Newey explains: 'Red Bull never made the RB17 an F1 car for this reason'
F1 News
Red Bull Racing has unveiled the RB17. Adrian Newey's hypercar bears the name of a Formula 1 car that never got there: Red Bull went from the RB16B to the RB18. Newey explains how that decision came about.
Newey: 'This is why the RB17 didn't become an F1 car'
"The regulations changed and we had to race the 2020 car in '21, in modified form. So the RB17 as a Formula 1 car was never built, because when we made the '22 car, it was called the RB18. So 17 was always a missing number," Newey explains in the Talking Bull podcast.
He continues: "Also in terms of when I started, when I made the first sketch or drawing and then the guys from advanced technology took that over and started their work - chronologically it fitted perfectly. So it seemed logical, it felt right to fill that gap."
Red Bull pulled the curtain off the RB17 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a project that both Newey and team boss Christian Horner are very proud of. The full F1 team attended the event, including Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. See the hypercar from all angles here.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy