Newey had closest relations with Häkkinen
Newey had closest relations with Häkkinen
Turun Sanomat 24.9.2011 11:02:41
The designer wizard Adrian Newey has created the car of his life. WDC Sebastian Vettel has perfectly taken advantage of the 52-year old British engineer's most reliable RB7-creation and has as the only F1-driver finished the season's all 778 laps from start to finish.
Newey's relationship with Red Bull's boss Dietrich Mateschitz as well as drivers Vettel and Mark Webber are blissfully warm.
However Newey confesses in Turun Sanomat's interview in Singapore on Thursday evening, that the closest relationship with a F1-driver he had, was with Mika Häkkinen in McLaren.
– I came to Woking at a time when Mika had problems getting understood by his engineers. A certain trust - or rather commitment - between the engineer and the driver, wasn't the strongest. Mika started to get frustrated when the engineers didn't completely trust in what he said, Newey explains.
At that time they recycled the racing team's personnel in McLaren and they made young Mark Slade Häkkinen's race engineer. Newey came personally to help Häkkinen.
– When I sat down with Mika, gave him time, listened to what he said and then 'translated' it into engineering language, I noticed that the comments were very specific and accurate.
– I saw that working with Mika was very rewarding. It had an especially big meaning in that season 1998. I spent a lot of time with Mika especially as an engineer and enjoyed it because I myself have a race engineer's background.
– Mika didn't say much and it required translating, but what he had to say was always worth listening to, Newey smiles.
Häkkinen's team mate David Coulthard has more than once praised that Newey's creation in year 1999 at McLaren was the best car he had ever drove.
What does Newey himself think of this opinion?
– It was a good car. When winning the car is always good. It's a shame that we didn't also win the WCC with the car. We should have won that. The car was fast but we lost valuable points because of stupid reasons, Newey thinks.
Häkkinen was close to win three championships in a row. When he in year 2000 got silver, he started to cherish the idea of retiring.
Did Häkkinen retire too early?
– A racing driver's decision to retire is a very personal choice. Sometimes physics puts limitations but a top driver often retires before the physical side would require more efforts.
– Mika started to feel tired and at the same time he felt that the risk for injury was growing. Nobody else except the driver can feel when the right time to stop driving comes, Newey analyses.
Titles in a row are demanding
Häkkinen is the last driver with whom Newey has won two titles in a row. Now Vettel might become the second one already in Singapore on Sunday.
– Perhaps Sebastian renews his title but it hasn't been won yet, Newey reminds.
Two titles in a row is quite a rare treat even for Newey. Why is it so difficult?
– No matter what championship you win, all pieces have to fall in place: you need a good driver, a good car, a good engine, reliability, team work. All these elements have to fall in place, otherwise you probably wont' win the championship.
– When you try to put everything in place every year it really isn't easy, Newey emphasises.
Räikkönen's talent was not maximized
Kimi Räikkönen was 22 when he came to McLaren after Häkkinen. Was Kimi too young when he came to Woking?
– I don't think so. I was all for Kimi coming to McLaren. However my relationship with Kimi never became as close as it was with Mika. Partly because at that time I wasn't a race engineer anymore.
– Kimi is a natural born racer, his own master and a brilliant talent. I think he got frustrated and didn't use that phenomenal talent of his as much as he could have, Newey said.
Vettel ïs now becoming a double champion at an age of only 24 years. Is the current trend favoring younger drivers in the championship-battle?
– F1 is of a kind that very strong youngsters come who have the potentiality for a long career. Sometimes in the 60's this wasn't possible because the cars were too dangerous and too many bad accidents happened. I will knock on the wood and say that cars these days are much more safer and hence drivers can now drive a long career.
Then how proud is Newey over the reliability of his RB7-car?
– So far everything has gone well but we still have six races to go. It's a great thing that we have got rid of last year's weaknesses. No matter what the reason were we lost way too many races because we didn't finish the races. Now we have been able to improve that a lot.
The 'home-made' championship!
Newey is the only car designer who has won championships in three different teams. Yet the success with Red Bull is the most gratifying for him.
– When I came to Williams and McLaren, both were top teams and had won championships before my arrival. I could only help their designing department but the infrastructure for winning was already there.
– When arriving to Red Bull I came to a very young team that was just starting and had as Jaguar always been 7th. Now Red Bull has grown into a winner and a champion and it offers myself the biggest joy of them all.
– My relationship with Vettel and Webber is very good but I don't drive their cars as a race engineer like I did with Häkkinen, hence Mika was even more closer to me, Newey weighs.
Turun Sanomat, Singapore
HEIKKI KULTA
Facts
Adrian Newey
Born 26.12.1958 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK.
Wife: Marigold, 4 children.
Most important switches:
1990 Williams head designer
1997 McLaren technical manager
2006 Red Bull technical head manager
WDC:
1992 Nigel Mansell
1993 Alain Prost
1996 Damon Hill
1997 Jacques Villeneuve
1998-99 Mika Häkkinen
2010 Sebastian Vettel
WCC:
1992-94 Williams
1996-97 Williams
1998 McLaren
2010 Red Bull.
Fonte: Turun Sanomat/Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole
Bacana a entrevista do Adrian Newey para o jornalista finlandês, Heikki Kulta. Aliás, Kulta só merece nota 1000 pelo excelente trabalho que faz. E devo dizer que concordo com ele sobre a opinião a respeito de Kimi. Se ele tivesse se sentido mais motivado e não desprezado, como ele foi na Ferrari, com certeza, teríamos visto um Kimi diferente. Mas enfim, águas passadas não movem moinhos.
