Adrian Newey hints at RB17 participating in Le Mans if the right opportunity arises

Iconic Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey opened up about future prospects after his exit from Red Bull Racing. Given the right opportunity, the British engineer claimed he is open to moving to the world of endurance racing at Le Mans with his all-new Red Bull RB17 Hypercar.

Newey has a history with the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Red Bull aero wizard took part in the 2007 running of the French endurance race. He entered the race in the Pro-Am class with his close friends Joe Macari and Ben Aucott, driving the #78 Ferrari F430 GT2 race car. Qualifying at the back of the grid, the trio managed to finish the race in 4th place in the Pro-Am class and 22nd overall.

Now, ahead of his retirement from the Austrian F1 outfit, Newey showcased his first-ever road-legal Hypercar, the Red Bull RB17 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. During a media interaction post-reveal, the Italian division of Motorsport.com questioned Newey on whether his creation was ready to face the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"If the car can race in Le Mans? Yup. I mean, it's possible. Of course, there would still be a lot of redesign work, especially on aerodynamics. I think the car, for the rest, wouldn't be bad at all. But aerodynamics... Well, we should remove the active suspensions and completely redesign the aerodynamics because it has too much downforce for LMh standards," Adrian Newey replied.

Here's a look at the X post by a Red Bull Racing fan page:

Given the design similarities to the modern LMH class cars and Newey's extensive experience of creating race-winning cars in Formula 1, the RB17 would likely become a strong contender for the win at Le Mans.

Interestingly, Adrian Newey's son Harrison Newey also took part in the legendary race in 2018 in the LMP2 category, finishing 10th overall.

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A brief look at Adrian Newey's Formula 1 championship-winning cars with Williams F1, McLaren, and Red Bull Racing

As a designer and race engineer, Adrian Newey, entered the world of Formula 1 in 1986. However, the aero wizard became famous during the 1991 season with William F1.

Although suffering several reliability issues through the season, Newey's FW14 race car showed promise. With crucial upgrades, the FW14B dominated the 1992 season, with the team winning its fifth title and Nigel Mansell winning his first and only driver's title. Adrian Newey's FW15C, FW16, FW18, and FW19 allowed the UK-based team to win the 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997 Constructors' titles, respectively.

Newey moved to McLaren-Mercedes F1 in 1998. His MP4/13 race car was able to ace the regulation changes for that year, allowing both the team and Mika Hakkinen to win the titles. Even though Newey was with the team till 2005, he was unable to provide a championship-winning car for the British outfit.

Adrian Newey moved to Red Bull Racing in 2006 and the rest is history. The duo has clinched six Constructors' (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, and 2023) and 7 Drivers' titles (2010-2013 with Sebastian Vettel and 2022-2023 with Max Verstappen) since then.