Adrian Newey participated in a mobilization involving important names from Formula 1 to help the renowned driver coach Rob Wilson. The Aston Martin executive made a donation of approximately US$ 13,500 to a campaign created to fund the treatment of the New Zealander, who is awaiting a kidney transplant considered vital.
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Wilson, 73, is an extremely respected figure in motorsport and has worked with several prominent drivers over the past decades. Among the names he has coached are Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg, Formula 1 world champions in 2007 and 2016, as well as Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard.
The coach has also recently collaborated with current grid drivers, including the Cadillac duo, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, as well as Lance Stroll from Aston Martin. His sessions take place in a regular road car at the Bruntingthorpe aerodrome in the UK, using the so-called ‘flat car’ philosophy.
The technique developed by Wilson aims to maintain balanced weight distribution among the car’s four wheels, reducing excessive load on the vehicle. According to the method, this helps drivers achieve faster and more consistent laps.
A fundraising page was created to help Wilson, who has been facing kidney failure for almost two years. So far, the campaign has raised about US$ 220,000 of an approximate goal of US$ 250,000. The amount will be used for medical expenses, transplant preparation, and support for both the coach and the donor.
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Besides Newey, several well-known Formula 1 figures have contributed to the campaign. Bottas donated approximately US$ 6,800, while Perez contributed about US$ 5,800. Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, also appears among the top donors, with approximately US$ 10,100.
Other members of the category’s paddock also participated in the initiative, including Karun Chandhok, Jonathan Wheatley, Tom McCullough, Mark Blundell, and Beat Zehnder. Personalities from other motorsport categories, such as Jimmie Johnson and Marino Franchitti, also helped financially with the campaign.
In the fundraising description, the organizers highlighted Wilson’s importance to the sport and explained that a ‘small miracle’ happened when a living donor offered for the transplant. The text also points out that the doctor responsible for the procedure, Dr. Georges Kaye, will need to temporarily suspend his professional activities during recovery, increasing the costs involved in the process.
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