WHAT IS THEIR SECRET? Today’s Formula One is controlled by Red Bull Racing Group, whose engineering division, Red Bull Technologies, built the first production car. Red Bull Racing’s Formula One design mastermind Adrian Newey conceived the idea for the hypercar while the United Kingdom was quarantined due to a COVID outbreak. (Note the productive use of downtime.) Its placeholder name, RB17, is a tribute to the tradition of Red Bull’s Formula One cars. Because of the epidemic, Formula One decided to reuse the same basic designs for the grand prix cars in the 2021 season as were used in the 2020 season. The RB16B was RBR’s not-quite-new chassis for 2021, while the RB16 was the name of the team’s 2020 car. The group eventually settled on RB18 as the name of their 2022 opponent’s car. Because of this, the term “RB17” could be used without fear of being mistaken for an actual racing vehicle. AND WHY IT MATTERS, It all depends on your definition of “matter,” Red Bull will almost exclusively handle the planning, engineering, development, and construction of the cars (just 50 of them), in contrast to when it and Newey produced the Valkyrie with the F1 team Aston Martin (one of which is displayed in the gallery). Will the RB17 be historically significant and offer the highest levels of performance ever seen in a brand-new automobile that was released to the public? For an initial investment of £5 million (about $6.2 million), Newey and Red Bull hope to get as near to Formula One as feasible. A little over ten years ago, Red Bull created the Vision Gran Turismo automobile (below) for the video game franchise. It appears quite different in actuality. BASE AND ENGINEERING The two-seat RB17 is designed only for racing and is initially banned from public roads. Formula One technology will be included in the car’s carbon fibre monocoque chassis. Red Bull claims to employ state-of-the-art ground effects and other extreme aerodynamic techniques, some of which have been prohibited for years in actual racing competitions. So, “blown” diffusers and skirts that press against the ground are to be expected—a V-8 with twin turbochargers and a hybrid transmission powering the vehicle. More than 1,100 horsepower can be generated. Red Bull has alluded to the possibility of a third party’s involvement but has yet to reveal where or who will construct the engine or motor. How RBR’s new cooperation with Ford will affect RB17’s Formula One powertrain department is unclear now.
