Who was/is your favourite F1 designer

[krt917]

Yes, I believe he did, though I think the body was by Frank Costin. Anyone know?

Originally Posted by Glen

Actually, I do think that Rory Byrne and the modern Ferrari team as a whole should be mentioned in this discussion, because they have most successfully advanced the designer's art by means of management - all those resources acting in concert and to maximum effect.

I agree. In modern F1, the whole package is important and Ferrari have been brilliant at combining all the elements required and Byrne deserves his nplace on the list. Didn't Mark Hughes do an article on Newey Vs Byrne earlier this year - they are both around the 100 GP wins mark if I recall correctly.

For pure genius, you have to go with Colin Chapman; innovation after innovation (I think he would have hated the current rules for being too restrictive). However, like many geniuses, he was flawed. His cars did often break, and sometimes they broke un such a manner that meant drivers had big, nasty crashes. That's why I'd go for Gordon Murray. Quite apart from being involved in all those successful Brabahams (Fan car, anyone?) and the McLaren F1, he also made a point of always building a little bit extra safety into each desing. He realised that he had a responsibility not to make a complete death trap AND he managed to desing many successful cars.

Outside of F1, there are quite a few others. Eric Broadley springs to mind as one of the great designers who only really flirted with F1.

[Knowlesy]

Byrne is stuck on 99 wins in his career, F2004M had to win a race to make it up to 100.

[429CJ]

My respects goes for Gerard Ducarouge, he made some respectable job with Ligier and Alfa Romeo and his job in Team Lotus really saved the outfit after the death of Colin Chapman.

[BSchneiderFan]

Saved it for a time, anyway...

I suppose Alan Jenkins should get a mention here too, and of course Mauro Forghieri. Also agree with whoever it was that mentioned Harvey Postlethwaite.

I always rather liked Andre de Cortanze, but I was so disappointed when the first Toyota F1 car was a dog. I thought de Cortanze might bring a breath of fresh air to F1 design.

[cds_uk]

There is no doubt at all that Chapman was a genius but i was under the impression that Maurice Phillippe penned the Lotus 72, no doubt someone will put me straight if i am wrong.

[Louis B.]

Originally Posted by knowlesy

And Barnard has to be in there on the basis of the Ferrari of 1989 and the 1997 Arrows.

I agree but I take it that Barnard was not very good or not interested in the development/improvment of his designs through a season.

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally Posted by richard_sykes

Rory Bryne

Ps.Andrew, thats a pretty good to have worked with him

Thanks, but I was only the kid who swept up, went to the races, polished the cars, did the fetching and carrying, taking corner times etc and did what I was told by Trevor van Rooyen and Rory. My old pal chris bailey who posted earlier in this thread is the one you want to ask about working with Rory. He worked directly alongside him, working in the same small cramped drawing office in the draughty shed on Little Staughton airfield where Royale was based.

When Rory left Royale at the end of '77, Chris went to Lotus and Pat Symonds took Rory's place, coming from Hawke. Rory then recruited Pat to the Toleman project in 1979 and he has been there ever since: Toleman>Benetton>Renault.

[SKWei]

Being a whippersnapper who only started following the sport at the beginning of the 90s, I can't really talk about the like of Chapman or Barnard. Gary Anderson seemed to span the mechanic and draftsman, understanding aero and mechanical elements.
Remember the twin air inlets on the 96 Jordan? Things like that must demand a great ability to think beyond the norms.

I suspect the same can be said of Harvey Postlethwaite. He always seemed to design outstanding Tyrrels considering their engines and budgets – and was not afraid to innovate.

[BSchneiderFan]

Gary Anderson's problem, though, I think, was that his philosophy of engineering - sleeves rolled up, hands-on, up to the elbows in grease and oil - was by the mid-1990s outdated. He'd have been brilliant in the early to mid-1980s, but things had become more sophisticated ten or fifteen years on.

