20/08/2025 10:10
Red Bull has offered a glimpse into the staggering performance of
its highly anticipated RB17 hypercar, revealing that the Adrian
Newey-designed machine is, in the virtual world, faster than a
modern Formula 1 car. The project, developed by Red Bull Advanced
Technologies alongside its grand prix-winning F1 operations, will
be limited to a production run of just 50 units. While details have
been scarce, a key engineer has now shed light on the car's
extraordinary capabilities. The remarkable pace of the RB17 is
achieved through a combination of aggressive, F1-inspired
aerodynamics and a lightweight chassis weighing just 900 kg. The
car is powered by a naturally aspirated V10 engine that revs to
15,000 rpm. However, this level of performance comes with a
significant caveat: the extreme nature of the RB17 means it is not
legal for use on public roads. As a result, the 50 owners will be
restricted to experiencing the car's full potential exclusively on
dedicated race circuits. Speaking on the team's Talking Bull
podcast alongside former Red Bull driver David Coulthard at the
Goodwood Festival of Speed, Rob Gray, Technical Director of Red
Bull Advanced Technologies, revealed the results of the car's
latest simulations. "In the virtual world, it's faster than an F1
car," shared Gray. "In Spa [Spa-Francorchamps], I think they did a
1:38 - something like that. So, incredibly fast." To put that
simulated lap time into context, it is more than two seconds faster
than Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris recently achieved at the home
of the Belgian Grand Prix, with the two McLaren drivers pushing
their grid-leading MCL39s to 1:40.5s in sprint qualifying and main
qualifying, respectively. Max Verstappen, in the leading Red Bull,
was around four-tenths of a second behind in both sessions
-suggesting he may not be racing in the quickest machinery the
Milton Keynes squad currently has to offer. Check out the RB17
below!
