Five decades in Formula 1. That is how long the current Red Bull alchemist Adrian Newey has been around at the apex of motorsport. He has designed cars that have won 12 driver’s titles and 11 constructors’ titles and the man is currently aiding Max Verstappen and co. with his wisdom. Blazing-fast Red Bulls designed by Newey are yet to be beaten with now the second year running. However, the man was once ‘punished’ for yielding too much speed, reveals a former Mercedes man, Paddy Lowe.

Paddy Lowe oversaw the golden moments of the sport as he designed a code for speed, being the head of the electronics department at Williams. His mental prowess, combined with that of Newey’s creation, manifested itself in the name of unbeatable FW14. But what development put Williams on the track to becoming one of the greatest teams ever? It was traction control and wheel spin. Paddy Lowe describes it as “breathtaking”. In simple terms, it meant that even if the driver kept his foot on the gas, the computer-controlled the throttling regulating the gas supply.

“It was ultimately just a line of programming code that I wrote into the software,” recalls Lowe on the Formel1.de YouTube channel. “The breakthrough was finding sensors that could accurately measure the rotational speed of the wheels without resorting to volume measurement.”

Williams made other teams envious as they aided Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost to win championships in ’92 and ’93, respectively. Subsequently, in 1994, FIA intervened to ban electronic aids used in cars. It was done for cost reasons because following Williams’ example, an expensive developmental race had begun, and secondly for safety reasons as teams who weren’t able to nail it like the Grove-based team were risking drivers’ lives.

Read More: Amid Concerns of Local Protests, Lewis Hamilton’s Home GP Track Take Steps to Avoid a Farce Like 2022

While this may seem like an interesting anecdote, the man now at Red Bull may see himself out. Or will he?

Will Adrian Newey depart from Red Bull

Mercedes has brought back an answer to Adrian Newey in the name of James Allison. And while things seem to be aligning for the Silver Arrows, things may be unsettling at Milton Keynes. Rumors suggest that Newey’s contract is up for renewal and other teams may try to poach him. However, the boss has now come out to dismiss the rumor mill.

“His heart is still very much in Formula 1 and his commitment to the team is, it’s not something…” Horner told Sky Sports News. “We don’t talk about contracts or longevity of contracts, but he’ll be here for many years to come. There’s always going to be rumors in this paddock. That’s Formula 1.”

Watch This Story: Youngest F1 drivers of all-time

Do you think Newey will continue to stay around and aid Max Verstappen to create records in the world of F1?