Exactly where that powertrain comes from isn't certain yet, with Newey revealing at the car's launch that it could be developed in-house by Red Bull Powertrains or "we can look to other companies, so we are going through that process at the moment". Production will take place at the Red Bull Advanced Technologies facility in Milton Keynes, in close proximity to the F1 team itself. This could be the first of a number of non-F1 projects, given up to 100 new jobs will be created for RB17 and beyond.
Why call the car RB17? As Horner explained to us, there was a missing car in the Red Bull line-up, and as the new two-seat track car will have "true Formula 1 car performance, it felt right that it followed that lineage and take up that '17' moniker".
When asked why Red Bull was taking on a project like this now, both Horner and Newey said how this fresh challenge would allow them to build on experience gained from the Aston Martin Valkyrie project.
"I think that was one of our frustrations," Horner explained. "Working with partners and so on, you weren’t in control of your own destiny. Whereas with this, we’ve taken control, it’s a brave project, but everything Red Bull does is pretty brave. It’s tremendously exciting to be in control of this project from start to finish, and the interface and dealing with a customer which is something we haven’t done before."
Newey, meanwhile, said: "The two-seat sportscar I started sketching in 2014, that obviously went on to become Valkyrie, and that was a very satisfying project to be involved in the research and design for, but ultimately it was with a partner. I think now, as Christian has said, we feel Red Bull Advanced Technologies is reaching maturity, it has the capacity to take on a project like this."