F1 2026 car and livery launches: dates and times for every team announced so far – Motor Sport Magazine
Audi
Audi kicked off the 2026 F1 car launch season on Wednesday, marking the official start of Formula 1’s new era and giving fans an early glimpse of the livery it will adopt as it sheds the Sauber name.
Audi’s early reveal, showing only its colour scheme on a “concept” car, gives it a head-start in the long promotional run-up to 2026, and signals the beginning of a new chapter for the Hinwil-based operation.
The German manufacturer’s launch comes ahead of a busy period of unveilings. Red Bull and Racing Bulls have confirmed that they will reveal their new liveries on January 15 in Detroit, alongside engine partner Ford, as they prepare for a completely new generation of grand prix machinery.
Most other teams are expected to follow suit around the same period, ahead of the first of three pre-season tests beginning on January 26, but many are likely to pull the covers off show cars, keeping their innovative design secrets under wraps until testing begins — or even later.
Find out everything that will change in Formula 1 in 2026, from engines to new teams and rules
All teams will be looking for the loopholes in a new set of regulations, which bring the most ambitious rewrite of the rulebook in more than a decade, and it means the introduction of cars that are lighter, smaller and more agile
One of the biggest shift comes in aerodynamics with the introduction of active aero, allowing drivers to switch between low-drag and high-downforce configurations instead of relying on the current DRS flap.
Under the engine cover, the balance between internal combustion and electrical power will also be transformed. Power units will draw roughly half their output from the hybrid system, with a more potent MGU-K and fully sustainable fuels making their debut.
The grid will be noticeably different too, with 22 cars thanks to Cadillac’s arrival on the grid and Sauber’s Audi rebrand. While Ford returns to F1, Renault will bow out: Alpine‘s car will be powered by Mercedes.
The sweeping changes promise to shake up the F1 competitive order, and January’s launches will offer the first clues as to who might be ahead.
Below is a table with all the 2026 Formula 1 car launch dates announced so far.
The first running of the 2026 cars will take place behind closed doors at the Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya from January 26-30.
With the teams facing a seismic technical overhaul, the first shakedown will be kept entirely private: no television coverage, no journalists on site and no live social-media feed allowed.
After that, two full public test sessions are scheduled in Bahrain, first on February 11-13 and then on February 18-20, with fans, media and broadcasters finally able to view the new machines ahead of the opening round.
Audi is the first Formula 1 team to reveal its livery for 2026, getting a jump on rivals as it prepares to rebrand from Sauber.
The scheme has been applied to a “concept” car that reveals little about the car we’ll see racing at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March.
Instead, Audi has focused on the messaging around its colour palette, which features a titanium silver nose, in tribute to its ancestral Auto Union team, which once battled for grand prix victories with Mercedes — the oair of Silver Arrows teams dominating 1930s racing.
There’s a new shade of red, and a swathe of carbon black which, claims Audi, is aimed at making its car the most striking on the grid.
Of more concern to drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, as well as F1 project boss Mattia Binotto and team principal Jonathan Wheatley, is how the car will perform. Audi has taken on a herculean task in producing its own power unit as well as its chassis, and admits that it’s likely to need five years to become a title contender.
2026 Audi F1 car launch
2026 Red Bull will be powered by in-house power-unit — with support from Ford
Red Bull
Red Bull, alongside sister team Racing Bulls, is the first team to officially kick off the 2026 Formula 1 car launch season, with both teams set to reveal their livery at an event on January 15.
The unveiling will take place at the Ford Racing Season Launch at the Michigan Central Station in Detroit.
This is the first time both of Red Bull’s teams will be unveiled together, and will mark the official introduction of the Ford Red Bull Powertrains unit, as Ford returns to Formula 1 after a 22-year absence.
“Since we announced our return to F1 with Red Bull, the team has been working night and day to get ready for 2026,” said Mark Rushbrook, Ford Racing’s global director. “But this is about so much more than just the racing.
“It is about how we use our learnings from F1 to make our cars and trucks better for our customers. What we will learn together with Red Bull will define the technologies of the future and that is what excites me most about this relationship.”
Red Bull will again have Max Verstappen as its leading driver in 2026, with his team-mate yet to be revealed.
Which drivers will be unveiling the Racing Bull in 2026?
Red Bull
Racing Bulls will share the spotlight with Red Bull Racing at a joint launch event, the first time both teams have unveiled their cars together.
The team will also be powered by the Ford Red Bull Powertrains engine in 2026.
The 2025 season saw Racing Bulls steadily close the gap to the frontrunners, with Isack Hadjar even scoring a podium finish at Zandvoort.
Like Red Bull, Racing Bulls’ definitive driver line-up for 2026 is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to be filled with a combination of Hadjar, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Arvid Lindblad.
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