Only in motorsport could the team principal of one Formula 1 outfit spend the weekend driving his rival’s hypercar up a hill in West Sussex. But here we are. Adrian Newey, now firmly installed as team principal, technical director, and part-owner at Aston Martin, will make a one-off return to the Red Bull fold this weekend at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed to pilot the stunning RB17 hypercar up the famous hillclimb.
The RB17 Finally Moves
More than five years in the making, the RB17 is finally doing what it was built to do: go very, very fast. This weekend marks the car’s first dynamic public appearance, though Red Bull is being careful to frame it as a development run rather than a full-throttle showcase. The serious performance testing, we’re told, will follow at a dedicated track facility later in the year. Managing expectations, or genuinely cautious engineering? Probably both.
The numbers are extraordinary regardless. A naturally aspirated Cosworth 4.5-litre V10 producing 1,000bhp is paired with a hybrid system adding another 200bhp, for a combined 1,200bhp from a car weighing under 900kg. Top speed exceeds 350kph. Only 50 examples will be built, each costing a cool £5 million. If you have to ask, you definitely cannot afford one.
An Awkward Guest List
Newey will be joined at the hillclimb by current Red Bull Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar, reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda, and Red Bull Academy driver Alisha Palmowski. Quite the lineup, and a reminder that Newey’s involvement here is rooted in the hypercar project he shepherded through development during his time at the Milton Keynes outfit, not any lingering Formula 1 loyalty.
“Goodwood is the perfect place to celebrate what Red Bull Engineering is all about. It brings together our heritage, our passion for innovation, and the incredible talent of the people behind our projects.” – Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
Heritage on Display
Red Bull is not stopping at the RB17. The RB9, the car Sebastian Vettel drove to 13 wins from 19 starts en route to his fourth world championship in 2013, will also tackle the hillclimb. A static display of iconic special liveries rounds out what amounts to a full Red Bull road show, spanning the team’s history from the original RB1 launch livery to this season’s gloss finish.
It is, in fairness, a spectacular piece of theatre. Red Bull’s 2026 Formula 1 season has been an unrelenting disaster, with Verstappen crashing out at Silverstone amid ongoing rear wing failures. A gleaming £5 million hypercar and a nostalgia trip through championship glory is, if nothing else, a very well-timed change of subject.
A Brief but Loaded Reunion
Newey’s reappearance in Red Bull colours will generate headlines, but let us be clear about what it actually is: a designer honouring a project he started, not a reconciliation with a team he left. His focus is now squarely on building Aston Martin into a championship contender. Red Bull, meanwhile, is hoping a £5 million hypercar and some retro liveries can paper over what has been a deeply troubled season on track. It takes more than a hillclimb to fix a broken Formula 1 car.
