Overview
- At a Detroit event with Ford, Red Bull unveiled a heritage‑inspired glossy blue livery on a 2026 showcar, with the real RB22 yet to be shown.
- Red Bull Ford Powertrains will race its first self-built hybrid unit, named DM01 in tribute to founder Dietrich Mateschitz, marking Ford’s return to F1.
- Laurent Mekies said Red Bull expects to trail established power‑unit rivals early in 2026, forecasting a steep in‑season development curve.
- Max Verstappen welcomed the new look and said the very different car and energy deployment will require adjustment; Isack Hadjar steps up as his teammate.
- The first running comes in a private Barcelona shakedown on January 26–30, followed by Bahrain tests on February 11–13 and 18–20 before Melbourne on March 6–8.