Adrian Newey hails ‘special moment’ after groundbreaking Red Bull reunion

The Red Bull RB17 is unlike anything else on four wheels, and its maiden run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed was always going to be something worth watching.

Designed by Adrian Newey as a personal farewell project before his move to Aston Martin, the RB17 is the first hypercar ever built in-house by Red Bull Advanced Technologies. It is, in essence, an F1 car wearing the disguise of a two-seater road-legal machine. 

Even the name carries symbolic weight, bridging the gap between the RB16B and the RB18 that Red Bull raced in 2022 — a gap that had always existed in the team's F1 naming convention.

The mechanical specification reads like a fever dream for any motorsport enthusiast. A naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V10 from Cosworth, paired with an electric motor, produces a combined 1,200 horsepower, all housed within a carbon monocoque that keeps the total weight below 900 kg. 

Technologies banned from Formula 1, including active suspension and advanced ground effect, allow the car to generate a staggering 1,700 kg of downforce. Simulation data suggests the RB17 is capable of matching genuine F1 lap times at circuits such as Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.

Just 50 examples will be produced worldwide, each carrying a price tag north of six million euros. Buyers will also gain exclusive access to a dedicated track and simulator programme designed to help them unlock the car's extreme capabilities.

Before any of those fortunate owners get their hands on it, though, Newey himself was first to put the car through its paces at Goodwood. The legendary designer tackled the famous hillclimb, a moment that felt undeniably significant for both the man and the brand he spent so many years defining.

The footage that emerged was suitably eye-catching. The RB17 was nowhere near its performance ceiling on the hillclimb, but Newey nonetheless provided a tantalising first glimpse of what this remarkable machine is genuinely capable of.

"It's an incredibly special moment," Newey told the official Goodwood FOS broadcast. "It's been a very long time in the planning. I think I did my very first sketch for the car over Christmas in 2021, but it's been a long time in gestation. 

"The guys – everybody, the guys and girls back at the factory – have done a really amazing [job] to get it here. Yeah, it's really special to have the car here and to drive up the hill for the first time."

Check out the first images of Newey in the RB17 below!