This is the real Red Bull RB17 hypercar and we’ll hear its 15,000rpm V10 soon
Red Bull’s rival to the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, Pagani Huayra R and GMA T.50s Niki Lauda goes to the ultimate extreme
We’ve heard it before, haven’t we? A hypercar that puts ‘Formula 1 performance’ in the hands of mere mortals (albeit very wealthy ones). The last car with this brief was the Aston Martin Valkyrie, and a staggering technical achievement though it is, a fraught development process meant it fell short of its stratospheric initial targets.
Compromise isn’t something F1 design legend and Valkyrie designer Adrian Newey finds easy to leave unresolved and so, finishing what the Valkyrie started, is the Red Bull RB17. This is the true full expression of Adrian Newey’s and Red Bull Advanced Technologies’ engineering and design vision, unrestricted by road or race regulations. The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, Pagani Huayra R and GMA T.50S have a serious rival on their hands.
An initial concept of the car was first revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2024 but even by this time, aero refinement and packaging were well under development. Now 18 months later, Red Bull has revealed more on what the finished article will look like, ahead of physical track testing getting underway this year. It’ll likely show up at a Grand Prix before the end of the year and we wouldn’t be surprised if it made a running appearance on the Goodwood hill in July, too.
The final design shows just how much the RB17 has evolved since that initial styling buck we first saw at its 2024 debut. What you won’t tell straight away from the images is that it’s shrunk too, although it is still comparable with a last-generation F1 car in terms of footprint. The fin above the engine cover, designed to aid high-speed stability, the double-deck front splitter and the rear wing and diffuser - now cut and multi-layered - have all been refined.
There are more vents scythed into that bodywork too, including into the top of the front and rear wings, side pods and on the more prominent central snorkel intake. The exhaust exit is also positioned further up the car’s spine at the base of that snorkel element. It also now has lights, wipers and rear-view mirrors – underrated features indeed.
You’ll hear it before you see it, though. For at its core, bolted directly to its carbonfibre chassis, behind its two-seat cockpit is the 15,000rpm Cosworth-developed 4.5-litre V10 serving as a semi-stressed part of the structure. With the aid of a 197bhp electric motor, peak power is rated at more than 1184bhp, with drive sent to the rear through a six-speed sequential gearbox (the e-motor takes care of reverse), with new software to manage the transmission and reduce gear teeth wear. The top speed is over 217mph.
Despite the otherworldly performance, the RB17 has been designed to be accessible for a range of driver skill levels thanks to active suspension and aerodynamics. The ride height can adjust to change the car’s mechanical balance and roll as well as control how much ground effect-powered downforce it generates.
There are also movable elements in the front and rear wings to adapt to different circuit conditions and driving styles. Peak downforce is 1700kg – almost twice the weight of the car itself (sub-900kg was the target with no final figure given yet). There’s also hydraulic power steering, traction control and ABS for the carbon-carbon braking system, and a choice of 18-inch carbonfibre wheels with custom Michelin slick tyres or 20-inch items wearing treaded tyres.
The RB17 has also been designed to be more habitable than all-out race cars, with a relatively roomy and highly adjustable cockpit with space for helmets and race suits. Controls will be physical, tactile items, with touch and haptic interfaces being swerved entirely. It’s also durable enough to run a 24 hour race without servicing. The engine could be good for a higher redline, however Red Bull deemed the extra 5000rpm that would have it matching old F1 V10s not worth the sacrifice in reliability and ease of use.
This engine has been designed to avoid the need for numerous personnel in a pit garage just to get it fired up and last 20- to 30-times longer than the Silverstone Grand Prix’s 300km race distance, or more than the record race distance for a Le Mans 24 Hours, between major services, let alone rebuilds. Scheduled maintenance will be carried out at the Red Bull Advanced Technologies HQ (major services are every 5000 miles). It can even run on 98RON pump fuel.
Red Bull will sell 50 RB17s, with customers invited to take part in exclusive track days around the world with driver coaching and car setup support. Simulator sessions will also be offered to get a taste of the RB17’s performance and driving characteristics before strapping into the real car. The cost? Still nothing announced as yet, though Red Bull revealed an estimate of £5 million (plus taxes) in 2022, making the RB17 twice the price of a Valkyrie. And that’s before you’ve taken it to Lanzante to make it road legal…
