18 replies to this topic

[Ghostrider]

From autosport.com:
http://www.autosport...sp?id=19376&s=5
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Now he has told Italy's Autosprint magazine that the team's technical department is being restructured to allow him to step away from its day-to-day running.

"I think I have been able to show I know how to build winning cars," he said. "Now my objective is to restructure McLaren. At the moment my main task isn't to design the chassis, but to create a team of engineers that is less dependent on me. I'd like to create a structure where my role won't be so important, so I can offer advice when it's required.

"The big teams now have more than 100 engineers, so technical departments can't be run like they were in the past, and single individuals with competence in every area aren't needed any more."

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That is pretty big news actually. I think Newey has got tired of all the politics in F1, and the corporate pressure from "the manufacturer era". Those rumours about Coughlan immediately feels more realistic. I wonder how much of a set-back this will be for McLaren in the long run?

[Scudetto]

That is big news. If history is instructive, McLaren did something similar with design guru Gordon Murray, one of the more innovative designers in modern F1. McLaren paid Gordo handsomely to stay on at McLaren, at McLaren Cars, to design the McLaren F1 roadcar and its racing iterations. This, of course, effectively took Murray out of circulation in order to prevent other teams to snag his design genius. But while I'm not sure of Gordon Murray's motivations at that time, clearly Adrian has had his fill of designing F1 cars, at least for McLaren.

I think this clearly reveals the strain on Adrian at McLaren and offers some insight to aborted departure for Jaguar last season. Obviously he no longer desires to be in the design department's center seat. How well McLaren faires after this restructuring is anyone's guess.

[troyf1]

Originally posted by Scudetto
That is big news. If history is instructive, McLaren did something similar with design guru Gordon Murray, one of the more innovative designers in modern F1. McLaren paid Gordo handsomely to stay on at McLaren, at McLaren Cars, to design the McLaren F1 roadcar and its racing iterations. This, of course, effectively took Murray out of circulation in order to prevent other teams to snag his design genius. But while I'm not sure of Gordon Murray's motivations at that time, clearly Adrian has had his fill of designing F1 cars, at least for McLaren.

I think this clearly reveals the strain on Adrian at McLaren and offers some insight to aborted departure for Jaguar last season. Obviously he no longer desires to be in the design department's center seat. How well McLaren faires after this restructuring is anyone's guess.

IIRC Gordon Murray got a bit fed up with the way the tech regs were going in regards to aerodynamics. He wanted a bit more freedom in his designs and he felt road car designs gave him that sort of freedom. Shame because he is/was certainly one of the greats. I get the feeling that Adrian Newey is feeling a bit the same way....... :

[Williams]

McLaren has to restructure. I think the way Ferrari has integrated the team has set a new standard for F1 and only those that begin to review their practices and restructure to meet the Ferrari management challenge are going to get anywhere near them in the next three or four years.

[Oscar Jack]

"Now my objective is to restructure McLaren. At the moment my main task isn't to design the chassis, but to create a team of engineers that is less dependent on me. I'd like to create a structure where my role won't be so important, so I can offer advice when it's required."

I'd definitely say he wants to have more creative freedom to get involved in other projects, exactly as Gordon Murray did. But that's hardly a surprise, given the comments made by both RD and AN after the Jaguar fiasco. I would also think that the imminent move to Paragon, and the co-location of all the facets of the McLaren International organisation (currently scattered around 10+ locations in/near Woking) will greatly facilitate a management restructuring and more tightly integrated design/manufacturing/testing environment to ensure a Championship winning team in 2 years time (but probably not in 2003 - too soon, it'll be a year of consolidation).

So I think both Scudetto and Williams are right.

Gosh, what a civilised discussion. What do you bet the tabloid press blow this out of all proportion with banner headlines shouting about the end of McLaren as we know it, the demise of the "genius" of F1 etc. etc.

Now what would be a lot more interesting is if RD were to say he's going to step away from the F1 team, or wants an exit from McLaren... That would be catastrohpic - for McLaren and for F1.

OK. Now yell at me

[SeanValen]

Maybe Newey will always input his ideas each season, but has trained new Jedi's if you will, who are a extension of him, he thinks, they do, and they contribute, and start thinking as well, so you got a team effort, kinda like several writers of a film, doing re-writes of the same script, results though are always on a knife edge. The psychological reasoning, as important as the spiritual internal team ethics.

[magic]

no more newey-passengers?

[Ghostrider]

Originally posted by SeanValen

Maybe Newey will always input his ideas each season, but has trained new Jedi's if you will, who are a extension of him, he thinks, they do, and they contribute, and start thinking as well, so you got a team effort, kinda like several writers of a film, doing re-writes of the same script, results though are always on a knife edge. The psychological reasoning, as important as the spiritual internal team ethics.

I like that Jedi thing. But the new Paragon is more considered as the new "Death Star", i.e "the dark side". Maybe it is new Siths Newey will be training. And those McLaren crew guys sure look lite storm troopers sometimes.

But there is only one Obi Wan in the paddock, and that is Gary Anderson.