[SKWei]

Yes, very well put.

[Lotusonpole]

Colin Chapman without a doubt.

Cheers
Peter

[Knowlesy]

With a username like that, your choice comes as a bolt from the blue peter!

[Louis B.]

Originally Posted by SKWei

Gary Anderson seemed to span the mechanic and draftsman, understanding aero and mechanical elements.
Remember the twin air inlets on the 96 Jordan? Things like that must demand a great ability to think beyond the norms.

I suspect the same can be said of Harvey Postlethwaite. He always seemed to design outstanding Tyrrels considering their engines and budgets – and was not afraid to innovate.

Reading your post made me change my mind. Shame on me for having forgotten Harvey Postlewaithe. Remember how fast was the Honda prototype he had designed when Honda was supposed to start a team of its own. What a shame he passed away in the middle of the project what prompted Honda to rather restrict itself supplying engines to BAR & Jordan (at the time).

On the other hand, while Gary Anderson has been good at designing cars different from the others, my feeling about him is that none of his designs proved to be faster than the contemporaneous designs of the other teams despite having his cars equipped with fairly powerful engines.

[SKWei]

Point taken about the actual speed of Gary Anderson's designs. I guess there was something very appealing though, about how he covered so much of the car, and got reasonably fast, innovative looking designs, on the low budgets. But as the sport advanced, it was more difficult for him to find his ideal role. At least, that's how it looks to me, but I'm just a fan on the outside at the end of the day!

Harvey Postlethwaite seemed to inspire a similar attitude at Tyrrel. He was willing to put front tyres on front and back in Hockenheim one year, to make the huge wing-like front suspension arms, and a single front-wing strut and other different things, that make the technical side of F1 visible to fans who don't have a technical background.

Of course then here's the question of speed!

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by Louis B.

On the other hand, while Gary Anderson has been good at designing cars different from the others, my feeling about him is that none of his designs proved to be faster than the contemporaneous designs of the other teams despite having his cars equipped with fairly powerful engines.

I don't recall any of Anderson's cars having notably powerful engies

[BSchneiderFan]

Wasn't the Peugeot unit that Jordan used in, what, '96/'97 supposed to be one of the most powerful on the grid? Can't remember if Anderson designed the 196 and 197.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

Wasn't the Peugeot unit that Jordan used in, what, '96/'97 supposed to be one of the most powerful on the grid? Can't remember if Anderson designed the 196 and 197.

IIRC it ran very hot and required a lot of cooling, which aerodynamically negated any power advantage. An example of how it is so difficult to seperate car and engine.

[foreversideways]

1 Chapman, 2 Murray, 3 Newey

[foreversideways]

1 Chapman 2 Muray 3 Newey.

[krt917]

Originally Posted by cds_uk

There is no doubt at all that Chapman was a genius but i was under the impression that Maurice Phillippe penned the Lotus 72, no doubt someone will put me straight if i am wrong.

I believe it has been credited to both in various sources - a team affort, then, which of course has become more common in recent years.

To throw an older name into the fray, what about Vittoria Jano? He designed several great pre-war racing cars, and then came out with the sublime Lancia D50 in '54. If the team had had more luck and money (and, perhaps been German) then the car would have given the W196 an incredible fright.

It took Ferrari two whole seasons to destroy the basic balance and quality of the D50 design!

[thejester]

Special mention to Brabham and McLaren for actually driving their own designs

[Cameron Winton]

Has to be Chapman. Remember he introduced two of the key structural elements of the modern F1 car ( monocoque construction, engine as stressed member)
I think Chapman's aero accomplishments are overstated. He was a structural engineer and worked a lot with with Frank Costin in the fifties and a number of other designers/engineers in the seventies/eighties - Ground effect was very much a team effort.
Earlier in this thread someone asked about the Vanwall. Chapman chassis/suspension & Costin aero. Costin designed the body entirely by calculation.