Red Bull and VCARB to begin 2026 F1 season in Detroit

The 2025 Formula 1 season is winding down, but plans are already in the works for the start of the 2026 campaign.

Including a pair of teams launching their season in the United States.

Red Bull and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls announced on Tuesday that they will unveil their 2026 liveries in Detroit, while also introducing Red Bull Ford Powertrains ahead of its debut as a Formula 1 power unit manufacturer. Next season sees Ford return to the grid in a partnership with Red Bull, and their power units will power both the RB22 and the VCARB 03.

The event will take place on January 15, 2026.

“Since we announced our return to F1 with Red Bull, the Ford team have been working night and day to get ready for 2026. But this is about so much more than just the racing,” said Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford Motor Company. It is about how we use our learnings from F1 to make our cars and trucks better for our customers. What we will learn together with Red Bull will define the technologies of the future and that is what excites me most about this relationship.”

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Ford back into the world of Formula One,” said Peter Bayer, the CEO of VCARB. “With over 125 years of heritage, innovation, and absolute dedication to performance, Ford embodies the same competitive spirit that drives our team. This partnership brings together global brands united by a love of racing and a commitment to pushing boundaries.

“As a member of the Red Bull family and together with our title partners; Visa and Cash App, we see huge opportunities to join forces and connect with a new generation of fans and showcase the future of performance and mobility on a global stage. Launching this new era in Detroit, the birthplace of Ford, makes it all the more special.”

“The launch of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains era represents not only a bold step into the future, but a powerful expression of what’s possible when world-class engineering, innovation, and passion come together. To see the energy, precision, and scale behind this project is inspiring,” said Red Bull CEO and Team Principal Laurent Mekies. “It’s the culmination of several years of collaboration between two great names in motorsport. We’re incredibly excited to begin this new chapter, driven by the same determination and excellence that defines both Ford and Red Bull.”

F1 ushers in a new set of technical regulations next year, including substantial changes to the power units. 2025 marks the final season of the partnership between Honda and Red Bull, a pairing that has delivered four consecutive Drivers’ Championships for Max Verstappen — with a fifth still mathematically possible this season — and a pair of Constructors Championships in 2022 and 2023.