Red Bull RB17 hypercar revealed

Adrian Newey’s Red Bull RB17 track-only hypercar stole the show at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed as the Formula 1 team celebrated its 20th year.

The 65-year-old designer was on hand for the proud unveiling of his pet project – and even his imminent departure from the team didn’t overshadow the occasion.

The RB17 has been created in-house by Red Bull Advanced Technologies and will lap at equivalent speeds to an F1 car. The two-seat carbon-fibre chassis is mated to a Cosworth-developed normally aspirated V10 punching out 1184bhp, for a top speed of 217mph. Less than 900kg, it’s significantly lighter than the current generation of hybrid F1 cars. A limited run of 50 will be made, with tests beginning next summer – after Newey’s departure.

“I’d been mulling 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,” said Newey. “It embraces everything we stand for: undeniable power, speed and beauty.”