Adrian Newey admits his "dinosaur" trait which F1 rivals have left behind

Aston Martin’s new technical chief Adrian Newey has joked that he remains “the last dinosaur” in Formula 1, as he continues to rely on drawing boards to design cars in an era dominated by digital tools.

Newey has long been regarded as one of the greatest F1 designers of all time, with 2023 marking the 12th time a car created by him won the constructors’ championship.

This year, he has embarked on a new chapter with Aston Martin, joining the Silverstone-based outfit ahead of the sport’s major regulation overhaul in 2026.

What sets Newey apart from his contemporaries is his continued use of physical drawing boards at a time when advanced computer software is considered essential to modern F1 car development. 

Newey acknowledged the old-school nature of his methods as he reflected on how F1 design has evolved over the decades.

“I’m the last dinosaur in the industry that still uses a drawing board. That’s true,” he said at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

“For me, it’s just a language — a way of developing thoughts from in here [brain] and onto a medium, and then evolving them from there.”

Looking back at how F1 has changed over the decades, Newey added: “It’s fascinating. I’ve been in Formula 1 quite a while now - I’ve been in motor racing since I graduated.

“The big change really came when teams started growing and began employing aerodynamicists in the late '70s and early '80s. By the end of the '80s, teams were up to around 200 [people].

“Then into the early '90s, the computer age kicked in, and that really changed things. It allowed for a much deeper understanding of what we were doing than we had previously.”

F1 will introduce sweeping changes to both chassis and engine regulations in 2026, in what has been described as one of the biggest overhauls in the championship’s history.

Newey admitted that such major rule changes continue to reinvigorate him, ven if there are no guarantees of success.

“I do find regulation changes stimulating,” he said. “They create an opportunity for new ideas.

“It’s the same for everybody, so I’m not saying we’re going to do something spectacular at all — but it is stimulating.”