Team principal Christian Horner has officially confirmed the unveiling of the Red Bull RB17, marking Red Bull’s foray into the hypercar realm. In an interview with Sky Sports, Horner revealed details about the mild-hybrid, 1250bhp V8 hypercar set to make its debut in 2024.
Scheduled for delivery in 2025, the RB17 is meticulously designed with a focus on track-day applications, minimizing compromises. Horner hinted in a previous interview with Autocar that the closed-roof vehicle could potentially be adapted for road legality to adhere to local traffic regulations, catering to a broader audience.
Limited to a production run of 50 units, with an annual output of 15, the RB17 has already secured a significant portion of its allocation through pre-sales. Described by Horner as “Adrian Newey unleashed,” the hypercar is the result of Formula 1’s renowned designer, Newey, fulfilling his long-standing desire to create a car without the constraints of sporting regulations or road car legislation.
Formally known as RB17, the hypercar adopts its nomenclature to address a gap in Red Bull’s F1 car naming strategy caused by regulatory changes during the Covid era. The RB18 is earmarked for the 2024 F1 season.
Technical director Rob Gray highlighted that the hypercar’s production would be predominantly handled in-house, with select components like glass and gear clusters outsourced.
Horner said: “It will sound fantastic, like a track car should.” He declined to reveal powertrain details but said the power unit will be produced to “our specification by a third party”, not by the Red Bull Powertrains division, currently gearing up for a post-2025 F1 power unit.
Newey said the power unit will be a twin-turbo V8, with the energy recovery system (ERS) primarily providing torque fill and reducing throttle lag under acceleration. “[ERS] also helps in other areas, which I don’t really want to go into at the moment,” he said, smiling.
Horner estimates that the car will cost around £5 million plus applicable taxes.