2026 Season Car Launch Dates Announced – roundtable.io
This season, the team’s car launches are back to normal. Last season, the teams unveiled their cars together at a big event celebrating 75 years of F1, but they typically do so separately on different dates.
Car launches are mostly just marketing tools the teams use to build excitement and engagement for the upcoming season. It is also good for sponsor visibility, as it gives teams a chance to highlight both new and existing sponsors on the livery.
Though there is still some secrecy around these launches, only the livery (color scheme) has been revealed. Typically, the livery is on a show car or old chassis to hide the technical side of it until testing. Especially with the new regulations, don’t expect to see the actual mechanics of the new cars, as teams will want to keep them hidden until testing in February.
Launch season will kick off with the joint reveal of Red Bull and Racing Bulls in Detroit, Michigan, on January 15th. This event will also be with Ford, to mark the start of their collaboration on Red Bull Ford Powertrains.
Haas is the next to go on January 19th, after rescheduling their launch to avoid conflicts with Ferrari and Alpine. This will be their first event with their new title sponsor, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR).
Next is Audi and Honda, both holding events on January 20th. Audi will host a global launch event in Berlin, Germany, to mark its first season in F1 after taking over Sauber. Honda will launch its power unit the same day in Tokyo, Japan, separate from Aston Martin, with whom it has a sole partnership this season.
On January 22nd, Mercedes will reveal the W17 livery on social media ahead of private testing. They will hold a separate launch event on February 2nd, with the drivers and team principal present, where fans can watch the live stream.
Ferrari and Alpine are both launching on January 23rd. Alpine will reveal its livery during an event in Barcelona, Spain. 2026 isn’t just new regulations for Alpine, but also marks their new power unit partnership with Mercedes. While Ferrari hasn’t revealed its location, it is likely to be hosted at the Maranello historic track, as it has in the past.
Moving into February, the month starts off with Mercedes’ live stream reveal on February 2nd. Following that is Williams on February 3rd, though it is not yet known whether they will hold a live event or release it on social media.
Next is Cadillac, which is going big for its first season as the 11th team on the grid. Their reveal is happening on February 8th and will be shown in a TV ad during the NFL Super Bowl.
Aston Martin will unveil their livery on February 9th. This reveal is exciting for them as it is their first car designed by F1 legend Adrian Newey. While they haven’t revealed the location yet, they typically host it at their Silverstone headquarters in England.
McLaren is the only team yet to confirm a date for its reveal.
