Adrian Newey may have moved on from Red Bull Racing in F1, but his fingerprints are still all over one of the wildest cars the motorsport world has seen in years. The final production design of the Red Bull RB17 hypercar is now out in the open, and it has sent the motorsport world straight into overdrive.
A Farewell Gift From Design Genius Adrian Newey
The RB17 is not a race car in the traditional sense, as it will never line up on an F1 grid or chase trophies on Sunday afternoons. Instead, it is Newey’s purest expression of speed and airflow, built without the usual rulebook that governs F1 design, and with the production body now revealed through Top Gear, the RB17 feels less like a concept and more like a statement.
Newey is widely regarded as the most influential aerodynamicist in modern F1 history, as his designs have helped Red Bull win multiple world championships with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, and his career also includes title-winning cars at Williams and McLaren.
After stepping away from Red Bull to join Aston Martin last season, Newey has remained closely connected to the RB17 project by offering guidance and feedback as it evolved.
The RB17 was developed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies, which is the engineering arm behind the F1 team, and according to the technical director of the program, Rob Gray, one of Newey’s final design changes included moving the exhaust outlet onto the spine of the engine cover.
It was a bold choice that created serious heat management challenges, but it also sharpened the car’s aerodynamic efficiency. That kind of decision sums up Newey’s approach perfectly, where performance comes first, and the engineering challenge is simply part of the project.
Visually, the production version has evolved from the prototype shown at Goodwood last year, as the RB17 now features slimmer cooling vents, more of them spread across the body, along with L-shaped LED headlights, proper mirrors, and even a wiper. A large fin running over the engine cover gives it a Le Mans-style look while also improving stability at extreme speeds.
A Hypercar Built To Think Like an F1 Car
What really sets the RB17 apart is what it promises on track, as Red Bull claims the car could produce up to 5 G of lateral load due to the addition of a fan-assisted aerodynamic system. That figure is firmly in F1 territory, and it explains why the cockpit is surrounded by serious crash structures similar to those used in endurance racing.
Inside, the car avoids fancy gimmicks, as there are no touchscreens or flashy displays, and instead, drivers get a rectangular steering wheel with a central screen and physical dials, plus tactile controls on the center console. Red Bull has made it clear that everything must be easy to use while driving at the limit, which fits the car’s purpose perfectly.
Power comes from a Cosworth-built 4.5-liter V10 engine paired with an electric motor, which produces a combined output of around 1,200 horsepower. The engine revs to a staggering 15,000 rpm, and the electric motor also acts as a reverse gear, saving weight in the six-speed sequential gearbox. Red Bull is targeting a curb weight of under 900 kilograms, which is remarkable for a two-seater with hybrid power.
The RB17 is priced at more than £5 million ($6.7 million), yet all 50 examples have already been allocated, and testing is expected to take place at various F1 circuits over the summer, with full production planned for 2025.
Unsurprisingly, fan reaction has been intense as social media quickly filled with praise, with many pointing out how closely the RB17’s design echoes the Aston Martin Valkyrie, another Newey creation.
One fan wrote, “You can See neweys influence on both the valkyrie and now the rb17.” While another wrote, “That thing looks insane already. Can’t wait to hear it scream on track.” And another wrote, “Looks incredibly similar to the Valkyrie AMR Pro. I guess that’s what we get with the same designer.”
The RB17 may never race, but Newey’s work continues to inspire awe even when it exists outside the championship he helped shape for decades.
