Breaking Red Bull F1 Pattern Inspired the Name of Adrian Newey’s $6.2 Million Hypercar

Adrian Newey, the brilliant mind behind six Red Bull championship-winning cars, is currently immersed in the highly anticipated RB17 Hypercar project. This venture has been in development for several years and will mark the debut production of Red Bull Advanced Technologies. What sets the $6.2 million RB17 apart is the intriguing nomenclature surrounding its name. However, the veil of mystery has now been lifted by Adrian Newey himself.

In a recent Red Bull podcast, the show’s host Polly directly inquired to Newey about the distinctive choice of naming the RB17 Hypercar. Responding to this, Newey said,

“What caused it was COVID effectively. The RB16 was the car we raced in 2020 which was then going to be replaced by RB17 for the 2021 season. But with COVID getting in the way, the regulations changed, and we had to race the 2020 car and modify it for ’21.”

Newey added that because of these circumstances, the RB17 never materialized into a Formula One car. He went on to explain that after his team at Advanced Technology took over his designs, everything fell into place chronologically.

However, Newey also stressed how he came up with the concept of the $6.2 million hypercar. He clarified that after creating designs that took into account packaging, aerodynamic shape, and the basic wheelbase, he and his team established some goals.

Additionally, Newey also said that from that point onward, he and the team divided the process into groups. Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBATS) follows a structure similar to any other Formula One team, comprising three key departments. When describing them, Newey identified aerodynamics, mechanical design, and vehicle dynamics. Moreover, Newey emphasizes that he and RBATS conduct weekly meetings to ensure that all team members are on the same page of development.

All about the Adrian Newey’s RB17 Hypercar

The RB17 stands out as a unique edition of a road car envisioned by Adrian Newey. The aerodynamic expert conceived the entire design amid the UK’s Covid lockdown. However, in terms of recent progress on the car, the RB17 is currently undergoing phases of design, engineering, and development. Intriguingly, the Milton Keynes-based team has chosen to restrict the production of this car to a mere 50 units.

The RB17 will also go through a fully internal manufacturing process. Apparently, this comes as a significant departure from Newey’s prior approach during his joint development of the Valkyrie with Aston Martin. Besides this, the RB17 will be noteworthy not only for its historical significance but also for delivering unparalleled performance.

This Newey masterpiece has many characteristics, including cutting-edge ground effects and engineering solutions from Red Bull’s F1 program. However, while turning attention to the Powertrain, the RB17’s twin-turbo V-8 engine, inclusive of a hybrid component, produces over 1100 horsepower.

However, even though the team is working on its own F1 engine development, there has been no formal recognition of the organization that’ll provide the RB17 engine. That being said, there are also some hints that the engine production may involve a third party. According to the reports, Red Bull’s cooperation with Ford for power trains may also apply to the RB17.