How To Build A Car

Very informative while being entertaining. A look into the behind the scenes workings of the F1 circus. The result of dedicated passion and long hard hours of pursuing a satisfying fix to to never ending changes.

I thoroughly enjoyed Adrian Newey's reflections on his development from a racing-obsessed kid into one of the most prolific engineers and technical leaders of motorsport. As an aerospace engineer and aerodynamicist myself, I found many of his stories of overcoming challenges to eventually succeed to be very relevant to my own career and life experiences - his grit and ingenuity are truly inspirational. Furthermore his mention of personal/family challenges along the way make Adrian even more relatable as a person, and someone even more respectable for having achieved what he has despite going through hard times in his life. If I had to level one minor criticism at the book I would say some of the discussions get a bit technical (though they do avoid resorting to numbers and equations), and in Newey's defense he has included some figures and sketches to try and help explain things. What's really cool though is that those sketches are probably straight off of his drawing board from his successful stints at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull when working with legends such as Senna, Hakkinen, and Vettel! I highly recommend that anyone interested in motorsport as well as engineering in general pick up this book - it is well worth the read. It certainly has it's place in my library!

This is a book mostly for F1 aficionados, although it may appeal to anyone interested in automotive engineering/design, especially with regards to aerodynamics. On the positive side, Mr. Newey well-describes the chassis design challenges in F1--mostly packaging the mechanical components in an aerodynamically effective package, at least as I understand it. He makes the somewhat discouraging point that exploiting loopholes in the rules is a major part of getting a leg up on one's competition. He also affords look into a number of interesting F1 personalities. On the less positive side, he spends relatively little time on the quirks, working style, etc. of the many interesting personalities in F1--which is perhaps understandable since he is still working in that environment--and there is next to nothing about engine development, the other big piece of the car. I also didn't find the (ghost-written) style of writing to my taste. Bottom line, for the F1 fan How to Build A Car is pretty much required reading, but much less so for everybody else.

Excellent read, well worth it for anyone interested in the behind the scenes/decision making and challenges in motorsports.

Great book for formula 1 fans. Adrian shares a lot of personal experiences and at the same time explains the mechanical aspects of the F1 cars. It took me a while to realize it was out, this book is from 2017!!

Super readable. To my pleasant surprise, Adrian's anecdotes about his life, work ethic, and the politics of F1 are as interesting as his technical insights. A quick and charming read, there's a world where this book came out very dry. Instead, it's bubbling with Adrian's goofy personality. The only things I would have wanted beyond what's on offer: an update for 2018-2021, and the current generation of cars, which for obvious reasons probably won't happen until 2026, if at all. A little more depth and explanation on the technical discussion/drawings. Adrian and his ghost writer do a pretty admirable job here, and I know there's probably a slew of valid reasons they didn't do this. Still, I think it might have been cool to have an appendix where, for example, they fleshed out the math used in figuring out a new gear box, or to elucidate some of the discrepancies between CFD, the wind tunnel, and the track that pop up at various times. Maybe that would be boring. Still, even though I loved the book I've wasted most of my review talking about it, so I guess nobody wins.

The book, organised around a sequence of F1 car designs, is nicely structured. A leavening of anecdotes and personal history, yes, and all that is interesting: but for the F1 devotee, the challenges and thought processes involved in crafting a competitive car are the focus, and Newey and his "ghost writer" Andrew Holmes do a first rate job of rendering that drama clearly, and with sufficient technical detail that I felt I really understood the sport better having read it. And I took down my Exoto FW14b and studied it with a new appreciation for its detailing. When I heard Steve Matchett talking about the "all singing, all dancing" Williams car with active suspension, I knew in theory what he was referencing. But Newey has given substance to that episode in a way I found utterly gripping. Similarly, the remarkable rise of Red Bull is followed with a frank acknowledgement of wrong turns and a well-armed pleasure in the successes. It is also pleasing to find my intuitive assessment of various F1 characters was not far off the mark. I won't name names (Ron...) here, but Newey is fairly straightforward about who's who, and what. Anyway, this was a book I couldn't wait to return to whenever I had time. For anyone already interested, I'd say it is essential reading.

This is a great book, and a sensational peek inside the world of some of the most successful teams in Formula 1 over the past 40 years. It's also a great testimony of how things have change, going from a handful of engineers tinkering with models on regular wind tunnels, to the super organizations of today, using a lot of computer power and trying to find differences in small details rather than big concepts. His depiction of Ayrton Senna is very emotional, and one of the highest points of this book. However, bear in mind that this book is written by a highly competitive individual at the peak of his career. Don't expect a thoughtful reflection on his past career, a sense of wisdom and gratefulness towards his former rivals. No no. This man is still competing, and his rivals still deserve no sympathy.

Bardzo szybka dostawa z odbiorem w sobotę, dobrze opakowana. A książki służą najczęściej do czytania...

Great book giving an interesting insight into the mind of a high impact person. Easy to read.

Just as expected, my boyfriend loved it.

Ich muss vorerst vermerken, dass dies das erste Buch aus dieser Richtung war, welche ich mir gekauft hatte, mit recht geringen Erwartungen, aber bin sehr froh, dass ich doch so in die Welt der F1 Biographien gekommen bin. Für einen recht neuen F1-Fan und aber dennoch sehr Technik-Interessierten hat das Buch mir einen sehr guten Einblick in die Welt des Rennsports verschafft. Teilweise sind die technischen Erklärungen zwar recht anspruchsvoll und einige Vokabularien fehlten hier und da, jedoch wurden die komplexeren Beschreibungen mit (wie ich finde) sehr anschaulichen Illustrationen begleitet, welche es oft erleichtert hatten, die Theorie in ein vollständiges Bild und Kontext zu übermitteln. Im Allgemeinen war das "pacing" sehr angenehm, ebenso wie der allgemeine Ton des Buches, sodass ich mich sehr schnell vertieft im Bann der Kapitel wiederfand. Der Inhalt neben den technischen Erklärungen ist wirklich spannend und interessant und gibt diesen speziellen Einblick, den viele Motorsport-Enthusiasten suchen und lieben. Natürlich sind neben diesen Erklärungen und Einblicken auch Passagen über privates, jedoch nie in dem Ausmaß, dass sie überhand nehmen und den generellen Fokus jedoch eher auf dem motorsportliches Aspekts belassen. Trotz meiner doch geringeren und noch wachsenden Erfahrungen in diesem Genre sage ich, dass dies ein Must-Have für, nicht nur F1-Fans, sondern insgesamt Rennsport- und Technik begeisterte ist.

Fue un regalo y le encantó!...👍🏻💖💖💖