Update: this post has been updated to include a statement from Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
One of the most distinctive features of older F1 cars was how ear-piercingly loud they were. Clearly, Red Bull Racing’s head of design, Adrian Newey, remembers that time fondly because his company’s first hypercar, the RB17, will feature a V10 engine that can rev all the way up to 15,000 rpm.
In a recent video released via Oracle Red Bull Racing, the legendary designer says he was encouraged by the unique sound of late ’90s F1 cars, whose high-revving V10 engines could not only be heard, but also felt when they were running. the track. .
Newey says that in order to make the hypercar he designs for Red Bull Advanced Technologies emotional and exciting, he opted for a naturally aspirated V10 engine as a power unit.
Interestingly, a first edition of the press release attached to the video reported that the engine would be a V8. We reached out to Red Bull Advanced Technologies, who proved that, despite previous reports that the car would run on an eight-cylinder engine, the company had to upgrade it to a V10 with air spring valves.
The designer added that the engine will produce around 1,000 hp (746 kW/1,014 hp), and that it will be aided by a two-hundred-hp (149 kW/203 hp) electric motor that serves a variety of purposes, adding that it replaces the former. engine. Speed, reverse, offers torque when shifting, as well as offering a little extra oomph.
Therefore, it would not be unexpected for the car to focus on track driving. While Newey says he wants the car to be so rugged and capable that it sparks admiration in the driver, he also wants it to be available to anyone who wants to buy it. As a result, the cockpit will be larger than that of its other hypercar, the Aston Martin Valkyrie, and as part of the £5 million ($6. 38 million at current exchange rate) acquisition value, Red Bull’s education and simulator will be available to buyers to prepare them for the car.
Read: Red Bull to unveil $6 million RB17 hypercar in 2024 with 1,233bhp
Although it has two seats and can be driven by amateurs, the RB17 will be a monster of the track. Newey states that “the car, if driven by a professional driver, is capable of setting lap times in Formula 1. “Its curb weight is less than 900 kg (1,984 lbs), its enormous power, its active suspension, and its downforce limited to 1. 7 tons.
Given its maximum value and performance, production will be strictly limited to just 50 games (or 49 once Newey has his own), and progression is moving at a rapid pace. Red Bull Advanced Technology is already accepting expressions of interest and the design will be presented this summer. Track testing will begin in 2025 and production will begin a year later.