How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer
- Downloads：6013
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-11 07:53:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Adrian Newey
- ISBN：000819680X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
'Adrian has a unique gift for understanding drivers and racing cars。 He is ultra competitive but never forgets to have fun。 An immensely likeable man。' Damon Hill
The world’s foremost designer in Formula One， Adrian Newey OBE is arguably one of Britain’s greatest engineers and this is his fascinating， powerful memoir。
How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian’s unrivalled 35-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed， the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he’s been involved。
A true engineering genius， even in adolescence Adrian’s thoughts naturally emerged in shape and form – he began sketching his own car designs at the age of 12 and took a welding course in his school summer holidays。 From his early career in IndyCar racing and on to his unparalleled success in Formula One， we learn in comprehensive， engaging and highly entertaining detail how a car actually works。 Adrian has designed for the likes of Mario Andretti， Nigel Mansell， Alain Prost， Damon Hill， David Coulthard， Mika Hakkinen， Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel， always with a shark-like purity of purpose: to make the car go faster。 And while his career has been marked by unbelievable triumphs， there have also been deep tragedies; most notably Ayrton Senna’s death during his time at Williams in 1994。
Beautifully illustrated with never-before-seen drawings， How to Build a Car encapsulates， through Adrian’s remarkable life story， precisely what makes Formula One so thrilling – its potential for the total synchronicity of man and machine， the perfect combination of style， efficiency and speed。
The world’s foremost designer in Formula One， Adrian Newey OBE is arguably one of Britain’s greatest engineers and this is his fascinating， powerful memoir。
How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian’s unrivalled 35-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed， the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he’s been involved。
A true engineering genius， even in adolescence Adrian’s thoughts naturally emerged in shape and form – he began sketching his own car designs at the age of 12 and took a welding course in his school summer holidays。 From his early career in IndyCar racing and on to his unparalleled success in Formula One， we learn in comprehensive， engaging and highly entertaining detail how a car actually works。 Adrian has designed for the likes of Mario Andretti， Nigel Mansell， Alain Prost， Damon Hill， David Coulthard， Mika Hakkinen， Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel， always with a shark-like purity of purpose: to make the car go faster。 And while his career has been marked by unbelievable triumphs， there have also been deep tragedies; most notably Ayrton Senna’s death during his time at Williams in 1994。
Beautifully illustrated with never-before-seen drawings， How to Build a Car encapsulates， through Adrian’s remarkable life story， precisely what makes Formula One so thrilling – its potential for the total synchronicity of man and machine， the perfect combination of style， efficiency and speed。
Reviews
Zulugoat
，
Terrible， just terrible on all fronts- no （attempt at a） structure- no attempt at taking responsiblity for anything （when something works， its thanks to his great work， when it doesn't， its the evil FIA， Ferrari， etc。 cheating）- continuous stream of （in）discrete disses of everyone under the Sun， makes author appear extremely unclassy to the point， and makes the entire thing read like a settling of scores- shocking repeated admissions that driver safety is an afterthought， but then when anything Terrible， just terrible on all fronts- no （attempt at a） structure- no attempt at taking responsiblity for anything （when something works， its thanks to his great work， when it doesn't， its the evil FIA， Ferrari， etc。 cheating）- continuous stream of （in）discrete disses of everyone under the Sun， makes author appear extremely unclassy to the point， and makes the entire thing read like a settling of scores- shocking repeated admissions that driver safety is an afterthought， but then when anything happens （e。g。 Ayrton Senna's death）， it has nothing to do with him- often reads like listening to a drunk amateur commentating a boxing fight in VegasMain lessons for me from reading this book- goodread ratings can be completely out of whack- formula 1 and competitive car racing in general are an absurd human invention， that have no purpose whatsoever， and whatever negative stance I had against it has been multiplied by 100 。。。more
Bryan
，
I wanted to enjoy this more than I did， but when he got into the weeds with technical aspects， my eyes started glazing over。
Akshat
，
book was both technical and fun to readhopefully a newer addition releasesenjoyed reading this one a lot
Gabriel
，
Reading this book was an absolute joy， and I believe everyone should give it a go。 If you love motorsports， this is a must read。 If you know not a single thing about motor sports， it should at least garner a head turn。 Adrian Newey is truly one of the worlds greatest F1 designers， but he's also a more than competent story teller。 This is a story of perseverance， of finding your calling， of admitting mistakes， and triumphing in the end。 There are parts where Newey gets in to the real nitty gritty Reading this book was an absolute joy， and I believe everyone should give it a go。 If you love motorsports， this is a must read。 If you know not a single thing about motor sports， it should at least garner a head turn。 Adrian Newey is truly one of the worlds greatest F1 designers， but he's also a more than competent story teller。 This is a story of perseverance， of finding your calling， of admitting mistakes， and triumphing in the end。 There are parts where Newey gets in to the real nitty gritty of aerodynamics and physics and all， but you don't need to be a scientist to appreciate just how brilliant Newey and his teams were。 Highly， highly recommended。 。。。more
