Adrian Newey says he is motived by the "opportunities" presented by the new F1 technical regulations which will be introduced in 2017.

The regulations have been designed to result in faster and more aggressive-looking cars, with lap times expected to be five seconds per lap quicker than at the start of this season, aided in part by wider tyres. The new regulations place a bigger emphasis on aerodynamic performance and Red Bull chief technical officer Newey says it provides opportunities for teams.

"It’s a very different set of aerodynamic regulations and it poses a lot of challenges," Newey said. "When you first look at them, the changes appear relatively small. Although the tyres are wider, the inside shoulder is in roughly the same place, some of the box regulations are swept to give the illusion of speed - but once you get into the details then it’s actually hugely different and throwing up a lot of challenges and with challenges comes opportunities."

And Newey believes the lack of major aerodynamic regulation changes since 2009 has resulted in all of the cars now looking similar to that year's Red Bull.

"The regulations we have been working to up until the end of this year obviously came in for the 2009 season, and while there have been some relatively small changes over the years, they have been exactly that.

"The cars have all evolved quite heavily over several seasons to one set of regulations, to the point of course that now when you look at the cars they all look pretty similar to each other.

"I guess it’s a form of flattery to us that if you look at the original 2009 car, there has been a convergence towards that [Red Bull] car, but that of course is all history now."

REPORT: Raikkonen shows Ferrari pace on second day of test

Scene at the British Grand Prix

Silbermann says ... Radio Ga Ga

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Through one lens: Twelve photographs from the 2025 F1 season

  Lewis Hamilton: Australian GP – Albert Park Lewis Hamilton’s very first Grand Prix weekend…

4 hours ago

Two Formula 1 racers born on Christmas day

One driver has a hugely famous name, the other is a special Grand Prix winner,…

6 hours ago

Red with purpose – It’s time for Ferrari to bring it home

As the Ferrari factory in Maranello glows in festive crimson, a sense of anticipation hums…

1 day ago

Norris reveals the quirky private moment his F1 title finally sunk in

Lando Norris had just done the hardest thing in motorsport – winning the Formula 1…

1 day ago

Howden Ganley, McLaren's third-ever employee

A veteran of 41 Grands Prix starts, Howden Ganley - seen here above hitting a…

1 day ago

Leclerc’s ‘naughty’ Christmas gift leaves Russell ‘lost for words’

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc may not have ended the season with a silver trophy in hand,…

1 day ago