Final assembly of the first customer example of the Red Bull RB17 is now underway in Milton Keynes, in the U.K., with track testing set to begin in the coming weeks and launch scheduled for spring 2027, followed by customer deliveries through the end of 2028.
The move follows the production-spec reveal covered in our January report, and traces back to the RB17’s original concept debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2024. By the time we saw the finalized version earlier this year, the car already appeared largely complete, down to its Le Mans Hypercar-standard carbon tub, finalized cockpit, and fully developed aerodynamic surfaces signed off by Adrian Newey.
Now at Aston Martin, Newey left Red Bull in early 2025. However, he remains one of the brightest minds in Formula 1, and the RB17 is a no-limits F1-based hypercar and final project developed during his time at Red Bull’s dominant stint, free from the cost caps and regulatory constraints that define modern F1.
Speaking exclusively to Autocar UK, technical director Rob Gray confirmed the first car is nearing completion, marking a transition from design to validation.
What stands out as the car enters assembly is how little has changed from the aforementioned concept. The overall package remains just as dramatic and tightly packaged, with deep side channels feeding air toward the rear, while the front section stays compact to manage airflow cleanly over the body.
The rear structure integrates a large diffuser and high-mounted wing. A central spine running along the engine cover houses the exhaust, with the gases directed beneath the wing to increase aerodynamic load, a solution developed late in the program at Newey’s request. Active systems reduce drag on straights to manage tire load across longer runs.
The powertrain carries over unchanged. A 4.5-liter naturally aspirated V10 developed by Cosworth produces 1,000 horsepower and revs to 15,000 rpm, paired with a 200-horsepower electric motor integrated into an Xtrac gearbox. Total output is 1,200 horsepower, which may not sound like much compared to the 2,000+ hp hypercars already on the market.
However, with curb weight at just 1,984 pounds (an exceptional figure for a Hybrid), and 3,700 pounds of downforce, a figure that surpasses the car’s own weight, should bring the RB-17 back into conversation. For context, a current F1 car weighs approximately 1,750 pounds and produces somewhere in the ballpark of 4,400 pounds of downforce.
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The dash to 60 mph takes under 3.0 seconds, whereas top speed is rated at 217 mph. According to Autocar UK, internal simulations indicate a 1 minute 38 second lap at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, which is about one second quicker than current Formula 1 cars.
Inside, the RB17 retains much of the configuration detailed in January. The cockpit features physical controls, with a staggered two-seat layout that keeps the frontal area tight. Front-hinged doors allow vertical entry, a practical solution for track use with a helmet.
Limited to just 50 units, the RB17 remains a closed-circuit machine with a base price is expected to be around $6.3 million. While this is a track-only machine, we cannot rule out future road conversions, as seen with several recent street-legal track-car conversions by British firm Lanzante. Watch this space.
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Images: Red Bull Advanced Technologies
