We know he was already heavily involved in the Aston Martin Valkyrie (in fact, he says Red Bull employees, including himself, own five of them), but even that was not Newey’s first non-F1 car project. In 2010, Sony PlayStation approached him and Red Bull to create a limitless monster for use in Gran Turismo. The result was the Red Bull X1, later renamed the Red Bull X2010.

A decade later, in the 2020 off-season, COVID-19 had made its presence known, and being bored over the December break, Newey started sketching. Why not focus on the RB16 F1 car’s successor during this time? Because that became the RB16B; thanks to a regulation freeze, 2020’s car was lightly modified for 2021. Hence, the RB17 name was never used, and Newey wanted to fill that gap with the hypercar, which he very clearly described as a track-only vehicle.

Despite that, it won’t be scary. Moreover, coaches and simulators will be provided, and there will be special weekends to drive the car, where Max will probably join in. RB wants buyers to see this as joining the Red Bull family and all its attractions.