Red Bull Is Working On A Hypercar

Called the RB17, the two-seater performance machine will debut in 2025.

The Red Bull Racing Group (RBRG) is a renowned entity in motorsports. The company is responsible for creating some of the best performance machines that compete in the ruthless worlds of Formula One, Formula E and Formula 2. RBRG’s success over the years has helped it become a wholesome brand that can produce vehicles in-house. So, why just create racing cars?

That’s precisely what the company thought. Hence, it summoned its engineering arm – Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) – to create something more accessible to people. Obliged, I’d like to believe, was the team as it could infuse the learnings from the world of motorsports in something that’ll have more than one seat, windows and even a roof. And RBAT has already christened the upcoming car. It’ll be called RB17.

To most out there, RB17 might sound like the model of an office printer. However, there’s a nomenclature game going on here. RB, unsurprisingly, stands for Red Bull. And 17? Well, that fills a gap left conveniently. RBRG’s F1 entrant in 2020 was the RB16. In 2021, the name changed to RB16B. And this year’s model is the RB18. Red Bull has even released a rather lengthy teaser:

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Back to RB17. The project head is Adrian Newey, the CTO of Oracle Red Bull Racing and RBAT. “RB17 is a two-seat hypercar optimized for the ultimate on-track driving experience”, says RBAT. So, a track-only monster. Don’t fret. There are more details. The car will have a twin-turbo hybrid V8 engine, pumping out over 1,100bhp. Clever aero and lightweight construction will play their part too. For instance, the RB17 is designed around a carbon-composite tub.

The production begins in 2025. Just 50 examples will be made, all at the Red Bull Technology campus in Milton Keynes, England. Price? That starts at GBP 5 million, excluding taxes. Clearly, only the uber-wealthy and fast car-loving people will show interest. In fact, the booking counter is already open. And all those who buy the RB17 will also get access to the Red Bull Racing team’s simulators, vehicle development programs and on-track training experiences.

Rivals for the RB17? Think of it as an alternative to the Aston Martin Valkyrie and the Mercedes-AMG One. That should put things in perspective.