Red Bull unveiled its long-awaited RB17 hypercar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this week. While the specs of the car and its design drew in overwhelmingly positive reviews, there was one aspect that raised a few eyebrows, including that of designer Adrian Newey’s,
Red Bull will build only 50 models of the RB17 and each one will cost around $7.8 million. Newey seemed skeptical about its pricing, which he admitted during an interview in Goodwood.
“That’s the embarrassing bit and I still feel embarrassed,” he said. “It’s obviously very expensive.”
️ | Adrian Newey on not too proud of the price of RB17 and he’ll be owning one of them
“That’s the embarrassing bit and I still feel embarrassed. It’s 5.75 million, it’s obviously very expensive but to do it to the level that we’ve done with the design, research and… pic.twitter.com/XCDzssA0fT
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At the same time, the RB17 is unlike any car that has ever been built before. Taking inspiration from real-life F1 cars, its top speed of 230 mph and its weight being just under 2000 pounds make it an ideal car to drive around its circuits. It is also why Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner sees the RB17 making its debut in Le Mans sometime in the future.
Newey recognizes this and added, “To do it to the level that we’ve done with design, research, and manufacturing. Unfortunately, it’s how much that’s going to be.”
The main reason why the car is so expensive is its limited production. Red Bull wants to keep its focus on the F1 Championship. Since the car will be built-in-house with Cosworth, unlike Aston Martin which has a dedicated road cars manufacturing facility, the number has been kept at 50.
However, despite its high price, the RB17 is expected to be sold out.
“Very much a Formula 1 car” – Newey on the RB17
Per Red Bull, the RB17 can complete a lap around a racing track at the same time an F1 car clocks. In fact, it could go faster.
This is because the RB17 uses several components that have been previously used in F1. With no FIA regulation holding Newey back, the 65-year-old went berserk in molding this beast to his liking.
“The assembly of the car can also be the same as we do in Formula 1. It’s very much a Formula 1 car in every sense but applied to very different fields,” said Newey.
The RB17 is one-of-a-kind. And Horner even suggested that three-time World Champion Max Verstappen will find it difficult to harness the full power of this new hypercar.
