“Lovely. I mean, to be driving Niki’s old car, his championship-winning car, it’s so special, it really is,” said the aerodynamics genius Adrian Newey at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 65-year-old Adrian Newey parted from Red Bull earlier this year. Speculations about his future are rampant, with rumors of an Aston Martin deal and interest in Ferrari. Meanwhile, Red Bull launched his passion project, the RB17 hypercar.

The highly anticipated hypercar is one of a kind. With never-seen-before specs and Newey’s mastery, it aims to deliver like an F1 car. The RB17 was also launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed where Newey had all the attention on himself. And just when the audience thought, “This is it from Adrian Newey”, he surprised everyone with an extremely special tribute. Hopping into former World Champion, Niki Lauda‘s championship-winning Ferrari 312 T4, the Brition swooped around the event’s premises.

Sharing his experience at the end of his adventure, Newey stated: “I knew Niki quite well. So to be in here sitting in the same seat and just trying to think what he must have been experiencing and how he’s prepared himself before the start and everything, really special.” Adrian Newey’s gesture was one of the many made in honor of one of the bravest F1 drivers. The late Niki Lauda is a legend for many reasons, besides winning the championship thrice, he is also the man who defied fire.

Newey’s tribute is significant for various reasons. First, the primary reason – celebrate Niki Lauda’s timeless legacy. Second, a peep into the technology of F1 cars in the olden days. At the end of the drive, Adrian Newey was a content man and his words express it all.

Adrian Newey’s special gesture towards Niki Lauda underlines the significance of the legend in the sport

Niki Lauda was a fierce racer. Even with third-degree burns all over his face, the Austrian did not restrain himself in the confinement of his home. Instead, he came out onto the track and raced like the beast he had always been. Securing the nicknames ‘The Rat’ and ‘Super Rate’ for himself, Lauda went on to create history with and for Ferrari. Back in the day, winning wasn’t a cakewalk. Technicalities and extreme safety measures hadn’t yet seeped into the sport.

Despite that, Niki Lauda went on to become the most dominant driver of his time clinching three World Championships. Adrian Newey’s tribute to the racing maestro highlights his significance in F1 even after all these years. Especially for Newey, it gave him an insight into the engineering of the late 70s and early 80s. “The design part was done primarily on gut instinct. Wind tunnels were just starting so it must have been fascinating,” Adrian Newey said at the end of his session with the Ferrari 312 T4.

Adrian Newey’s drive in Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312 T4 was more than a nostalgic trip. It was a celebration of Lauda’s indomitable spirit and an exploration of the engineering marvels of a bygone era.  Merging his legacy with Lauda’s, Newey honored a legend and bridged the past and present of F1. The sport is a relentless pursuit of excellence, and Niki Lauda knew it. Adrian Newey knows it too.