Red Bull Racing and Adrian Newey plan RB17 hypercar for 2025
Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the engineering arm of the Red Bull Racing F1 team, is deep into the development of an F1-inspired hypercar.
Red Bull and Newey were previously involved in the development of the Aston Martin Valkyrie, but left the project when Aston Martin decided to end its partnership with Red Bull in early 2020 and focus on its own F1 team.
Red Bull's new hypercar is called the RB17, originally named for Red Bull's 2021 F1 car, but will eventually become the RB16B and just 50 will be built starting in 2025, with prices starting at 5 million British pounds (about $6.12 million), Orders are currently being accepted. As part of the ownership experience, a close relationship with Red Bull will be established through access to the team's simulator and on-track training experiences; the RB17 will also be supported directly by the team, including service and maintenance support.
Newey, Red Bull's chief technical officer, has designed several championship-winning Formula One cars and the Valkyrie road car. Unlike the Valkyrie, however, the RB17 is being developed purely as a track car, which means that the design team will have far fewer constraints. In other words, the constraints placed on the design team are much less. This is important since one of the main goals is to create a car that provides a true F1 experience with the driver behind the wheel.
The RB17 will be a carbon fiber, closed-cockpit two-seater. It will be powered by a V-8 engine in a hybrid configuration with a maximum output of over 1,100 hp.
"The RB17 distills everything we know about building championship-winning F1 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 all levels, the RB17 pushes the design and technical envelope far beyond anything previously offered to enthusiasts and collectors."
For those wondering what an F1 car designed by Newey would look like without the hassle of pesky racing regulations, recall that he has designed several such cars for the "Gran Turismo" video game series. Most recently, the 2014 Red Bull X2014 could be a clue to the RB17's design.
Red Bull has not said when the RB17 will be unveiled. However, the team plans to release more information as development progresses. Stay tuned.