F1 2026: CONFIRMED CAR LAUNCHES AND TEST DAYS FOR HUGE REGULATION CHANGES
The F1 2026 season represents a massive change in regulations, with both chassis and engine rules changing together for the first time.
This will mean all-new cars will take to the track in 2026, along with a couple of all-new teams entering the mix to make up the expanded 22-car grid.
F1 2026: Confirmed car launch dates
| Team | F1 2026 launch date |
| Alpine | 23 January 2026 |
| Aston Martin | 9 February 2026 |
| Audi | 20 January 2026 |
| Cadillac | 8 February 2026 |
| Ferrari | 23 January 2026 |
| Haas | 19 January 2026 |
| McLaren | 9 February 2026 |
| Mercedes | 22 January 2026 |
| Racing Bulls | 15 January 2026 |
| Red Bull | 15 January 2026 |
| Williams | 3 February 2026 |
Car launches are always one of the most highly anticipated days of any pre-season schedule, with fans able to see what team liveries will be for the year ahead.
There is always an element of mystery, too, as to whether or not the team will put its actual car on display, or a new livery on a display model to look to hide any innovations they have been working on over the course of winter.
After Formula 1’s 75th anniversary launch at London’s O2 Arena in 2025, teams are set to revert to holding their own launches ahead of the 2026 season.
Red Bull and Racing Bulls were the first to confirm their 2026 launch, doing so in a huge event with Ford, showcasing all of the US brand’s racing outfits on one day in Detroit, as Red Bull enters a new partnership with Ford, collaborating on the teams’ 2026 power unit.
Towards the other end of the schedule, two launches will bookend the launch season as McLaren and Aston Martin unveil their cars on 9 February.
More on the huge upcoming changes in the F1 2026 season
F1 2026 driver line-up: Which drivers are already confirmed for 2026?
F1 2026: Confirmed teams and power unit suppliers for huge regulation changes
F1 2026: Confirmed pre-season testing dates
| Test | Circuit | Dates |
| Test 1 | Barcelona [Private test] | 26-30 January |
| Test 2 | Bahrain International | 11-13 February |
| Test 3 | Bahrain International | 18-20 February |
Three pre-season tests have already been confirmed for the F1 2026 season, going up to 11 days in all from the usual six before a season, to allow extra time for these all-new machines to bed in on track.
Fans and media alike will have to wait for their first sightings of the new cars, though, with a five-day, behind-closed-doors test at Barcelona being the first test from 26-30 January.
Barcelona has long been used for testing in Formula 1, given its rounded blend of corners, mixture of high and low-speed content and challenges presented for the tyres.
The final six days of testing will take place at a circuit Formula 1 has increasingly used in recent years for pre-season testing: Bahrain.
The day and night sessions offer the chance to run the cars in different conditions, and with the weather expected to be dry more often than not, representative running is almost a given at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Three days of running will take place from 11-13 February, before the teams will have another three days to make the most of their track time from 18-20 February.
Once these are complete, the countdown will begin to the first race of this new era at the Australian Grand Prix, from 6-8 March.
Read next: F1 2026 tech analysed: The future of overtaking and biggest car advantage identified
2025-11-11T18:21:14Z