‘Adrian Newey didn’t know what he was doing – I never wanted to…F1 driver review. Read more
Former F1 driver Christian Danner has shared an interesting anecdote from his early racing career, revealing that he once declined to work with Adrian Newey, a man who would later become one of the most celebrated engineers in motorsport. Danner, a German racer who competed in Formula One with teams like Zakspeed, Arrows, Osella, and Rial, made 36 Grand Prix starts but never achieved major success at the top level. However, his decision to part ways with Newey during their time together at March Racing Team in Formula Two is a story that stands out.
Danner’s racing career began in the German Racing Championship, a touring car series where he built his skills before making the jump to Formula Two. During this period, March Racing was home to a young Adrian Newey, who was just beginning to learn the ropes as a race engineer. Newey, then in the early stages of his career, was assigned to work with Danner at the 1981 Silverstone round. This marked one of Newey’s first major responsibilities in the racing world.
However, Danner quickly realized that things were not working out between them. In an interview with Formula Scout, Danner explained how he requested to be paired with another engineer after just one race. “I’m the only person in the world of motor racing who has ever said I don’t want to work with Adrian Newey, which is kind of a rotten privilege. But both Adrian and I are still laughing about it,” Danner admitted.
At the time, Newey was still finding his footing in motorsport engineering. According to Danner, the future F1 technical genius was inexperienced and made a few critical errors. “I didn’t want to work with Newey and I told him: ‘Adrian, you’ve got no experience, I’ve got no experience, this is not going to match’. He was very unconcentrated. He [once] forgot to unplug the radio, and he didn’t know what he was doing on fuel consumption,” Danner recalled.
The German driver believed that Newey’s lack of experience was holding them back. As a result, Danner requested a change and was eventually paired with Ralph Bellamy to run his car, while Newey was reassigned to work with Venezuelan driver Johnny Cecotto. That same year, Cecotto, Danner, and Corrado Fabi were the key competitors, with Fabi eventually winning the Formula Two championship.
Despite Danner’s doubts, Adrian Newey’s career skyrocketed after this early setback. He continued working with March, eventually moving on to their sports car project. Newey designed a title-winning IMSA machine before transitioning to American open-wheel racing in CART, now known as IndyCar. His work in the United States was a springboard for a return to Formula One, where he became known for his groundbreaking designs at teams like Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull Racing, contributing to numerous world championships.
Reflecting on the situation today, both Danner and Newey look back on that time with a sense of humor. While Danner may have doubted Newey’s abilities back then, Newey’s subsequent success has cemented his place as one of the greatest engineers in motorsport history.
