F1 legend Adrian Newey completes first run in radical Red Bull RB17 hypercar he designed at Goodwood
Adrian Newey has given the RB17 hypercar its public debut at Goodwood.
Adrian Newey has successfully run the RB17 hypercar he designed for the first time on Thursday at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Newey was at the wheel of the RB17 as it completed a demonstration run up the famous Goodwood hill during the annual four-day festival that runs from 9-12 July in the grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex.
It was a groundbreaking debut for the RB17 hypercar that has been several years in the making for Newey.
"It's an incredibly special moment," Newey told the official Goodwood FOS broadcast.
"It's been a very long time in the planning. I think I did my very first sketch for the car over Christmas 2020 going into 2021, but it's been a long time in gestation.
"The guys – everybody, the guys and girls back at the factory – have done a really amazing [job] to get it here. Yeah, it's really special to have the car here and to drive up the hill for the first time.”
The RB17, which sells for upwards of $6.7 million, is still in a pre-production state.
Only 50 of the two-seater RB17s are set to be produced and none of them will be road legal.
“At the moment the active suspension isn't working,” Newey added. “The fans are only cooling, not generating downforce as well. Some of the other active systems aren't calibrated yet.
"This is kind of, get the car out, get it running. We only run for the first time two weeks ago. So really to pull it together, and for it to work first time out of the box and be here, is very special.”
Newey made a brief return to his former team Red Bull to complete the outing.
The 67-year-old Briton, who is considered F1’s greatest-ever car designer, worked for Red Bull for 19 years before leaving to join Aston Martin.
Newey will take turns behind the wheel of the RB17 hypercar along with Red Bull F1 driver Isack Hadjar and reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda.
"Goodwood is the perfect place to celebrate what Red Bull Engineering is all about," Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said. "Seeing RB17 come to life and run in front of the fans is a very special moment.
"It represents years of dedication, creativity, and engineering excellence from an extraordinary team. We're incredibly proud of what they have achieved and look forward to sharing that experience with everyone at Goodwood."
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