Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the engineering arm of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, is deep into development of an F1-inspired hypercar—and star aerodynamicist Adrian Newey is attached.
Red Bull and Newey were both previously attached to the Aston Martin Valkyrie but left the project after Aston Martin ended its partnership with Red Bull to focus on its own F1 team at the start of 2020.
The new Red Bull hypercar will go by the name RB17, a name originally pegged for Red Bull's 2021 F1 car which ended up as the RB16B, and just 50 examples will be built starting from 2025. Production will take place at Red Bull's headquarters in Milton Keynes, U.K.
Teaser for Red Bull RB17 hypercar
The RB17's pricing starts at 5 million British pounds (approximately $6.12 million) and the order books are currently open. Part of the ownership experience will be a close association with Red Bull through access to the team's simulators as well as on-track training experiences. The RB17 will also be supported directly by the team, for example servicing and maintenance support.
Newey, who serves as chief technical officer for Red Bull, has designed multiple championship-winning F1 cars, and one road car, the Valkyrie. However, unlike the Valkyrie, the RB17 is being developed purely as a track car, meaning there will be a lot fewer restrictions placed on the design team. This is important as one of the main goals is a car that can deliver a true F1 experience from behind the wheel.
The RB17 will be a two-seater with carbon-fiber construction and a closed cockpit. It will have more than 1,100 hp, generated via a V-8 engine in a hybrid configuration, and the targeted weight is around 2,000 pounds.
Adrian Newey
“The RB17 distills everything we know about creating championship-winning Formula 1 cars into a package that delivers extreme levels of performance in a two-seat track car,” Newey said in a statement. “Driven by our passion for performance at every level, the RB17 pushes design and technical boundaries far beyond what has been previously available to enthusiasts and collectors.”
If you're wondering what an F1 car designed by Newey without all of the pesky racing regulations to deal with might look like, recall that he's designed a handful of such cars for the “Gran Turismo” video game series. The most recent was 2014's Red Bull X2014, which may provide clues to the design of the RB17.
Red Bull hasn't said when the RB17 will be revealed. However, the team plans to drop more information as development progresses. Stay tuned.
