Adrian Newey claims he’s ’embarrassed’ by RB17’s $6.2 million price tag

Adrian Newey admitted that he was not happy with the $6.2 million price tag of the RB17.

Adrian Newey claims he’s ’embarrassed’ by RB17’s $6.2 million price tag

Adrian Newey, via IMAGO

Adrian Newey has worked on a project at Red Bull to build the RB17 Hypercar. The aerodynamic genius claims the RB17 has incredible specs that likely make it far superior to other cars. However, this hypercar is priced at $6.2 million, making it difficult for ordinary car owners to afford.

Adrian Newey in a recent interview shared his feelings upon his creation of the RB17. The 65-year-old admitted that he’s not very proud of the price they’ve claimed on RB17, as it costs around £5.75 million ($6.2 million) which is very expensive. Newey expressed that he felt embarrassed about the high price of the car, but that reflected the level of designing, research and manufacturing that went into creating such a masterpiece.

That's the embarrassing bit and I still feel embarrassed. It's 5.75 million, it's obviously very expensive but to do it to the level that we've done with the design, research and manufacturing.
Adrian Newey said
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The Briton explained that the team has invested a lot of time and effort to ensure RB17 meets the highest standards of performance and quality. Unfortunately, achieving such advanced engineering comes with a heavy price tag. Despite his embarrassment over the cost, Newey understands that this is simply the reality of building a top-notch vehicle in the competitive automotive landscape.

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Unfortunately, it's how much that's going to be.
Adrian Newey added

Adrian Newey labels RB17 as ‘out of date’

Adrian Newey talked about the journey of building the RB17, explaining that it all began with careful thinking for a while. He stated that during Christmas 2020, he made the first drawing of the car which marked the beginning of the project. The 65-year-old stated, Throughout 2021, Red Bull continued to develop and research various ideas, experimenting with different engine configurations and designs. They focused on finding the best solutions to create a high-performance vehicle. Newey noted that this process involved a lot of trial and error, as they sought to refine the car’s design and performance.

It really started with thinking about it for a while, and then over Christmas in 2020 I did that drawing, which is the first drawing of the car. We kept developing and researching throughout 2021, trying different engine configurations.
Adrian Newey explained
Adrian Newey and Max Verstappen
Adrian Newey and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Further the British engineer expressed excitement and pride about the RB17. He mentioned that it’s wonderful and fantastic that everyone thought the car was great. However, he believed that the RB17 will be even better than what people expect. Despite this, he acknowledged that the car’s design is already a bit out of date. As in the fast-paced world of car design and technology, advancements happen quickly, making even a highly advanced car like the RB17 feel outdated by the time it’s ready.

It's lovely and fantastic that everybody thinks it is such a great car when I know it's actually going to be better than that. The car is a bit out of date.
Adrian Newey stated

Certainly, Adrian Newey’s creation has surpassed people’s expectations, but he worries that the concept is a bit old due to the latest advancements. However, the 65-year-old remained confident that the project is much better than expected.

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