F1 2026 car launch dates
Discussion
It's early but we have a first announcement. No collective event this year, so it's back to individual launches. Ford Motorsport will have a racing season launch event on January 15th. This is across the different series they are involved in, and Red Bull and RB will probably be a part of it. The drivers and high ups in the teams will be there. Probably a livery launch though, or a very very basic 2026 car.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ford-season-launch-d...
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ford-season-launch-d...
spikyone said:
kambites said:
Ah, what could be more eagerly anticipated than Redbull's livery launch? 
Looks like they're not having a collective livery launch next year, which is a bit surprising. I imagine that brought in a good few quid this year.
The teams obviously think there’s more to be gained from their own presentations and sponsor events.
If they’re going to do a big arena event again, it needs to be actual cars and they need to be driving, last year most of them turned up with a dummy ‘show car’ covered in the appropriate stickers.
ajprice said:
It's early but we have a first announcement. No collective event this year, so it's back to individual launches. Ford Motorsport will have a racing season launch event on January 15th. This is across the different series they are involved in, and Red Bull and RB will probably be a part of it. The drivers and high ups in the teams will be there. Probably a livery launch though, or a very very basic 2026 car.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ford-season-launch-d...
Thanks for this. There's no way we'll be seeing any 2026 cars before the first public test in February. https://www.planetf1.com/news/ford-season-launch-d...
Sandpit Steve said:
spikyone said:
kambites said:
Ah, what could be more eagerly anticipated than Redbull's livery launch?
Looks like they're not having a collective livery launch next year, which is a bit surprising. I imagine that brought in a good few quid this year.
The teams obviously think there s more to be gained from their own presentations and sponsor events.
If they re going to do a big arena event again, it needs to be actual cars and they need to be driving, last year most of them turned up with a dummy show car covered in the appropriate stickers.
It was indeed purely a livery reveal, I don’t think it mattered too much that they weren't the new cars as you see much more from photos anyway.I didn't get the impression that it was mainly sponsors/teams either, particularly given the reception that a certain (now former) team principal got...
Audi 'livery concept' https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
It's a base car like the blue FIA renders, and it hasn't got sponsors on it. I like the split colours though, I hope they stay when the real thing turns up (the title sponsor is Revolut, they also have Adidas and BP/Castrol).
It's a base car like the blue FIA renders, and it hasn't got sponsors on it. I like the split colours though, I hope they stay when the real thing turns up (the title sponsor is Revolut, they also have Adidas and BP/Castrol).
Not massively keen on that 'split' livery in all honesty. The Sauber green isn't great but at least it makes them easy to see.
Super early days though.
Interesting the Cadi loan car isn't one that's going to be modified or have their parts or anything on it. It's just to get used to and learn track procedures and practice garage operations etc. Everyone's got to start somewhere I guess. Good luck to them.
Super early days though.
Interesting the Cadi loan car isn't one that's going to be modified or have their parts or anything on it. It's just to get used to and learn track procedures and practice garage operations etc. Everyone's got to start somewhere I guess. Good luck to them.
DanielSan said:
Not a launch as such but Cadillac/Perez are running a 2023 Ferrari to get some real world car prep/running at Imola today
That’s a really good idea from Cadillac. They’ve assembled a brand new team of engineers and mechanics, many of whom might have not even worked in F1 before, and need to work out how to actually run the car. They’ll have many checklists and SOPs that will need writing, testing, and refining, for everything that happens from the truck pulling up at the track in the morning, to the truck leaving again at the end of the day, and then going through disks full of data afterwards.
ajprice said:
There's this CG but i don't think there's any real car mockups like 2022.
Yep, all I have seen is various mockups using that same basic CG model. The recent Audi livery concept reveal looked to have made some small changes to the base FIA model but nothing that will mirror whatever they're actually designing.But even on the base model we can see the major changes that 26' mandates, the large floor, smaller car and the bargeboards that used to kick tyre wash outboard are now inverted to feed it under the floor/into the intakes. That's the most striking visual difference I think.
