Newey to finish RB17 hypercar before leaving Red Bull

The Red Bull RB17 will be revealed later this year, and Formula 1 design legend Adrian Newey will stay at Milton Keynes to «focus on final development and delivery» of the hypercar.

Powered by a mild-hybrid V8 engine producing an eye-watering 1250bhp, the RB17 has been described by Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) CEO Christian Horner as “Newey unleashed”.

It will now become Newey's primary focus following his decision to immediately step back from Formula 1 design duties and leave Red Bull altogether in early 2025.

Newey will «remain involved in and committed to this exciting project until its completion», Red Bull said in a statement on Wednesday.

The 65-year-old had long wished to build a car unfettered by sporting regulations or road car legislation, hence RBAT's latest in-house project.

Due for delivery in 2025, the RB17 has been designed with a minimum of compromises and is aimed primarily at track-day applications.

Horner previously told Autocar that the closed-roof hypercar could be made road-legal should owners wish to convert them to meet local traffic regulations.

A limited production run of 50 units, built at the rate of 15 per year, is planned. Most of them have already been sold.

The RB17 is said to be a natural progression from the Newey-designed Aston Martin Valkyrie, which is now with customers after a lengthy gestation.

Asked how the RB17 came about, Horner told Autocar: “Adrian wanted to do a car [for us] back in 2014, and at that point in time, we found a route through that by doing all the design work for the Valkyrie in partnership with Aston Martin.

“[The] Valkyrie is a stunning vehicle and I’m sure it will be a great success, but you’re always learning, whether in Formula 1 or on the advanced technologies side.