Taking centre stage in front of an audience of F1’s greatest names – including former World Champion driver Mika Häkkinen and McLaren Racing CEO Zac Brown – the pair discussed the future of Newey’s career both on and away from the Formula 1 track.
In a candid conversation moderated by Newey’s good friend and manager Eddie Jordan, they delved into his remarkable F1 career, why he chose Oyster to build his dream Oyster 885 sailing yacht and approached the obvious and hot question of the minute – “What next?”
Reflecting on the future, Newey expressed a desire to continue pushing engineering and personal boundaries past retirement age, drawing inspiration from motorsport legends like Bernie Eccleston and Roger Penske. He said: “I feel a bit tired at the moment… But at some point, I’ll probably go again”
While addressing the decision to transition away from the fast-paced trackside life of Red Bull Racing’s F1 team, towards a slower pace of life sailing on board his bluewater Oyster 885 sailboat, Jordan emphasised a phenomenal career track record of twenty-five wins – 13 Drivers and 12 Constructors World Championships to date.
The pair drew parallels between their hobbies, expressing a love of sailing as Eddie Jordan also owns a luxury bluewater sailing yacht – the Oyster 495. Newey described the “purity of sailing” and its allure, with the potential for personal rejuvenation away from the high-stakes environment of motorsport.
In our film Adrian Newey, Building My Oyster, Newey discusses the rationale behind choosing the Oyster to build his bluewater sailboat. He said “I’ve got to the age now where I’ve really fancied spending time sailing and properly developing it as a hobby and a passion… [it’s] something I can take forward as I start to have a little bit more time available” and described choosing the Oyster 885 as “relatively easy choice” and one “that ticked all the boxes”.
With his stellar career background in design and engineering, Newey had significant involvement in elements of the boat design. Working alongside Oyster experts, he implemented structural changes to add space to the swim platform and also designed a hard-top solar bimini. He admits: “one of the more time-consuming choices for us was how we wanted to do the interior… trying to come up with something that we will be happy to live with for weeks or months at a time.”
Returning to his career in motorsport, he said: “The beauty about motor racing is that there’s only two things that count – how quick it is and whether it’s reliable or not. Building a live-aboard sailing yacht is much more subjective in terms of the overall pleasure versus performance and useability.”
Watch the exclusive interview with Adrian Newey and Eddie Jordan, live from the Yacht Club de Monaco above.