Beijinhos, Ludy
Turun Sanomat 24.9.2011 11:02:41
The designer wizard Adrian Newey has created the car of his life. WDC Sebastian Vettel has perfectly taken advantage of the 52-year old British engineer's most reliable RB7-creation and has as the only F1-driver finished the season's all 778 laps from start to finish.
Newey's relationship with Red Bull's boss Dietrich Mateschitz as well as drivers Vettel and Mark Webber are blissfully warm.
However Newey confesses in Turun Sanomat's interview in Singapore on Thursday evening, that the closest relationship with a F1-driver he had, was with Mika Häkkinen in McLaren.
– I came to Woking at a time when Mika had problems getting understood by his engineers. A certain trust - or rather commitment - between the engineer and the driver, wasn't the strongest. Mika started to get frustrated when the engineers didn't completely trust in what he said, Newey explains.
At that time they recycled the racing team's personnel in McLaren and they made young Mark Slade Häkkinen's race engineer. Newey came personally to help Häkkinen.
– When I sat down with Mika, gave him time, listened to what he said and then 'translated' it into engineering language, I noticed that the comments were very specific and accurate.
– I saw that working with Mika was very rewarding. It had an especially big meaning in that season 1998. I spent a lot of time with Mika especially as an engineer and enjoyed it because I myself have a race engineer's background.
– Mika didn't say much and it required translating, but what he had to say was always worth listening to, Newey smiles.
Häkkinen's team mate David Coulthard has more than once praised that Newey's creation in year 1999 at McLaren was the best car he had ever drove.
What does Newey himself think of this opinion?
– It was a good car. When winning the car is always good. It's a shame that we didn't also win the WCC with the car. We should have won that. The car was fast but we lost valuable points because of stupid reasons, Newey thinks.
Häkkinen was close to win three championships in a row. When he in year 2000 got silver, he started to cherish the idea of retiring.
Did Häkkinen retire too early?
– A racing driver's decision to retire is a very personal choice. Sometimes physics puts limitations but a top driver often retires before the physical side would require more efforts.
– Mika started to feel tired and at the same time he felt that the risk for injury was growing. Nobody else except the driver can feel when the right time to stop driving comes, Newey analyses.
Titles in a row are demanding
Häkkinen is the last driver with whom Newey has won two titles in a row. Now Vettel might become the second one already in Singapore on Sunday.
– Perhaps Sebastian renews his title but it hasn't been won yet, Newey reminds.
Two titles in a row is quite a rare treat even for Newey. Why is it so difficult?
– No matter what championship you win, all pieces have to fall in place: you need a good driver, a good car, a good engine, reliability, team work. All these elements have to fall in place, otherwise you probably wont' win the championship.
– When you try to put everything in place every year it really isn't easy, Newey emphasises.
Räikkönen's talent was not maximized
Kimi Räikkönen was 22 when he came to McLaren after Häkkinen. Was Kimi too young when he came to Woking?
– I don't think so. I was all for Kimi coming to McLaren. However my relationship with Kimi never became as close as it was with Mika. Partly because at that time I wasn't a race engineer anymore.
– Kimi is a natural born racer, his own master and a brilliant talent. I think he got frustrated and didn't use that phenomenal talent of his as much as he could have, Newey said.
Vettel ïs now becoming a double champion at an age of only 24 years. Is the current trend favoring younger drivers in the championship-battle?
– F1 is of a kind that very strong youngsters come who have the potentiality for a long career. Sometimes in the 60's this wasn't possible because the cars were too dangerous and too many bad accidents happened. I will knock on the wood and say that cars these days are much more safer and hence drivers can now drive a long career.
Then how proud is Newey over the reliability of his RB7-car?
– So far everything has gone well but we still have six races to go. It's a great thing that we have got rid of last year's weaknesses. No matter what the reason were we lost way too many races because we didn't finish the races. Now we have been able to improve that a lot.
The 'home-made' championship!
Newey is the only car designer who has won championships in three different teams. Yet the success with Red Bull is the most gratifying for him.
– When I came to Williams and McLaren, both were top teams and had won championships before my arrival. I could only help their designing department but the infrastructure for winning was already there.
– When arriving to Red Bull I came to a very young team that was just starting and had as Jaguar always been 7th. Now Red Bull has grown into a winner and a champion and it offers myself the biggest joy of them all.
– My relationship with Vettel and Webber is very good but I don't drive their cars as a race engineer like I did with Häkkinen, hence Mika was even more closer to me, Newey weighs.
Turun Sanomat, Singapore
HEIKKI KULTA
Facts
Adrian Newey
Born 26.12.1958 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK.
Wife: Marigold, 4 children.
Most important switches:
1990 Williams head designer
1997 McLaren technical manager
2006 Red Bull technical head manager
WDC:
1992 Nigel Mansell
1993 Alain Prost
1996 Damon Hill
1997 Jacques Villeneuve
1998-99 Mika Häkkinen
2010 Sebastian Vettel
WCC:
1992-94 Williams
1996-97 Williams
1998 McLaren
2010 Red Bull.
Fonte: Turun Sanomat/Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole
Bacana a entrevista do Adrian Newey para o jornalista finlandês, Heikki Kulta. Aliás, Kulta só merece nota 1000 pelo excelente trabalho que faz. E devo dizer que concordo com ele sobre a opinião a respeito de Kimi. Se ele tivesse se sentido mais motivado e não desprezado, como ele foi na Ferrari, com certeza, teríamos visto um Kimi diferente. Mas enfim, águas passadas não movem moinhos.
Beijinhos, Ludy
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