NEWEY SEEKS DESIGN FREEDOM.

McLaren designer Adrian Newey has expressed his frustration with the current breed of Formula One car, but admits that restricting aerodynamics in search of overtaking is not the way to go.

Newey, an aerodynamicist by trade, has been behind the Williams and McLarens dominating F1 for almost the past decade, but he still feels that there are challenges to be met in grand prix design.

Speaking in an interview with McLarens Racing Line club magazine, the designer confessed that without the ability to innovate, he was likely to grow bored with the category and move on to pastures new.

For a designer to enjoy his work he need a reasonable degree of freedom, he said If thats gradually taken away then that work stars to lose its pleasure. Thats why Im keen to see the regulations stay free.

Formerly involved in the American Indycar scene, Newey knows what it is like to face restricted aerodynamics, but believes this is the wrong direction to take in search of more exciting races. He is opposed to the regulations currently under discussion within the FIA technical working group, which prescribe a cut-back in the amount of downforce.

I think that, at the moment, discussions about the new regulations are at a very early stage, he continued, and nothing is clearly defined. Generally though, Id like to see as much freedom in the regulations as possible, especially in the body work rules. If the desire is to reduce aerodynamic downforce, it should be done in a way that doesnt simply prescribe large numbers of exclusion zones where you cant have bodywork.

Questioned about his future in the sport, Newey made it clear that he would remain in F1 for the time being but, should the rules become any tighter, may have to look elsewhere for the latitude he craves.

Doing something in road cars might be an attractive alternative - theres far more freedom these days in road cars than in F1, he smiled.