Red Bull and sister outfit Racing Bulls have become the first Formula 1 teams to announce launch plans ahead of the 2026 season and the start of the new rules era.
As part of what is being called the 2026 Red Bull season launch, both teams' liveries for the 2026 season will be unveiled at an event being held in conjunction with Ford Racing in Detroit - where Ford was founded - on January 15.
Ford is partnering with Red Bull on its first power unit, designed in-house at its Red Bull Powertrains engine division, which was set up for the 2026 rules in the wake of Honda's decision to leave F1 at the end of the 2021 season (one Honda has essentially rowed back on since).
Its tie-up with Red Bull marks Ford's first official involvement in F1 since 2004.
The shared Red Bull/Racing Bulls announcement referred only to the launch of their "respective liveries for a new generation of cars" and not the designs with which they will start the new regulations era, which is ushering in an overhaul of both the chassis and engine rules.
That event takes place 11 days before the first day of F1 teams' on-track running with their new cars, in a behind-closed-doors test at Barcelona from January 26-30.
