HarperNonFiction has announced the acquisition of the memoir of legendary Formula One designer Adrian Newey

Publishing Director Jack Fogg bought world rights from Gordon Poole at the Gordon Poole Agency. Co-written with Andrew Holmes, the book will be published on 2nd November.

Adrian Newey OBE is arguably the greatest car designer in the history of Formula One. He has worked in both Formula One and IndyCar racing as an immensely successful race engineer, aerodynamicist, designer and technical director. After designing championship-winning Formula One cars for Williams F1 and McLaren, Newey moved to Red Bull Racing in 2007, where he is currently Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer. He has won 10 Formula One Constructors’ titles (more than any other designer), helping some of the world’s most famous drivers to Drivers’ championship wins, including over 150 Grands Prix.

Beautifully illustrated with never-before-seen drawings, How to Build a Car encapsulates, through Adrian’s remarkable life story, precisely what makes Formula One so thrilling – its potential for the total synchronicity of man and machine, the perfect combination of style, efficiency and speed.

Jack Fogg says: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to be publishing Adrian’s book. Over the course of an incredible thirty-five-year career at the pinnacle of the sport, he has consistently been able to outperform his rivals and deliver championship-winning cars time and time again. This is a unique book – as well as being a brilliantly written and peerless sports memoir, How To Build a Car also teach one the basics of car design and will introduce readers to a whole new engineering vernacular.’

Adrian says: ‘Motorsport has been my life, and in return, I’ve given it everything – sometimes, maybe, a little too much. What better way, therefore, to tell the story of my life than through some of my favourite cars? Writing this book has given me the opportunity to offer what I hope is a behind-the-scenes, insider’s look at the sport as well as an insight into what I do at my drawing board. Not only that, but I’ve used the opportunity to exorcise a few ‘demons’!’

Photograph of Adrian Newey ©Getty