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.<\/p>\n
Wilson, of New Zealand, is highly regarded within motorsport circles having trained a number of leading racing drivers over the years.<\/p>\n
Adrian Newey donates \u00a310,000 to Rob Wilson fundraiser<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n A key part of Wilson\u2019s lessons, which take place in a normal road car at Bruntingthorpe airfield in the United Kingdom, is his so-called \u2018flat car\u2019 philosophy.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n A GoFundMe page<\/a> has been set up for Wilson, who is awaiting a life-saving kidney transplant.<\/p>\n At the time of writing, the fundraiser has raised \u00a3162,621 of the \u00a3185,000 target.<\/p>\n Go deeper: When Rob Wilson taught Adrian Newey a trick or two<\/p>\n Why Adrian Newey\u2019s private Alonso talks are so important for Aston Martin<\/a><\/p>\n F1 aerodynamics: How to see air like Adrian Newey | The Tech Check Up<\/a><\/p>\n It has emerged that Newey, who is known to be a friend of Wilson, has donated \u00a310,000 to the fundraiser, with a number of other high-profile F1 figures making contributions.<\/p>\n These include Bottas (\u00a35,000) and Perez (\u00a34,298), as well as Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough (\u00a3500) and recently departed Audi F1 team principal Jonathan Wheatley (\u00a3950).<\/p>\n McLaren chief executive Zak Brown (\u00a37,500), Sky F1 pundit Karun Chandhok (\u00a32,000), former Jordan and HRT racer Narain Karthikeyan (\u00a32,022), ex-McLaren racer Mark Blundell (\u00a31,000) and Sauber stalwart Beat Zehnder (\u00a3473) have also been named on the list of donations.<\/p>\n Other notable figures from the world of motorsport to make donations include British Touring Car Championship chief Alan Gow (\u00a35,000), Hayden Paddon\u2019s Hyundai WRC co-driver John Kennard (\u00a3200), NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson (\u00a31,488), experienced endurance racer Marino Franchitti (\u00a3100) and West Surrey Racing team boss Dick Bennetts (\u00a3100).<\/p>\n Raikkonen\u2019s long-serving manager Steve Robertson (\u00a35,000) and former McLaren and Aston Martin communications chief Matt Bishop (\u00a3100) have also made donations.<\/p>\n The GoFundMe page reads: \u201cRob Wilson is a living motor racing legend and driver trainer.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of you will know Rob has been in kidney failure for nearly two years and has been awaiting a life-saving kidney transplant.<\/p>\n \u201cRob 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.<\/p>\n \u201cA small miracle has occurred where a living donor has offered Rob their kidney.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough the transplant itself is within the NHS there are considerable costs to make this happen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have insisted that the donor not be directly financially disadvantaged through his generous act.<\/p>\n \u201cThis incredible man is Rob\u2019s doctor Dr Georges Kaye and runs one of London\u2019s best private practices.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis fundraiser will literally save Rob\u2019s life.<\/p>\n \u201cThis fundraiser has been organized by a group of Rob\u2019s close friends who have also contributed to the fund.<\/p>\n \u201cThe money will be used for direct medical expenses and medical preparation and support along with out-of-pocket expenses for the donor\u2019s clinic and other costs.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n