One of the best engineers and designers of Formula 1 cars as well as road-legal ones like the impressive Aston Martin Valkyrie, Adrian Newey, is developing a brand new hypercar, the RB17, in cooperation with Red Bull. The car was announced in mid-2022, and now we have more information about it.
Although it was said at the time that the car will be powered by a hybrid V8 engine with more than 1,200 hp (883 kW), according to Adrian, this will not happen. Under the hood will be a naturally aspirated V10 engine (around 1,000 hp) combined with an electric motor (200 hp / 149 kW). The reason is Newey’s wish for the car to be similar to F1 cars from the 90s.
“The RB17 will summarize everything we know about creating Formula 1 championship cars into one package that will deliver extreme levels of performance in a two-seater dedicated track. Driven by our passion for performance at every level, the RB17 pushes design and technical boundaries far beyond what has previously been available to enthusiasts and collectors,” said Newey in 2022.
The car should weigh less than 1,000 kg and create a downforce of 1.7 tons at a speed of 242 km/h, while the downforce of its own weight will reach 193 km/h. Also, it should be the most aerodynamic car in history, and will have a new diffuser and multi-functional active suspension that allows the driver to change the mechanical balance of grip between both axles, making it more comfortable than an F1 car and an LMP1 race car.
Red Bull will produce only 50 examples of this car and future RB17 owners will have access to the Red Bull F1 simulator as well as track training. All this is included in the price of the hyper car, which will cost around 5 million pounds. Production will begin in 2025.
Source: Red Bull