Red Bull Will Launch Its 2026 F1 Season In Detroit To Officially Kick Off Ford Partnership

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While nan 2025 title conflict betwixt McLaren's drivers is successful its closing stages, each of nan teams are already preparing for a transformative caller ruleset adjacent season. Red Bull announced connected Tuesday that its 2026 play motorboat will return spot successful Detroit, Michigan, connected January 15. The power portion giant's 2 teams, Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, will unveil their cars' liveries astatine an arena co-hosted by Ford Racing. It will beryllium nan first clip that nan Blue Oval will beryllium emblazoned connected nan motor screen of Red Bull's F1 machinery.

F1 2026 🔜#F1 || #RedBullRacing pic.twitter.com/H4dgaagnvx

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 11, 2025

It's nary astonishment that Red Bull opted for a livery motorboat for nan event, particularly pinch nan unusually early uncover date. Fans would person to hold longer to spot nan existent 2026 cars. The displacement from February is to accommodate nan first backstage preseason trial successful Barcelona, which is scheduled for nan past week of January. The American location is besides reminiscent of Red Bull's 2023 motorboat successful New York City, wherever it announced nan business pinch Ford. Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing's squad principal, said successful a release:

"It's nan culmination of respective years of collaboration betwixt 2 awesome names successful motorsport. We're incredibly excited to statesman this caller chapter, driven by nan aforesaid determination and excellence that defines some Ford and Red Bull."

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It will beryllium absorbing to gauge really Red Bull manages its narration pinch Ford, particularly pinch nan F1 squad processing this caller powerfulness portion in-house. The endeavor will beryllium renamed Red Bull Ford Powertrains, but nan American automaker won't person an equity liking successful nan program. Former squad leader Christian Horner told Jalopnik during nan 2023 launch, "There's nary alteration successful shareholding aliases statement of nan company." It's simply an statement complete this group of motor regulations.

Ford was successful a akin position arsenic a bankroller when it funded nan Cosworth DFV, nan astir successful Formula 1 motor of each time, successful nan precocious 1960s. However, nan institution intelligibly views nan business pinch Red Bull arsenic much than conscionable a contractual agreement. CEO Jim Farley said successful a release, "But this is astir truthful overmuch much than conscionable nan racing. It is astir really we usage our learnings from F1 to make our cars and trucks amended for our customers." I person nary thought really processing a 1,000-horsepower, 1.6-liter turbo-hybrid V6 motor will amended nan F150, but I conjecture we're going to find out.