Don’t miss a thing: All dates, photos, and information about the design and car presentations from Audi, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, and Co. for the 2026 Formula 1 season
The new look of Formula 1: When the winter break comes to an end, the teams present their cars for the new racing season. This is particularly exciting when, as in 2026, new regulations are introduced, because the new technical rules have an impact on the appearance of the cars.
In this continuously updated overview for 2026, we not only list the dates for the individual presentations and initial details about the race cars, but also provide a complete overview of all Formula 1 launches in 2026 and the respective car names. Of course, we will also post pictures of the individual vehicles here as soon as they are available.
Will there be another overall presentation of all cars in 2026?
No. This was a one-off event at the start of the 2025 season to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship. At least for 2026, no overall presentation is planned.
However, those involved do not rule out the possibility of such an event taking place again in the future.
Will we see the real cars at the presentations?
Sometimes, but not always. Formula 1 teams often present earlier versions or even “dummy cars” at their individual car launches. Apart from the color design, there is usually not much in common with the later race car.
The purpose of this exercise is to deceive the competition and keep any innovations under wraps for as long as possible. Due to the extensive rule changes for 2026, this “hide-and-seek” game could be particularly intense in 2026.
All presentation dates for the 2026 Formula 1 cars
In this overview, we will compile all car presentations for 2026 as soon as they are known and link to the respective images.
January 15: Racing Bulls (design presentation) at Ford in Detroit (USA)
January 15: Red Bull (design presentation) at Ford in Detroit (USA)
Still to be confirmed: Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, Cadillac, Ferrari, Haas, McLaren, Mercedes, Williams
Details and background information on the 2026 Formula 1 cars
Alpine: If the French-English Formula 1 team remains true to its previous naming convention, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly will compete in the 2026 season with the A526. The 5 is a tribute to the first Renault prototype in Formula 1, which was built by Alpine – hence the A. The 26 is simply the year. However, there will no longer be a Renault engine in the car in 2026: Alpine is switching to Mercedes and is therefore no longer a works team, but a customer team.
Aston Martin: The English team names its Formula 1 cars according to a clear pattern: the team prefixes each car with the letters AMR for “Aston Martin Racing,” followed by the year. For 2026, this probably means that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s race car will be called AMR26. What is new, however, is that Mercedes will no longer be supplying the engines, but Honda – as the exclusive supplier.
Audi: The new Audi works team is building its own engines and chassis – in Neuburg an der Donau in Germany and at the former Sauber site in Hinwil, Switzerland, respectively. At its Formula 1 presentation in November 2025, Audi unveiled a design study called the R26. However, it remains to be seen whether the colors and name will remain the same. The previous Sauber regular drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg have been confirmed as drivers. Cadillac: Formula 1 newcomer Cadillac has not yet announced any details about its car naming. The only thing that is clear is that Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will be driving. And the US racing team’s car will be powered by a Ferrari engine. This will remain the case for the first few years until Cadillac’s parent company, General Motors, has developed its own Formula 1 engine.
Ferrari: The traditional Formula 1 team par excellence does not follow a uniform line when naming its cars. However, if the current convention remains in place, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will drive the SF-26 in 2026. However, Ferrari sometimes deviates from its usual names when rules change. Internally, the 2026 race car is referred to as “Project 678.”
Haas: The US team Haas is a safe bet when it comes to car naming. Since entering Formula 1 in 2016, the rule has been: VF with the year. The letters stand for “Very First.” It’s important to note that the Haas Group has its roots in mechanical engineering, and the first Haas machine was once called VF-1, meaning “Very First One.” Applied to Formula 1, this means that in 2026, Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon will probably be driving a VF-26 with a Ferrari engine. McLaren: The racing team from Woking, England, is one of the teams that always continues counting when naming its Formula 1 cars. The McLaren MCL39 from the 2025 season should therefore be followed by the MCL40. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are aiming for their third consecutive world championship title in the constructors’ standings. McLaren will continue to source its engines from Mercedes in the new Formula 1 era.
Mercedes: Since returning to Formula 1 for the 2010 season, Mercedes has also simply continued its numbering system. The successor to the W16 from the 2025 season will therefore probably be the W17, which will once again be driven by Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. The “W” in the car name stands for ‘Wagen’ (car), a Daimler tradition. Similarly, the engine is always preceded by an “M.”
Racing Bulls: In 2024, Racing Bulls not only introduced a new team name, but also a new naming convention for its Formula 1 cars. The new car for 2026 is therefore likely to be called VCARB 03. This name reflects the team’s biggest sponsors: Visa and Cash App. Added to this are the team abbreviation and a number. The number three because the 2026 car is the third under the current team name. Who will drive it has not yet been confirmed. The only thing that is clear is that the engines will come from Red Bull/Ford. >Red Bull: Max Verstappen’s team has stuck to its traditional naming convention for its cars and will probably use the RB22 in 2026. It is still unclear who Verstappen’s teammate will be. One technical innovation is the powertrain: Red Bull is collaborating with Ford to build its own Formula 1 engines for the first time and will therefore compete as a works team from 2026.
Williams: Although former team founder and long-time team principal Frank Williams passed away in 2021 and the racing team has not been family-owned since 2020, Williams is sticking to its traditional naming convention: all of the team’s cars have so far borne Frank Williams’ initials, FW. The FW47 of 2025 will likely be followed by the FW48 for Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz in 2026. Mercedes will supply the powertrains.
