Red Bull has revealed the final design of its first hypercar, the RB17, with Adrian Newey having still been in consult about the car.
The famed designer had been working on the Red Bull track car prior to his move to Aston Martin, but has remained a phonecall away for Red Bull Advanced Technologies as its design comes to fruition.
Red Bull reveals final design of RB17 as Adrian Newey influence revisited
Newey had been working on the track-going hypercar, its name filling the gap between the team’s 2021 and 2022 challengers, the RB16B and the RB18, in collaboration with Red Bull’s Advanced Technologies division.
A prototype of the car was unveiled at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, but significant design updates have taken place since as the car prepares to go into production.
Only 50 RB17 models will be made, with a bespoke 4.5-litre Cosworth V10 revving up to 15,000rpm, generating more than 1,000bhp along with an electric motor which can bring an extra 200 horsepower.
One of Adrian Newey’s final influences on the RB17 was changing its exhaust position.
RBAT’s technical director, Rob Gray, told TopGear.com about the changes made to the car, revealing that Newey has still been allowed to have an input on the design of the car, despite his move to Aston Martin.
“Adrian’s allowed [to consult on the project], and he’s still interested in what’s going on,” Gray explained.
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“But to an extent we got what we needed from him, we know what he wanted the car to look like and he’s always on the end of the phone if we need him.
“One of the last changes Adrian made was to move the exhaust onto the spine of the engine cover. That’s quite a big change, and led to a lot of work on the thermal side of things – to stop bits catching fire.”
The first RB17 test model has been put into production, but the RB17 models to be made available for customers are likely to be produced in spring 2027 – with multiple reports having predicted a price tag upwards of £5million has been placed on the car.
Red Bull revealed upon the announcement of the car, however, that the price entails more than just a car itself, but will be bespoke tailored for each buyer and “access to simulators, vehicle program development and on-track training and experiences”, run through Red Bull Racing.
Newey said upon the covers being pulled away from the car at Goodwood in 2024: “I had been mulling around the idea to take on the challenge to design our very own Hypercar, from concept to delivery, for many years and it has been a magnificent project and journey.
“The RB17 Hypercar embraces everything we stand for: undeniable power, speed and beauty.
“It is very adaptable in its abilities, and we made sure to design it as a two seater so that the thrill of driving at F1 speeds can be enjoyed with a friend or partner.”
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