Max Verstappen has high hopes for the Red Bull RB17 hypercar project, which Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s chief technical officer, is in charge of. This project could result in a future Le Mans entry.
The dominant force in the sport has made no secret of his desire to compete in the prestigious 24-hour race in the future, explaining that his other goals in endurance racing prevent him from seeing his Formula 1 career last into his 40s.
Verstappen declared after winning his third World championship in Qatar in 2023, “I definitely want to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but everything has to fall into place.
I’m not in the mood to simply show up and fill the field. I want to be well-prepared so I can compete and win. Naturally, there is a BoP [Balance of Performance] that makes it somewhat challenging, but I only want to take part if we are in a competitive environment.
.If possible, taking part in the RB17 would be fantastic. Who is to say?
Let’s examine the Red Bull RB17 now that it has been revealed as a concept and speculate on what the future may hold for the Newey-designed hypercar.
The Red Bull RB17 is what?
The Red Bull RB17, which will make use of Newey’s well-known expertise in ground effect aerodynamics in a track-only configuration, was unveiled at a press conference in June 2022 that also featured Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. The RB17 was created in collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
The RB17 is so named to follow the naming convention of the team’s Formula 1 cars, but due to the 2021 Red Bull being named the RB16B and the 2022 car being named the RB18, this left a gap to fill – which the hypercar will make its own.
Newey has already completed a hypercar design in recent years, heading up the design process of the Aston Martin Valkyrie when the brand was partnered with Red Bull, but the RB17 will be designed under Red Bull’s own moniker, and is due for release in 2025.
What do we know about the technical specification of the Red Bull RB17?
Red Bull announced that the production of the RB17 will begin in 2025, and it will be a “track-only specification for the purest execution of an F1-inspired hypercar.”
It will be a two-seater powered by a V8 twin-turbo hybrid engine that Red Bull say will produce in excess of 1,100bhp, featuring an energy recovery system [ERS] that has now been a long-standing feature of Formula 1 cars.
The car itself will be designed around a carbon composite tub that will use ground effect aerodynamics – the same style used on Formula 1 cars – generating significant downforce from the floor the car.
Due to the lack of technical restrictions on the car, the RB17 will also feature some of Newey’s most famous Formula 1 innovations from his time in the sport, such as active suspension that propelled Williams to dominance in the early 1990s, as well as blown exhausts, an innovation that catapulted Red Bull towards the front of the field in 2009.
Flexible skirts will also be used on the RB17 to maximise the ground effect aerodynamics in place.
Newey said of the RB17: “The RB17 distills everything we know about creating championship-winning Formula 1 cars into a package that delivers extreme levels of performance in a two-seat track car.
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.”
How many will be made, and how much will the Red Bull RB17 cost?
Only 50 of the RB17 are being produced at a rate of roughly 15 per year, with costs starting at £5 million (plus local taxes). Although potential customers were encouraged to express their interest directly to Red Bull, the majority of them have already been purchased before the product has even been produced.
The team will provide direct maintenance and service support “tailored to each owner” and how frequently they will use the car, and RB17 owners will also receive access to Red Bull simulators, on-track training, and additional experiences as part of the price.
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