fbpx
Cars > Peek

Red Bull finally unveils RB17 hypercar

With 1,200hp, weight of 899.9kg, and lots of downforce at speed

Adrian Newey finally gets to make his wild dreams a reality. PHOTO FROM RED BULL

Red Bull Advanced Technologies, Red Bull Racing’s hypercar subsidiary, has finally unveiled its long-awaited RB17 car.

The RB17 is the work of Adrian Newey, perhaps Formula 1’s most celebrated aerodynamicist and designer in recent years, having designed three championship-winning F1 cars in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

While less dominant this year, it seems Red Bull is in a very strong position to pull a four-peat in the championship with Max Verstappen.

What we have here is essentially a closed-cockpit F1 car. PHOTOS FROM RED BULL

The RB17 is a carbon-fiber monocoque masterpiece for two in a slightly staggered arrangement, with a mid-mounted semi-stressed F1-derived V10 engine redlined at a stratospheric 15,000rpm.

Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential carbon-fiber gearbox developed by British racing driveline specialist Xtrac.

Of course, things are cranked up to 11 with aspects like a glorious V10 engine. PHOTOS FROM RED BULL

It weighs 899.9kg (1,984lb), yet the screaming Cosworth-developed V10 delivers 1,000hp, while an electric motor adds another 200hp to the equation, yielding a combined system output of 1,200hp. Enough for a 350km/h top speed. Red Bull promises the RB17 to deliver F1-esque lap times and performance.

The suspension also looks straight out of F1, with front and rear pushrod-style suspension and carbon-ceramic brake discs on all four corners.

Remember the Red Bull X2010 from 'Gran Turismo 5'? This is its spiritual successor. PHOTO FROM RED BULL

As with any Adrian Newey special, the magic lies in the advanced and complex aerodynamics.

The RB17 aims to develop a massive 1,700kg of downforce at only 240km/h through its active front and rear aero elements, and through a complicated network of channels, ducts, vents, and tunnels that wrap around the RB17’s semi-exposed bodywork.

Michelin is also a technical partner, with Red Bull working with the French tire brand in developing three types of bespoke tire compounds to be made available to the very select and exclusive group of 50 buyers.

The price? It’s estimated to be a cool £5.8 million (P440,000,000) for this track-only hypercar.



Botchi Santos

Botchi is your friendly, walking car encyclopedia. He loves helping people choose the right vehicle for themselves as much as he enjoys picking the right one for himself. Expect him to write about car culture, test drives and car-shopping advice. His regular column is called ‘Car Life’.



Comments