It’s unlikely you’ll ever get to drive Red Bull’s upcoming RM20 Formula 1 car, but you may soon have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the next best thing.
The Formula 1 constructor’s engineering division, Red Bull Advanced Technology, is hard at work on its first series production car, the RB17. The hybrid hypercar is on pace to make its public debut later this year before going into production in 2025.
Red Bull announced its intention to build the RB17 back in the summer of 2022, but the info regarding the vehicle is only now starting to come together. We’re still waiting to find out what the car will look like—we’ve only seen hints of its aerodynamic profile—but we know that development is being overseen by team CTO Adrian Newey, that it will be a two-seater designed for on-track performance, and that it is set to be built entirely in-house at Red Bull’s 290-acre campus in Milton Keynes, England.
More info has started to filter out thanks to an interview with Newey posted on Red Bull Racing’s YouTube account on Wednesday. During the conversation, the engineer talked as openly as he has up until now about the Mercedes-AMG One competitor. He revealed that the RB17 will be powered by a naturally aspirated V-10 that can generate 1,000 hp, can rev to 15,000 rpm, and is aided by an electric motor that kicks in an additional 200 hp. Newey hopes that the use of a carbon-composite tub will keep the vehicle’s curb weight under 2,000 pounds. We’ll have to wait for more technical details and performance numbers, but it sounds as if the RB17 will be a beast.
“The RB17 distills everything we know about creating championship-winning Formula One cars into a package that delivers extreme levels of performance in a two-seat track car,” Newey said. “Driven by our passion for performance at every level, the RB17 pushes design and technical boundaries far beyond what has been previously available to enthusiasts and collectors.”
Red Bull is now taking inquiries for the RB17. The hypercar is expected to cost £5 million, or around $6.4 million, and production will be limited to just 50 examples. Drivers won’t just get a car for that amount, though. Red Bull says that owners will also be eligible for some VIP perks, like access to premium simulators and on-track training.
