Adrian Newey to perform Goodwood demonstration run in Red Bull RB17 hypercar

Adrian Newey is set to return to Red Bull in public this weekend, but only briefly and for a car rather than a Formula One race team. ESPN reported on July 9 that Newey will complete a demonstration run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the RB17 hypercar he designed before leaving Red Bull in 2024. (espn.com) The appearance puts one of Formula One’s most decorated designers back alongside a project Red Bull has framed as a flagship engineering program rather than an F1 entry. Goodwood’s official site lists the 2026 Festival of Speed from July 9 to July 12 at Goodwood House in West Sussex. ### Why is Adrian Newey back with Red Bull at all? Adrian Newey left Red Bull in 2024 after 19 years running the team’s technical department, but the RB17 remained one of the last major projects tied to his time there. (goodwood.com) ESPN said Newey came up with the concept over Christmas 2020 and continued working on it until his departure to make sure it reached production. He has since taken a senior role at Aston Martin, making the Goodwood appearance a one-off return centered on the car rather than a broader reunion. Rob Gray, Red Bull Advanced Technologies’ technical boss, told TopGear.com earlier this year that Newey was still allowed to consult on the project and remained interested in its progress. (espn.com) That helps explain why Red Bull is using Newey himself for the first public running of a car that has long been presented as his design statement outside Formula One. ### What exactly is the RB17? The RB17 is a two-seat, track-only hypercar developed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies and designed under Newey’s oversight. ESPN reported the car is priced at more than $6.7 million, while a 2024 Reuters report carried by ESPN said Red Bull planned to build 50 cars over three years. (espn.com) The same report said all were sold at nearly 6 million pounds each. The hardware is part of the pitch. Reuters reported in 2024 that the RB17 weighs under 900 kilograms and combines a naturally aspirated Cosworth V10 producing 1,000 horsepower with a 200-horsepower electric motor. Top Gear said the bespoke 4.5-liter V10 revs to 15,000 rpm, with the car intended to deliver a level of performance Red Bull says is rarely seen outside Formula One. (topgear.com) ### Why is Goodwood the place for its first public run? Goodwood has already been central to the RB17 story. Red Bull unveiled the hypercar there in July 2024, and Goodwood’s event coverage said at the time that the car would be a major part of Red Bull’s presence at the festival. The 2026 event gives Red Bull a live hillclimb setting, a large public crowd and a motorsport-focused audience for the first running demonstration. (espn.com) Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team principal, told ESPN that “Goodwood is the perfect place to celebrate what Red Bull Engineering is all about.” He said seeing the RB17 run in front of fans marked a special moment after years of design and development work. (espn.com) ### Who else is expected to drive it? Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda are also due to drive the RB17 during the weekend, according to ESPN. Top Gear reported that Red Bull Academy driver Alisha Palmowski is also expected to take the wheel. Those appearances place current Red Bull-affiliated drivers around the launch while keeping Newey at the center of the first public demonstration. (redbull.com) ### What should people watch for next? The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs through July 12, and the RB17 is scheduled for demonstration runs on the hill during the event, according to Goodwood’s official festival pages. Top Gear said Red Bull expects the car’s “full performance envelope” to be explored later this year at dedicated tracks, suggesting Goodwood will be a controlled public debut rather than a full-speed proving run. (espn.com) (goodwood.com)