How to Build a Car
by Adrian Newey · first published 2017
86% recommend14% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Memoir by F1 designer Adrian Newey that blends his career story with accessible explanations of race car engineering; suits motorsport fans and anyone curious about precision engineering, no technical background needed.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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 e
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The book "How to Build a Car" by Adrian Newey is a fun and fascinating read.
on “Formula One’s sharpest car designer is also its master of loopholes” ↗Try Adrian Newey's ghost written memoir "How to Build a Car". It's not a deep dive into technological tidbits, but has got some interesting details about the technology and the development of his cars. To those not familiar, Adrian Newey, currently at Red Bull…
on “Honda quits F1, invests in carbon-free tech instead” ↗I read Adrian Newey's autobiography, "How to build a car", last year, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in the engineering side of motorsport.
on “Formula 1 2020: The secret aerodynamicist – are capes the key?” ↗How to Build a Car by Adrian Newey: The worlds foremost designer in Formula One, Adrian Newey OBE is arguably one of Britains greatest engineers and this is his fascinating, powerful memoir. How to Build a Car explores…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗Had to check my own website to remember which ones I really liked and was actually from my reading this year. But here goes: How to build a car - Adrian Newey: I think even people with only engineering interest and not specifically cars, would find it interesting. What a joy it must be to work in a field where you have to be super creative and…
on “Ask HN: Which are the most interesting books you have read in 2022?” ↗Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage lots of great recommendations already, but this is a relatively quick read and a great story. How To Build A Car If you're into F1 -- or precision engineering -- it's a cool book that gives you insight into a fantastic designer and his approach to producing machines I could go on but those are two books I thought…
on “Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?” ↗Books to read: How to build a car by Adrian Newey Total Competition by Ross Brawn You will know more about the world of F1 than you need to Bonus: The Mechanic by Marc Priestley
on “The History of F1 Design” ↗…hands on where the organization needs it, I still regard the other part of my job to keep our org accountable, engineers inspired, and keeping the big picture in.) For people who doubt this, I recommend "How to Build a Car" by Adrian Newey (CTO of Redbull Racing). But to be clear - if you do coding as CTO only because "only you can run certain projects," part of your job should be to fix that first. You will still have…
on “Why I code as a CTO” ↗Tangentially related would be Adrian Newey's memoir "How to build a car"; he talks about both F1 and Indy cars he worked on. ISBN 9780008196806
on “The differences between an IndyCar and a F1 car” ↗…Talk About When I Talk About Running (by Haruki Murakami) - it's my first book from H. M. and I really liked it. It's kind of a memoir and made me like Murakami and now I plan to read his novels too. # How to Build a Car (by Adrian Newey) - that famous F1 car designer... Great read. Gives readers a chance to glimpse into both (technical) thought process behind designing a race car and human side of it. # Basic Mathematics…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗Adrian Newey is the chief technical officer for Red Bull Racing. His achievements are truly mindboggling, he has designed 10 championship winning cars! I found his autobiography "How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer" to be very enjoyable, describing his career in motor racing and the challenges he faced. It feels a bit similar to iWoz in that it very frankly…
on “Top F1 designer says auto industry moving in wrong direction with electric cars” ↗Seconded. If you want to learn about the basics of race cars in a pop sci way while being told an entertaining story then How To Build A Car is a great book and a very easy read.
on “The History of F1 Design” ↗I'm not 100% certain but HNBooks may need a link to Azn or GR to pick up on the fact a book is mentioned/recommended. How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer by Adrian Newey https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35657708-how-to-build-a-...
on “Formula One’s sharpest car designer is also its master of loopholes” ↗…and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality. * "How To Build A Car" (1 mention, author not specified) * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It…
on “Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?” ↗