Shakib
，
A fantastic story for F1 lovers。
Pbloom
，
If you don't have an interest in Formula 1 then you can stop reading this review。 If you do have an interest in Formula 1 and/or automotive engineering at the highest level then this is a MUST READ。 The author is the most successful car designer in F1 history and he goes through an exhaustive chronology of the design successes and mistakes he made during his 30+ year career。 He has the good sense to use a professional ghost writer so the book is unusually well-written for this genre。 The technic If you don't have an interest in Formula 1 then you can stop reading this review。 If you do have an interest in Formula 1 and/or automotive engineering at the highest level then this is a MUST READ。 The author is the most successful car designer in F1 history and he goes through an exhaustive chronology of the design successes and mistakes he made during his 30+ year career。 He has the good sense to use a professional ghost writer so the book is unusually well-written for this genre。 The technical detail and illustrations are impressive but still approachable for the motivated reader。 This is the kind of book that will permanently reshape your perceptions of road and racing cars。 Most importantly， it pulls back the curtain on the maniacal attention to science， engineering and human performance that are required to put an F1 car in the winner's circle。 。。。more
Dorin
，
Fascinating read。 Adrian Newey – one of the most successful race car designers – takes the reader through 35 years of Formula One history， through the highs and the lows （Ayrton's death， Schumacher vs。 Hill '94， 2005 US GP， Vettel vs。 Webber 2010）。 Although I am not much into the technical mumbo-jumbo， more interested in the sporting side of F1， I still found the book easy to read and understand （despite my lack of knowledge regarding all the bits and pieces on a car）。 The politics， the regulati Fascinating read。 Adrian Newey – one of the most successful race car designers – takes the reader through 35 years of Formula One history， through the highs and the lows （Ayrton's death， Schumacher vs。 Hill '94， 2005 US GP， Vettel vs。 Webber 2010）。 Although I am not much into the technical mumbo-jumbo， more interested in the sporting side of F1， I still found the book easy to read and understand （despite my lack of knowledge regarding all the bits and pieces on a car）。 The politics， the regulations， the behind-the-scenes moves， all very entertaining。 Great insight into what is going on in the paddock。 。。。more
Michael Hillman
，
Adrian Newey - Formula 1 designer。 We were both born in the late 1950's; we both studied engineering at University; we both did final year projects on the aerodynamics of car bodies; I was passionate aboyt being an engineer and he was passionate about being a racing car designer。 And there our paths separated。 Except that I now find myself working at the Diamond Synchrotron， 5 miles along the road from Williams F1 Adrian Newey - Formula 1 designer。 We were both born in the late 1950's; we both studied engineering at University; we both did final year projects on the aerodynamics of car bodies; I was passionate aboyt being an engineer and he was passionate about being a racing car designer。 And there our paths separated。 Except that I now find myself working at the Diamond Synchrotron， 5 miles along the road from Williams F1 。。。more
Deepak Selvan
，
A book I literally couldn't put down when I got it。 A book I literally couldn't put down when I got it。 。。。more
Erzurum
，
Great Book for anyone who loves formula one。 It's pretty great， goes pretty in depth and yet remains entertaining。 Great Book for anyone who loves formula one。 It's pretty great， goes pretty in depth and yet remains entertaining。 。。。more
Daan Kalksma
，
Just a fantastic book for formula one fans！
Dinesh Subramanian
，
Yes， it took a bit longer to finish this book for me。。but I enjoyed his journey and clarity of thought。 What a wonderful journey he has had。 Now， I got to know how much of effort goes behind for design。 I agree that the new rules has made f1 a bit dull。
Jonas
，
Amazing！
Jeff Whistler
，
Not really actually a book that explains how to build a car， so minus one star for flagrant false advertising。
Keito Kowaka
，
Formula one is the top racing event in the world’s motorsports。 Usually， drivers are the one always gets the attention from people， however， if you are an f1 fan， you know that driver's skill is important but the most important thing is the car。 No matter how good the driver is if the machine（car） is not competitive， you can not win the race。 The power of the engine， the Power unit， almost determines the race result， which is extremely critical in this sport。 This book shows how formula one cars Formula one is the top racing event in the world’s motorsports。 Usually， drivers are the one always gets the attention from people， however， if you are an f1 fan， you know that driver's skill is important but the most important thing is the car。 No matter how good the driver is if the machine（car） is not competitive， you can not win the race。 The power of the engine， the Power unit， almost determines the race result， which is extremely critical in this sport。 This book shows how formula one cars are build and the challenges behind it to produce the world's greatest formula one car。 。。。more
Fernando Courreges
，
