Cosworth Named Engine Partner for Red Bull’s Groundbreaking New Hypercar

Cosworth has been named engine partner for Red Bull’s groundbreaking new hypercar, the RB17, unveiled yesterday at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Announced as part of Red Bull’s 20^th anniversary celebrations at one of the world’s most prestigious automotive events, the RB17 will feature Cosworth’s latest cutting-edge powertrain technology.

Cosworth’s partnership with Red Bull underscores the company’s position as the global leader in high-performance powertrains. The RB17 joins an impressive roster of Cosworth-powered hypercars.

Development of the engine began in June 2023, when it was decided that a 90° V10 was the best solution to resolve all first-order forces and moments to zero. Secondarily, the ‘V’ configuration and firing order were chosen to maximise vehicle refinement attributes.

Most notably, the engine will feature Air Valve Spring (AVS) technology as the valve return actuation method. This innovation was taken directly from F1, which enabled V10s of the noughties—such as the Cosworth TJ2005 that powered Red Bull’s debut RB1—to rev beyond 19,000rpm.

The RB17 engine speed will be electronically limited to 15,000rpm, the same as today’s F1 engines. This is part of the specification that enables Cosworth to meet Red Bull’s engine life span requirement of 24,000 kilometres while still delivering the ultimate driving experience for the 50 future owners of the RB17.

Parallel with advances in engine design, Cosworth has continually evolved its emissions compliance development throughout the years, ensuring the RB17 engine, like the rest of Cosworth’s hypercar powertrains, meets the stringent requirements of Euro 6 legislation.

Cosworth has unrivalled expertise in designing, developing and manufacturing high-performance road car engines, leveraging its rich heritage of creating powertrains for the world’s most demanding motorsport championships – the Cosworth DFV V8 is the most successful F1 engine ever.

This know-how is applied directly to supercar and hypercar projects, now firmly established in Cosworth’s business strategy. The successful development of the 6.5-litre V12 for the Aston Martin Valkyrie, the 3.9-litre V12 for Gordon Murray Automotive’s T.50, T.33 and T.33 Spider, and, most recently, the Bugatti Tourbillon’s 8.3-litre V16 are all testament to the world-class capability within Cosworth.

The V10 for the RB17 further demonstrates what can be achieved when working in partnership with the world’s most exclusive and discerning brands.