New colors! At Ford headquarters, Red Bull Racing presented its single-seater for 2026. Max Verstappen: “What a drastic change!”
Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Friday, January 16, 2026, 09:03 / Updated Friday, January 16, 2026 09:04
On Thursday evening, in Detroit, where Ford has its main headquarters, Red Bull Racing presented its single-seater with which it will compete in 2026 – at least on an aesthetic level, as a color scheme (the so-called livery).
After two disappointing years, which saw them beaten by McLaren in the constructors', Red Bull Racing is looking to start the new era of Formula 1 in the best way possible.
2026 will be a pivotal year, as it will usher in this new era with fresh competition regulations, and as it will be the first year Red Bull teams will compete with in-house power units in collaboration with Ford.
Red Bull Racing has revealed what the single-seater will look like for 2026
It is for this reason that the unveiling of the Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls single-seaters was made inside Michigan Central Station, Detroit, the city where Ford is headquartered. The two teams owned by Red Bull are the first to reveal their new car colours. Next up is Haas, on January 19.
The collaboration with Ford is also reflected in the color scheme of the new Red Bull Racing single-seater, the RB22. He opted for one different shade of blue with a glossy finish as opposed to the usual matte of recent years. That blue is also inspired by the image of the first season (2005) in F1 for the energy drink giant.
Max Verstappen: “I absolutely love it. What a drastic change!”
Max Verstappen, who in 2025 missed the title by only two points, was impressed by the radical change in look:
“I absolutely love the color combination. It looks really nice and I think it will stand out on the circuit. The gloss is cool, it's more of a retro look, the color is really bold and I really like this blue. Seeing him live is something special. I'm really impressed and surprised at how drastic this change is.
It's a look that brings back great memories from years ago when I was just starting out in F1 and everything was new to me. I'm excited to drive a car that looks completely different. I'm not sure the mechanics will be happy about how long it will take to keep the car clean, but it will look really stylish.”
“I like the new look, which has traditional influences. It's super cool. It will look fantastic at night races,” added Isack Hadjar, the Dutchman's new teammate.
The new Red Bull Racing single-seater will take to the circuit in the first series of pre-season tests, in Barcelona, between January 26 and 30. Although the test has an official duration of five days, each team will be able to participate in only three of them. It will be a private test, a “shakedown” behind closed doors.
Two three-day Tests in Bahrain follow, scheduled for February 11-13 and February 18-20 respectively. The 2026 Formula 1 season will kick off with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6 to 8 in Melbourne.
We remind you that in 2026, single-seaters will be smaller, lighter, have a different aerodynamic concept and different engines.