Great biography of a great engineer。 Although a bit arrogant， he succeeds in showing the human side of F1 engineers and how F1 teams evolved from a small workshop to huge factory buildings。 Very compelling read。
Ult Loki
，
Best
Calvin
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was quite the read for me。 I've been interested in formula 1 and it's subgenres for a bit now。 So I went out and bought this book for my own enjoyment。 And it for sure lived up to expectations。 This book covers basically the entirety of Adrian Newey's time in formula one as an engineer。 IT starts back when he was just starting off in the sport。 With his time in the March team。 Not much happens in this part as he is new and doesn't have the same technical level to really start competing with This was quite the read for me。 I've been interested in formula 1 and it's subgenres for a bit now。 So I went out and bought this book for my own enjoyment。 And it for sure lived up to expectations。 This book covers basically the entirety of Adrian Newey's time in formula one as an engineer。 IT starts back when he was just starting off in the sport。 With his time in the March team。 Not much happens in this part as he is new and doesn't have the same technical level to really start competing with others。 But he did have one occasion where he was able to get the car to 3rd and 2nd place in the same year。 An amazing feat for a backfield car。 Other engineers and key people in top teams would take note of his talent with building and would hire him for one team in particular。 Williams。 These guys were known at the time for being the best of the best， and they hoped that with his help they could go even farther and take a clean sweep of titles。 And it would work greatly。 With in 1992-1993 they won all titles。 But they had a snag in 1994 when their star driver Ayrton Senna was killed in a fatal accident。 It caused some rifts to be made in the team。 But in the end they would still win the constructors championship。 Though from 1995-1996 they would struggle and have trouble being the top team now。 He decided to move to McLaren a team that was still on the top， but had a way to go to really make themselves famous and up there。 So he went with them and stayed with them until 2005。 Where they would achieve the most success they would have in years。 Winning titles in 1998 and 1999。 While also achieving many race wins during the time。 This book was for sure really good。 It managed to show me the already known parts of his time in formula one in the teams while also showing me his more personal life and how he struggled。 Particularly with the death of Ayrton Senna。 。。。more
Gonzalo
，
Creo que a nivel biográfico resulta bastante interesante， aunque tal vez no hasta el punto en que me sorprendió la biografía de Agassi。 No soy gran fan de la Fórmula 1 aunque en mi casa y mis amigos si lo siguen bastante。 Por eso， siempre que estaba leyendo el libro tenía el pensamiento de que estaba tratando con un contenido que cualquier fan de la Fórmula 1 daría 5 estrellas sin ninguna duda。
Kristýna Pavelek
，
Very interesting book about formula cars witj some funny stories about Adrian
Federico San Miguel
，
I am halfway through Adrian Newey´s "How to Build a Car"。 Truly fantastic。 One of those books that I go early to bed hoping for a long night sleep and 2h later I am still reading about 1992´s FW14 new rear diffuser。 Adrian is not that good of a story teller but a great engineer， and he makes up for it in the anecdotes he shares and his own personal storyAbsolutely recommended if you are into motorsports。 If you are not， you may not find it that interesting。 I am halfway through Adrian Newey´s "How to Build a Car"。 Truly fantastic。 One of those books that I go early to bed hoping for a long night sleep and 2h later I am still reading about 1992´s FW14 new rear diffuser。 Adrian is not that good of a story teller but a great engineer， and he makes up for it in the anecdotes he shares and his own personal storyAbsolutely recommended if you are into motorsports。 If you are not， you may not find it that interesting。 。。。more
Tyler Liermann
，
Fun read for motorsport fans but that language was a bit self serving for my tastes。
Paul Bennett
，
Thoroughly enjoyed the book and Adrian’s insights into the world of F1。 Living in Indianapolis and being an Indy Car fan I was also very interested in the early chapters。Just one small niggle。 On at least three occasions Adrian alluded to Graham Hill’s death and implied it was as a result of a racing accident。 In fact Hill died piloting his light aircraft。
Jose Alves
，
Fascinating insight into the journey of a man's life and the well earned achievements of a hard work Fascinating insight into the journey of a man's life and the well earned achievements of a hard work 。。。more
Zsuzsi Singer
，
Man， is it really hard to rate autobiographies？！ Adrian Newey is without doubt a remarkable man and this is a remarkable book。 Fair warning: if you are not a （mechanical） engineer， you will find like 1/3 of this book extremely hard to read and understand， but it is really enjoyable nevertheless。 Would highly recommend to all F1 fans！
Nathan McClure
，
vroom vroom good book
Ross Sheddon
，
Best book I've read on computational aerodynamics all year！ A little long as it's half memoir， half technical deep-dive Best book I've read on computational aerodynamics all year！ A little long as it's half memoir， half technical deep-dive 。。。more
Vivek Malur Sadashivaiah
，
I’m more in awe of Adrian Newey than before starting to read his autobiography; never thought the respect he held in my mind could be bettered。Easily understandable yet intricately detailed insights makes the book a good read recommendable to a broad spectrum of readers。
Peter Tonkin
，
A incredibly well written book giving awesome insight into a really fascinating & likeable human being with an incredible understanding of the mechanical and aerodynamics of a racing car。
Jeffrey W
，