Detroit Launches the Future: Red Bull, Ford, and F1's New Beginning
Formula 1 is back, and the 2026 season has officially launched in Detroit.
This isn't just another season. It marks the start of a massive regulatory overhaul that changed a lot.
Detroit Rock City: The Red Bull & Ford Takeover
The 2026 launch season kicked off with a historic twist. Red Bull and Racing Bulls became the first teams to announce and reveal their liveries in a joint event at Michigan Central Station in Detroit.
This choice of venue wasn't accidental for the Austrian team. It celebrated the team's collaboration with American manufacturing giant Ford, marking Ford's return to the highest level of racing after more than two decades.
For the first time, these two teams conducted a joint launch, revealing their hopes for the new season alongside their new partner.
Red Bull's RB22 livery is a serious throwback. The design reintroduces a glossy finish reminiscent of the team's first look from 2005.
Verstappen will be joined by 21-year-old French driver Isack Hadjar, fresh from an impressive rookie season with Racing Bulls that included a podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The pairing marks yet another new lineup for Verstappen, who will enter 2026 with his seventh different teammate in eight seasons.
The sister team, Racing Bulls, is keeping their chameleon vibe but with a twist. They have retained their all-white look, but the chassis now features accents of blue as a direct nod to their partnership with Ford.
The team also introduced their driver lineup with Liam Lawson paired alongside 18-year-old British rookie Arvid Lindblad, who becomes the youngest driver on the grid.
The Tech Revolution: Why This Season is Different
While the liveries are beautiful, the real story of 2026 is hidden under the bodywork. As noted in my previous deep dive, the FIA has blown up the formula entirely.
The Nimble Car is Here
After years of complaints about automotive obesity, the cars are finally shrinking.
The 2026 regulations enforce a concept designed to make the machines raceable again.
Weight drops by 30 kilograms to 768kg
Width shrinks by 10 centimeters to 1.9 meters
Wheelbase shortens by 20 centimeters to 3.4 meters
The Power Unit Shift
The new regulations bring a radical rebalancing of power.
The internal combustion engine output drops to 400 kilowatts, while the electric motor triples its output to 350 kilowatts.
This creates a 50/50 power split between fuel and battery, transforming the car into a hybrid that relies equally on both.
Additionally, the MGU-H has been removed entirely to reduce costs and attract manufacturers like Audi and Ford.
However, this simplification makes energy management the new battlefield.
Drivers must manage battery regeneration or risk clipping, where the car loses half its power instantly mid-straight.
RIP DRS, Hello Overtake Mode
Perhaps the biggest change for fans watching on TV is that the Drag Reduction System is dead.
It has been replaced by active aerodynamics and a new Overtake Mode system. Active aerodynamics feature movable front and rear wings that switch between Corner Mode (high downforce) and Straight Mode (low drag), giving drivers dynamic control throughout the lap.
Overtake Mode takes it further. When a chasing car is within one second of a rival, the driver can deploy extra electrical power for overtaking attempts.
This turns passing into a high-speed chess match of energy deployment, where battery management and strategic thinking matter as much as raw pace.
Cadillac Breaks Cover
While Red Bull was partying in Detroit, the new entrant Cadillac was busy at Silverstone.
The Cadillac F1 car broke cover for a shakedown on January 17, giving us our first look.
Visually, the Cadillac features sidepods that slope down much more aggressively than the FIA show car, along with a sophisticated rear wing.
However, the front wing seen at Silverstone appeared very similar to the standard show model, suggesting it might just be a placeholder before the real racing begins.
But, the paint job is eye candy
The American outfit enters F1 with experienced hands at the wheel.
Sergio Perez returns to the grid after his Red Bull exit, partnered with Valtteri Bottas, who brings Mercedes experience to the new team.
Cadillac will officially launch their race livery during a TV spot at the Super Bowl on February 8.
The Risk of the Unknown
The excitement is in the air, but so is the anxiety (Lando, I’m looking at you).
For Red Bull, this is the first time they have built their own power unit from scratch, a challenge that Team Principal Laurent Mekies admitted caused "sleepless nights" for the engineers.
"We didn't buy an existing power unit. We started in a field," Mekies explained regarding the massive undertaking of building a factory and hiring 700 people in just four years.
If the new engine isn't up to par, rumors are already swirling that Max Verstappen could look to leave the team if he finds himself outside the top two in the standings.
Mark Your Calendars
The launch season is just getting started.
Here is when the rest of the grid will reveal their 2026 challengers.
January 19: Haas (online)
January 20: Audi (Berlin) and Honda Power Unit (Tokyo)
January 22: Mercedes (renders)
January 23: Ferrari (Maranello) and Alpine (Barcelona)
February 2: Mercedes (season launch)
February 3: Williams
February 8: Cadillac (Super Bowl)
February 9: Aston Martin and McLaren
Get the Popcorn
Pre-season testing begins with a behind-closed-doors shakedown in Barcelona from January 26 to 30.
Public testing follows in Bahrain with two sessions from February 11 to 13 and February 18 to 20, before the season opener in Melbourne on March 8.
Expect chaos in the opening races. History suggests that with such massive rule changes, cars will break and strategies will fail.
A classic example is the 2014 season opener in Australia, when the sport switched to the new 1.6-litre V6 turbo-hybrid power units.
Reliability was a nightmare and multiple cars suffered power unit failures, overheating, and energy system glitches during pre-season and the early races.
In Melbourne alone, several drivers retired early due to hybrid-related issues, and Daniel Ricciardo's on-track win was dramatically disqualified post-race for breaching fuel flow limits, turning what could have been a fairy-tale result into utter pandemonium.
Similar problems plagued the following rounds in Malaysia and Bahrain, with high retirement rates and unpredictable outcomes as teams scrambled to tame the complex new tech. Prime time television.
But that is exactly what makes 2026 the most anticipated season in years. Welcome to the new era.
For a deep dive into all the new rules in granular detail, check out my other article: "Formula 1 2026 Rules: A New Era."