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Mark Webber believes that Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey should be considered for a knighthood in recognition for his achievements in motorsport.

The 51-year-old Englishman oversaw the development of a constructors' championship-winning car for the seventh time in his career in 2010, while Sebastian Vettel went on to secure a 14th title derived from involvement with a Newey-designed car.

Speaking on a live phone-in with BBC Radio 5 Live, Webber said: "If anyone should be knighted, and there are plenty of special people out there, but Adrian won't be far off eventually.

"He is a genius, his ability to understand what the car needs aerodynamically is his biggest strength and that's what makes his cars go quickly.

"It's similar to a guy who designs aeroplanes or yachts. He's sensational in understanding what the car needs to generate downforce, which creates lap time, which creates victories.

Webber added that he didn't think it would have been possible for Red Bull to scoop both titles in 2010 without Newey's input: "Adrian is a big, big member of our team and his genius in designing F1 cars is well known.

"He has got a phenomenal record and has won over 100 grands prix. He has won titles for three different teams and wherever he has gone generally it has worked out. Sometimes it takes time obviously, you don't just wave a wand over a car when you first arrive. It took four years with us at Red Bull."