[magic]

bad news for kimi.
he could not inspire newey to give it another his best shot.

byrne on the other hand is more than 2 decades going stronger and stronger.
too bad there was no brawn or head at mac to help newey handle the bs.

[Foxbat]

Originally posted by magic
too bad there was no brawn or head at mac to help newey handle the bs.

They have some english bloke named Ron... something, shifty fellow, beady eyes, bald on top. You'd probably recognise hime when you see him.

[AD]

Newey has nothing to prove. He has consistently proved over the last 12 years or so that he's one of the greatest F1 car designers of all time. However the regulations in F1 are very restrictive now, and the only gains are very small tweaks. For someone with an imagination as vivid as that of Adrian Newey it must eventually get fustrating. Last year it was rumoured that he may design a yaght for the Americas Cup boat race. This would give McLaren excellent exposure, and would make Newey much happier again. Also, maybe he could take a break from F1 for 5 years or so, and then come back fresher to F1 again. The guys so talented that he'll probably excel at whatever he designs

[PraetorAAV]

Originally posted by Oscar Jack
[i]
OK. Now yell at me

Is cheering considered yelling ?;)

Neat post. Cheers

[Skouse]

Times at Mac will be very interesting through the rest of this season to next year. Rumors of DC departing and Newey stepping back are just the beginning I think. I wonder if Mac can fall further back from Williams and Ferrari. If so I hope DC does go to Toyota. A fresh start in a new team will be good for him and will be just the sort of thing to shake up McLaren. Also, I beleive Toyota may be competing at the front of the grid next year. Imagine DC starting a Grand Prix in front of a Mac while driving a Toyota. On another note, will anyone still ignore DC's ability if he finishes in front of both Williams' drivers this year? And don't tell me it's because of the car.

[HP]

Originally posted by Skouse
On another note, will anyone still ignore DC's ability if he finishes in front of both Williams' drivers this year? And don't tell me it's because of the car.

I'll take that. He will be always a good #2. And since you don't wan't us to tell it's because of the car, you can't either claim it that he is only second because of his car

[magic]

foxbat, what was the last car designed by ron dennis?
head did cars like wcc's fw07 and 11.
brawn did the f1 lola, group c wcc jag and co-designed the benneton.

wake up man.

[DOHC]

Originally posted by magic
what was the last car designed by ron dennis?
head did cars like wcc's fw07 and 11.
brawn did the f1 lola, group c wcc jag and co-designed the benneton.

It seems to me that McLaren, Williams and Ferrari all have major differences in their organization.

McLaren Tech Director Newey is an aerodynamicist and car designer who might not be equally well suited to managing a 100-head engineering team. He's done some vere fine work in design. But what do we know about his managerial capacity? That's not where he's proved his worth. From the little we know about Newey, he seems more keen to work with engineering than with management.

Ferrari Tech Director Brawn have been tooling around a little a long time ago with some race car design, but has never had any significant impact in that area. His current role, AFAIK, is to manage the engineering team. The press also hails him as a brilliant strategist in ever-repeated stories of how he draws up and stages Schumacher's victories, but I don't think the strategies are that elaborate really. With a lesser driver than Schumacher we'd see what Brawns famous strategies are worth. Brawn has proved to be a great manager.

Williams Tech Director Head has worked with Sir Frank all the time in a unique partnership. He's gone a long way from working with a small privateer startup team that nobody took seriuously (I remember seeing them on track in the 70s, when they were also-rans that nobody would guess would become one of the dominating F1 teams). Head has been a very successful designer during the days when the operations were smaller, and knows what race car design is about. He's taken the logical next step to head (sic!) the engineering team and succeeded again, to some extent by having Newey work for him for a while.

Newey is now more or less in the situation Head was in a long time ago. Will Newey be able to make the transition to Tech Director from having been a designer? From engineer to manager? So far we are still waiting for him to be successful in that very different capacity.

That's the question, IMO, about Newey.

[magic]

soloartist newey build awesome aero march-cars.
but those were to crampy to drive and only fast on long straigth tracks.
only when paired with head ( great in car mechanicals, weak in aero) he blossemed.
his best years were with head. the '98 mac a silver williams.
he is in decline ever since.

the last byrne solo ( after brawn left to ferrari) bennetion wasn't too hot.
brawn and byrne rejoined in '97 and their cars improve every year.

byrne peaks with brawn next to him, newey next to head.

[magic]

btt ( back to topic) :

newey is a creative person, not a manager.
he can now concentrate what he does best, and let others take care of his babies.
good move. bit late.

[DOHC]

Originally posted by magic
newey is a creative person, not a manager.

byrne peaks with brawn next to him, newey next to head.

Exactly. Newey and Byrne are in the same category, but unfortunately for Newey, their respective roles at Mac and Ferrari aren't the same. Likewise, Head and Brawn are in the same category. But those two are in similar positions at Williams and Ferrari.

What Mac lacks, IMO, is a strong Tech Director, running the management, and giving Newey the conditions he needs to do great work once more.

I don't think the autosport article in the opening post says much more than the bleeding obvious.