A group of very talented people have driven a very complicated and powerful car across someone’s garden this weekend. Anyone who headed to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend should have buckled up: The RB17 has entered the Earth’s atmosphere.
Having spent a while floating in the digital, concept, and design realms, Adrian Newey’s spaceship has finally made a landing and ran for the first time at FoS. And it was driven by none other than…former Red Bull F1 tech genius Adrian Newey himself. Who’s now working for Aston Martin.
“He’s allowed to [consult on the project], and he’s still interested in what’s going on,” Red Bull Advanced Technology’s tech boss Rob Gray told TopGear.com earlier this year, after news of Newey’s departure sank in. Quite a bit of interest, too.
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Not least because the center of attention is a 4.5-liter Cosworth V10 entirely bespoke to the RB17. Alone it develops 1,000hp and revs to an unholy 15,000rpm, and the exhaust has been tuned to mirror Newey’s favorite F1 soundtrack: the McLaren-Mercedes MP4/15. (There’s also the not-so-small matter of an e-motor adding another 200hp.)
We all found out how it sounds this weekend. Or at least partly. It was really unlikely to be run flat out; instead, it performed a series of demo runs as part of its testing and development program. As well as Newey, Red Bull F1 driver Isack Hadjar, reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda, and Red Bull Academy Programme driver Alisha Palmowski also had a go in the RB17.
We’re told the car’s “full performance envelope” will be further explored at dedicated tracks later this year. That’ll be some envelope.
“The ambition was to create a car capable of delivering a level of performance rarely seen outside Formula One, while remaining true to the original vision that inspired the project,” said Gray.
“The engineering challenge has been immense. We set out to deliver Formula One-inspired levels of performance in a customer track car, requiring us to solve countless challenges across design, engineering, validation, testing, and manufacture.
“One of the things I’m proudest of is how closely the finished car reflects the original vision,” he added. Ear defenders at the ready.
Want the full lowdown on Newey’s Earth-bound rocketship designed for wealthy mortals? Click here.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
