Adrian Newey (and others) will drive the V10 RB17 at Goodwood for the first time

A group of very talented people will drive a very complicated and powerful car across someone’s garden this weekend. To anyone heading to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, buckle up: the RB17 is entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

Having spent a while floating in the digital, concept, and design realms, Adrian Newey’s spaceship will finally make a landing and run for the first time at FoS. And it’ll be driven by none other than… former Red Bull F1 tech genius Adrian Newey himself. Who’s now working for Aston Martin.

“He’s allowed to [consult on the project], and he’s still interested in what’s going on,” Red Bull Advanced Technology’s tech boss Rob Gray told TopGear.com earlier this year, after news of Newey’s departure sank in. Quite a bit of interest, too.

Photography: Getty Images

Not least because the centre of attention is a 4.5-litre Cosworth V10 entirely bespoke to the RB17. Alone it develops 1,000bhp and revs to an unholy 15,000rpm, and the exhaust has been tuned to mirror Newey’s favourite F1 soundtrack: the McLaren-Mercedes MP4/15. (There’s also the not-so-small matter of an e-motor adding another 200bhp.)

Guess you’ll find out how it sounds this weekend. Or at least partly. It’s unlikely to be run flat out, instead performing a series of demo runs as part of its testing and development programme. As well as Newey, Red Bull F1 driver Isack Hadjar, reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda and Red Bull Academy Programme driver Alisha Palmowski will also have a go in the RB17.

We’re told the car’s “full performance envelope” will be further explored at dedicated tracks later this year. That’ll be some envelope.

“The ambition was to create a car capable of delivering a level of performance rarely seen outside Formula One, while remaining true to the original vision that inspired the project,” said Gray.

“The engineering challenge has been immense. We set out to deliver Formula One-inspired levels of performance in a customer track car, requiring us to solve countless challenges across design, engineering, validation, testing and manufacture.

“One of the things I'm proudest of is how closely the finished car reflects the original vision,” he added. Ear defenders at the ready.

Want the full lowdown on Newey’s Earth-bound rocketship designed for wealthy mortals? Click here.