Audi's reveal (or whatever it was) showed a car without out wheel covers. Are they out next year? It hard to find anything specifically about them.
I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
WilsonWilson said:
Audi's reveal (or whatever it was) showed a car without out wheel covers. Are they out next year? It hard to find anything specifically about them.
I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
They tested the wheel covers, they were hopeless, so they're gone.I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
It was quite farcical actually... They knew that a cover would force the water the tyre picked up to spin around the inside of the cover and be dumped back under the tyre, which would have meant the car was always effectively driving through standing water. They 'fixed' this inherent problem by cutting slots in the front edge of the wheel covers to allow the water to escape, directing it into the vacuum beneath the car - the net result was that all the water which used to be flung up by the tyres was forced under the car and then flung up by the rear diffuser as it exited. It was the same amount of water overall, because it has to go somewhere
Anyway, the idea died - the new idea for this open wheeled racing series is to stick with open wheels...
TheDeuce said:
WilsonWilson said:
Audi's reveal (or whatever it was) showed a car without out wheel covers. Are they out next year? It hard to find anything specifically about them.
I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
They tested the wheel covers, they were hopeless, so they're gone.I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
It was quite farcical actually... They knew that a cover would force the water the tyre picked up to spin around the inside of the cover and be dumped back under the tyre, which would have meant the car was always effectively driving through standing water. They 'fixed' this inherent problem by cutting slots in the front edge of the wheel covers to allow the water to escape, directing it into the vacuum beneath the car - the net result was that all the water which used to be flung up by the tyres was forced under the car and then flung up by the rear diffuser as it exited. It was the same amount of water overall, because it has to go somewhere
Anyway, the idea died - the new idea for this open wheeled racing series is to stick with open wheels...
ajprice said:
TheDeuce said:
WilsonWilson said:
Audi's reveal (or whatever it was) showed a car without out wheel covers. Are they out next year? It hard to find anything specifically about them.
I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
They tested the wheel covers, they were hopeless, so they're gone.I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
It was quite farcical actually... They knew that a cover would force the water the tyre picked up to spin around the inside of the cover and be dumped back under the tyre, which would have meant the car was always effectively driving through standing water. They 'fixed' this inherent problem by cutting slots in the front edge of the wheel covers to allow the water to escape, directing it into the vacuum beneath the car - the net result was that all the water which used to be flung up by the tyres was forced under the car and then flung up by the rear diffuser as it exited. It was the same amount of water overall, because it has to go somewhere
Anyway, the idea died - the new idea for this open wheeled racing series is to stick with open wheels...
I honestly don't know if they're returning or not next season, but I do recall that all this seasons reveal cars had the covers in place so it is interesting that the Audi renders do not show them - especially given that the FIA GC model does show the covers.
Hopefully someone will come along with an answer..
TheDeuce said:
ajprice said:
TheDeuce said:
WilsonWilson said:
Audi's reveal (or whatever it was) showed a car without out wheel covers. Are they out next year? It hard to find anything specifically about them.
I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
They tested the wheel covers, they were hopeless, so they're gone.I really hope they are gone. They really look bad, like cheap 90s poverty spec wheel trims all while making the move to larger rims pretty pointless.
It was quite farcical actually... They knew that a cover would force the water the tyre picked up to spin around the inside of the cover and be dumped back under the tyre, which would have meant the car was always effectively driving through standing water. They 'fixed' this inherent problem by cutting slots in the front edge of the wheel covers to allow the water to escape, directing it into the vacuum beneath the car - the net result was that all the water which used to be flung up by the tyres was forced under the car and then flung up by the rear diffuser as it exited. It was the same amount of water overall, because it has to go somewhere
Anyway, the idea died - the new idea for this open wheeled racing series is to stick with open wheels...
I honestly don't know if they're returning or not next season, but I do recall that all this seasons reveal cars had the covers in place so it is interesting that the Audi renders do not show them - especially given that the FIA GC model does show the covers.
Hopefully someone will come along with an answer..
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