Adrian Newey makes £10,000 donation to F1 unsung hero facing life-saving kidney transplant

Adrian Newey, the Aston Martin team principal, is among a number of senior F1 figures to donate to a fundraiser set up for highly respected driver coach Rob Wilson.

Wilson, of New Zealand, is highly regarded within motorsport circles having trained a number of leading racing drivers over the years.

Adrian Newey donates £10,000 to Rob Wilson fundraiser

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The 73-year-old has coached the likes of Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg, the 2007 and 2016 F1 world champions, as well as multiple race winners Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard.

Wilson has also helped improve a number of drivers on the current F1 grid including Cadillac pair Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez and Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll.

A key part of Wilson’s lessons, which take place in a normal road car at Bruntingthorpe airfield in the United Kingdom, is his so-called ‘flat car’ philosophy.

This effectively encourages drivers to minimise load in the car by keeping its weight evenly distributed across all four wheels, resulting in faster and more consistent lap times.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Wilson, who is awaiting a life-saving kidney transplant.

At the time of writing, the fundraiser has raised £162,621 of the £185,000 target.

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It has emerged that Newey, who is known to be a friend of Wilson, has donated £10,000 to the fundraiser, with a number of other high-profile F1 figures making contributions.

These include Bottas (£5,000) and Perez (£4,298), as well as Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough (£500) and recently departed Audi F1 team principal Jonathan Wheatley (£950).

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown (£7,500), Sky F1 pundit Karun Chandhok (£2,000), former Jordan and HRT racer Narain Karthikeyan (£2,022), ex-McLaren racer Mark Blundell (£1,000) and Sauber stalwart Beat Zehnder (£473) have also been named on the list of donations.

Other notable figures from the world of motorsport to make donations include British Touring Car Championship chief Alan Gow (£5,000), Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai WRC co-driver John Kennard (£200), NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson (£1,488), experienced endurance racer Marino Franchitti (£100) and West Surrey Racing team boss Dick Bennetts (£100).

Raikkonen’s long-serving manager Steve Robertson (£5,000) and former McLaren and Aston Martin communications chief Matt Bishop (£100) have also made donations.

The GoFundMe page reads: “Rob Wilson is a living motor racing legend and driver trainer.

“Some of you will know Rob has been in kidney failure for nearly two years and has been awaiting a life-saving kidney transplant.

“Rob has spent his life helping others in their quests and has always been the first to lend a hand, give advice or make introductions without any expectation for himself.

“A small miracle has occurred where a living donor has offered Rob their kidney.

“Although the transplant itself is within the NHS there are considerable costs to make this happen.

“We have insisted that the donor not be directly financially disadvantaged through his generous act.

“This incredible man is Rob’s doctor Dr Georges Kaye and runs one of London’s best private practices.

“The costs of a temporary replacement to maintain his clinic during the long recovery is understandably high, we have also allowed for the costs of support for Rob during his own recovery.

“This fundraiser will literally save Rob’s life.

“This fundraiser has been organized by a group of Rob’s close friends who have also contributed to the fund.

“The money will be used for direct medical expenses and medical preparation and support along with out-of-pocket expenses for the donor’s clinic and other costs.”

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