F1 legend Adrian Newey makes Red Bull return to launch one last rocket ship

Red Bull, Newey, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey makes Red Bull return to launch one last rocket ship

Adrian Newey's hypercar will debut this weekend

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 8 July 2026 19:42

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Adrian Newey's 'parting gift' to Red Bull will make its running debut this weekend, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

F1 design legend Newey left Red Bull in 2024, but for the final few months of his tenure as chief technical officer, the Brit was working solely on a non-F1 project.

Newey was busy working on his RB17 design, a hypercar which would revolutionise the sportscar industry, and be accessible for anybody with a spare £5million to be able to buy.

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The project was completed in 2025, but was the brainchild of Newey, who has since gone on to become team principal and managing technical partner of the Aston Martin F1 team.

Now, it's been revealed Newey himself will be driving the RB17 when it makes its official running debut at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The iconic motorsport event features a hillclimb, and Red Bull have confirmed to GPFans that the first Thursday hillclimb of the entire event will be tackled by Newey himself in the impressive RB17 hypercar.

Red Bull drivers Isack Hadjar, Yuki Tsunoda and Alisha Palmowski will also be driving the RB17 throughout the four-day event, as Goodwood fans get treated to seeing some of the best racing drivers in the world taking the RB17 for a spin.

Red Bull took to their social media pages to show the RB17 being fired up, describing it as 'a moment five years in the making'.

Newey's RB17 specifications

At the heart of the hypercar lies a two-seat carbon fibre monocoque chassis. Power comes from a naturally aspirated mid-mounted V10 engine that screams to a stratospheric 15,000rpm, working in tandem with a carbon fibre gearbox to propel the rear wheels.

This fearsome combination promises top speeds exceeding 350 kilometres per hour, with the car also having advanced ground effects and equipped with an energy recovery system (ERS), which has been a long-standing feature of F1 cars.

The car weighs under 900kg, and has an impressive 1,200 horsepower, meaning it can produce lap times that are equivalent to F1 cars. Rumours have suggested that, in a recent test, the RB17 completed a lap of the Spa Francorchamps circuit one second faster than an F1 qualifying lap at the home of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Although the car was available to be bought by anybody who had the money, only 50 were actually produced, making it an incredibly rare machine.

Most of the high-performance vehicles were snapped up even before production had officially started in early 2025. RB17 owners were also invited to on-track training, Red Bull simulators and other experiences as part of the £5million price tag.

At the time of the car's reveal back in 2024, Newey said: "I had been mulling around the idea to take on the challenge to design our very own Hypercar, from concept to delivery, for many years and it has been a magnificent project and journey. For it to finally be the day we pull the covers off and see the birth of the RB17, is truly remarkable.

"The RB17 Hypercar embraces everything we stand for: undeniable power, speed and beauty. It is very adaptable in its abilities, and we made sure to design it as a two seater so that the thrill of driving at F1 speeds can be enjoyed with a friend or partner."

What is the Goodwood Festival of Speed and when is it on?

Goodwood's Festival of Speed is a globally renowned motoring event held annually during the British summer.

Goodwood FoS takes place at the iconic Goodwood Estate - which also hosts Goodwood Revival every September - boasting a supercar paddock, a plethora of celebrities and an F1 pit lane, as well as hosting some of the finest machinery in motorsport.

After featuring a huge F1 theme in 2025 for the 75th anniversary of the world championship, this year's Goodwood FoS event has the theme: 'The Rivals - Epic Racing Duels'.

It takes place between Thursday, July 9 and Sunday, July 12, and will be celebrating great motorsport rivalries such as Ford vs Ferrari and Hunt vs Lauda, whose 1976 championship battle marks its 50th anniversary this year.

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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F1 Red Bull Adrian Newey Goodwood Festival of Speed