F1 2026 car launches: Dates, times and how to watch LIVE with Hamilton and Ferrari next – GPFans
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The wait is finally over – the 2026 F1 team and car launches are under way as the countdown to the new season gathers pace.
We have already seen four teams take to the stage – with Red Bull, Racing Bulls Haas and newcomers Audi all taking the wraps off their 2026 liveries. And next up today (Friday January 23) all eyes will be on Maranello as Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari start Year 2 of their much-hyped project.
Following McLaren‘s announcement of their 2026 season launch, we now know the times and dates of every team’s car launch, as well as details on how you can watch the events live.
Despite only just having wrapped up the 2025 season, drivers and teams only have a short period of time off this winter, with pre-season testing getting underway for 2026 on January 26 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
That is a five-day shakedown event, before testing properly begins with two three-day events in Bahrain in February. The season officially gets underway on March 6 at the Australian Grand Prix.
That expanded period of testing comes because of the wholesale regulation changes that are sweeping into F1 next season, both chassis-side and in terms of the power units.
And the first chance to see the newly-designed liveries will be throughout the month of January, as the first few teams begin to bring their designs to their fans via glamorous launch events.
Aston Martin are the team who are releasing their car the latest, with the Silverstone-based outfit not having their official season launch until February 9, after the first pre-season shakedown in Barcelona.
However, their new power unit manufacturers Honda held a launch event focusing on the new 2026 engine on January 20 in Tokyo.
| Team | Location | Date | How to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bull | Detroit, USA | January 15 | Red Bull Racing website, YouTube |
| Racing Bulls | Detroit, USA | January 15 | Red Bull Racing website, YouTube |
| Haas | Online | January 19 | Haas F1 website and social pages |
| Audi | Berlin, Germany | January 20 | YouTube, Audi social channels |
| Ferrari | Maranello, Italy | January 23 | YouTube, Ferrari social media pages |
| Alpine | Barcelona, Spain | January 23 | YouTube, Alpine social media pages |
| Mercedes | Online | February 2 | Mercedes social channels |
| Williams | Grove | February 3 | TBC |
| Cadillac | Santa Clara, USA | February 8 | Cadillac F1 website, YouTube |
| Aston Martin | TBC | February 9 | TBC |
| McLaren | Bahrain and Online | February 9 | TBC |
READ MORE: First video of 2026 F1 cars in action released and fans LOVE it
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