Tracking the livery launch dates for the 2026 F1 season
New year.
New season.
New teams.
New regulations.
The 2025 Formula 1 season feels like it just ended, but the 2026 campaign is right around the corner. And the year ahead will look very different than the one that just finished. Not only are two new teams joining the grid — Audi stepping in replacing Sauber, and Cadillac joining as the 11th team — but 2026 brings a host of new technical regulations the biggest shift in the sport in years.
That means the season ahead is a voyage of discovery for drivers, teams, and fans alike.
The new regulations also mean F1 will host three pre-season testing sessions, first behind closed doors in Barcelona later this month, and then two in Bahrain during February.
As a result, teams will be unveiling their liveries earlier than usual. Here is the schedule.
Red Bull and Racing Bulls: January 15
The schedule kicks off with Red Bull and Racing Bulls, who will unveil their designs next Thursday at an event in Detroit in partnership with Ford, the teams’ new engine partner:
This will also be the public debut of the teams’ new driver lineups. Arvid Lindblad has replaced Yuki Tsunoda alongside Liam Lawson at VCARB, while Isack Hadjar earned a promotion to the senior team and he will be Max Verstappen’s teammate in 2026.
TGR Haas: January 19
The next team on the schedule? Haas, who have officially rebranded as TGR Haas with technical partner Toyota Gazoo Racing becoming the team’s title sponsor as well.
Haas originally planned to unveil the VF-26 on January 23, but brought their livery reveal forward a few days as both Alpine and Ferrari are holding events on the 23rd:
Audi: January 20
While not a completely new team — Audi takes over Sauber as a works outfit — the German manufacturer officially joins the grid during a launch event in Berlin on January 20:
Audi recently passed a major milestone on their way to the grid, firing up their power unit for the first time at their Hinwil factory on December 19, 2025. According to the team that event “marks the first time the Audi Power Unit has been run while installed in the chassis, symbolizing the project’s transition from design to dynamic reality.”
Mercedes: January 22
The next team to unveil their look for 2026 will be Mercedes, who will debut the W17 on Thursday, January 22. The team will then host a season launch event online on February 2, featuring Team Principal Toto Wolff and drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Paddock chatter has held that Mercedes will be the team to beat in the first year of the new regulations set, but whether that comes to fruition will be decided on the track, not in the paddock.
Ferrari: January 23
Ferrari is one of the two teams, along with Alpine, unveiling their design on January 23:
The Scuderia hopes to bounce back after a difficult 2025 season, that saw Lewis Hamilton’s win in the F1 Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix as their only victory. Ferrari finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, and Hamilton did not stand on a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his career.
Alpine: January 23
January 23 starts a new era at Alpine, as the team becomes a customer operation using Mercedes power units for the year ahead:
If the paddock chatter about Mercedes power units is indeed true, then Alpine could begin the 2026 season on the front foot, after a difficult 2025 campaign that saw the team finish last in the Constructors’ Championship.
Williams: February 3
Williams will unveil the livery for the FW48 on Tuesday, February 3:
Cadillac: February 8
The newest team on the grid, Cadillac, has billed themselves as an All-American operation.
What better way to make their debut than with a Super Bowl ad?
Aston Martin: February 9
Aston Martin will debut the AMR26 the following day:
This might be the most anticipated unveiling of them all, as the AMR26 will be the first Aston Martin design fully shaped by legendary engineer Adrian Newey. Newey joined the team in March of 2025 after nearly two decades — and several championship — at Red Bull.
McLaren: TBD
The only team yet to confirm a launch date? McLaren. The defending Constructors’ Champions, along with defending Drivers’ Champion Lando Norris, have not released a date as of yet.
Category: General Sports
