While the 2025 title fight between McLaren's drivers is in its closing stages, all of the teams are already preparing for a transformative new ruleset next season. Red Bull announced on Tuesday that its 2026 season launch will take place in Detroit, Michigan, on January 15. The energy drink giant's two teams, Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, will unveil their cars' liveries at an event co-hosted by Ford Racing. It will be the first time that the Blue Oval will be emblazoned on the engine cover of Red Bull's F1 machinery.
It's no surprise that Red Bull opted for a livery launch for the event, especially with the unusually early reveal date. Fans would have to wait longer to see the real 2026 cars. The shift from February is to accommodate the first private preseason test in Barcelona, which is scheduled for the last week of January. The American location is also reminiscent of Red Bull's 2023 launch in New York City, where it announced the partnership with Ford. Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing's team principal, said in a release:
"It's the culmination of several years of collaboration between two great names in motorsport. We're incredibly excited to begin this new chapter, driven by the same determination and excellence that defines both Ford and Red Bull."
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Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner shakes hands with Jim Farley, CEO of Ford on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 07, 2023 in Miami, Florida. - Mark Thompson/Getty Images
It will be interesting to gauge how Red Bull manages its relationship with Ford, especially with the F1 team developing this new power unit in-house. The endeavor will be renamed Red Bull Ford Powertrains, but the American automaker won't have an equity stake in the program. Former team boss Christian Horner told Jalopnik during the 2023 launch, "There's no change in shareholding or formation of the company." It's simply an agreement over this set of engine regulations.
Ford was in a similar position as a bankroller when it funded the Cosworth DFV , the most successful Formula 1 engine of all time, in the late 1960s. However, the company clearly views the partnership with Red Bull as more than just a contractual agreement. CEO Jim Farley said in a release, "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." I have no idea how developing a 1,000-horsepower, 1.6-liter turbo-hybrid V6 engine will improve the F150, but I guess we're going to find out.
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