2026 Racing Bulls F1 car launch: live stream the livery reveal tonight – Motor Sport Magazine
Formula 1’s 2026 launch season begins tonight, with Racing Bulls and Red Bull stepping onto the global stage alongside senior partner Ford as the two teams unveil their new liveries in the early hours of Friday morning for European audiences.
The 3am GMT reveal comes from Detroit, where an invitation-only event marks the public-facing start of Red Bull’s Ford-era project. While the headline narrative inevitably revolves around the manufacturer’s return to the championship, the occasion also serves as Racing Bulls’ first opportunity to define its own identity for a radically new technical cycle.
Hosted at Ford’s Michigan Central building, the launch has been designed as a broader celebration of the company’s motor sport footprint rather than a conventional single-team reveal.
Racing Bulls will share the spotlight not just with its sister F1 outfit, but with Ford’s wider racing programmes across NASCAR, GT and Dakar, plus the unveiling of a new production road car.
As with most January launches, there are zero chances of seeing a genuine Racing Bulls car for 2026, with any serious aerodynamic or packaging clues likely to remain hidden until the first private test later this month.
Instead, the focus will be on messaging and aesthetics: a first look at Racing Bulls’ 2026 livery and the public debut of its driver line-up for the new era.
Racing Bulls will be streaming its 2026 livery reveal live on YouTube, and you’ll be able to watch it at the top of this page if you are keen on following it live.
For most fans in Europe, though, sleep might still win out. By the time you wake up, images of the car will be on this page and everywhere across social media, and the full video of the event will be available to watch back here.
Racing Bulls is expected to make use of a filming day to shake down its new car ahead of pre-season testing. Teams are permitted two such days per year, with up to 200km (124 miles) of running allowed on each, using a current-spec car.
While the primary purpose is to gather footage for promotional use, these days also provide a valuable opportunity to check that core systems are functioning correctly, reducing the risk of avoidable delays once testing begins.
Racing Bulls has yet to confirm the details of its shakedown plans, but the team is scheduled to run at the first Barcelona test, which will take place behind closed doors from January 26-30.
Racing Bulls enters the new regulatory cycle with far more stability than its sister team, but also with the usual question about purpose.
The Faenza-based outfit is now under the leadership of Alan Permane, with its technical structure almost intact and its role within the Red Bull ecosystem clearly defined as both a competitive constructor and a proving ground for emerging talent.
Power will come from the Red Bull Powertrains-Ford programme.
The team enjoyed one of its strongest seasons in recent history in 2025, securing a solid sixth place in the standings and returning to the podium in the Dutch Grand Prix.
In 2026, Racing Bulls will have the only rookie driver on the grid with Arvid Lindblad, who joins Liam Lawson as the New Zealander prepares for what should be his first full season with the team.
Liam Lawson
Contract to 2026
Lawson is now fighting to establish himself as a cornerstone of the wider Red Bull driver pool after securing a deal despite being demoted from the main team in 2025. With his future beyond 2026 still undefined, Lawson has the opportunity to entrench himself at the sharp end of the Red Bull ecosystem.
Arvid Lindblad
Contract to 2026
Red Bull’s most highly rated junior, Lindblad is viewed as a potential long-term asset rather than an immediate solution. But with his F1 future still some way off, the trajectory of the 2026 rules matters more than it might seem: if the new generation of cars opens up opportunities within the Red Bull structure, Lindblad’s path could accelerate.
While Ford launches its Red Bull F1 partnership in Detroit later this week, its rally raid squad is aiming to conquer Dakar – will CEO Jim Farley’s masterplan pay off?
From small town takeovers to a Spice Girl extravaganza: here are some of the most lavish and dramatic launch events we’ve seen in F1 history
Red Bull’s 2026 F1 launch will be more than a reveal: it’s a test of the team’s first in-house engine project and a statement designed to convince Max Verstappen that his future still lies in Milton Keynes
Watch Red Bull’s 2026 F1 livery reveal live at 3am on Friday: date and location plus details of this season’s launch schedule for its all-new Formula 1 car
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