The practice of America’s Cup teams consulting with F1 designers continues as Adrian Newey and the Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) group agreed to work with Ben Ainslie Racing on their AC62 design.
In 1997, when Newey was head designer at McLaren, he let people know he thought their work on an F1 simulator was useless. By 2014 all F1 teams, including Red Bull, relied on simulators since the rules severely limited testing time on the track. Of course, computer graphics improved somewhat, too. America’s Cup teams cannot launch their AC62 catamarans before September 2016, and they will have only 150 calendar days before racing begins. Newey and RBAT will help BAR with advanced simulation and mathematical modelling.
Newey has been frustrated with ever tightening rules in F1 making the cars increasingly “one design.” The New Yorker quoted him as saying, “Racing cars are very messy vehicles. If it weren’t for the regulations, you certainly wouldn’t design them the way they are.” Presumably he will have a bit more fun working on AC62 design.