Red Bull have managed to put Adrian Newey in the perfect space for his design genius to thrive by indulging his pet projects and counting on his renewed motivation to produce yet another great car as the Honda era dawns at Milton Keynes.
Helmut Marko told MN, "Newey doesn't want a normal working day anymore. He is working for us on a daily allowance. He was very fascinated and interested in the Valkyrie project."
"You always need new tasks for him. If Newey knows that you have no chance with the engine, then you don't have the same Newey as now. He was at the Honda Development Centre in Sakura [in December]."
"Having a motivated Newey is a big asset. We've found a way to meet his personal needs. It brings value to the team for us."
"Newey's a crucial factor. When the new aerodynamic rules came, we were completely off. By Barcelona, we had a competitive car again. That's Newey. He sees what's not right, even in the design stage, without all the technical data."
"He can tell you: That won't work. He doesn't have a computer - you feel right at home in his office! He just has a big drawing board. Another person translates it into the computer language so that the others can understand it. [But] what he designs is 95% correct."
Newey's day-to-day involvement was reduced a couple of years ago for him to indulge in an America's Cup foray, the Aston Martin's Valkyrie and his own historic F1 racing.
Newey has designed ten Formula 1 world championship-winning cars which collectively bagged 19 world titles, only Michael Schumacher denied him 20 when he won the drivers' title in 1994.
Newey has previously been courted by Ferrari and reportedly Renault, and although his contract with Red Bull runs out at the end of the year, with Marko admitting Red Bull have "so far averted all poaching attempts."
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