 1992, with Williams finishing 1-2 in the drivers’ standings where Nigel Mansell claimed his only F1 title.

Newey was Williams’ chief designer and a key reason for its success that year was FW14B’s active suspension. This was a computerised system which controlled the vehicle’s vertical movements in response to driving conditions and helped to improve car stability in corners and reduce drag along a straight.

The FW14B also featured traction control and a dominant Renault V10 engine, which truly made it one of the most innovative designs in F1 history. 

Williams FW15C

• 1993 F1 constructors’ world champion
• 1993 F1 drivers’ world champion – Alain Prost
• 3rd in 1993 F1 drivers’ world championship – Damon Hill

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Alain Prost, Williams FW15C Renault.

F1 was very high-tech in 1993 with the FW15C at the forefront of that, featuring many different electronics and driver aids. Alain Prost described it as “a little airbus” with active suspension, traction control, power steering, anti-lock brakes and many more fitted onto the car.

It also featured a narrower nose, smoother engine cover plus a larger rear wing, meaning Newey and his Williams team maximised the FW15C’s aerodynamics, alongside a power unit that had 80-100bhp more than the Ford V8 used by Williams’ closest rivals McLaren and Benetton.

All of this contributed to another dominant year for Williams, who won 10 of 16…