The 2026 F1 season is not too far away as the grid heads ever closer to the first of three pre-season tests ahead of a new regulations era that promises so much. It is safe to say that we have already entered the car launch phase ahead of the new season, this time already in January.
Red Bull, Racing Bulls, and Haas have all already revealed their 2026 challengers, all in the second week of the new year. Although seven other teams are yet to do so, the dates of their launches have already been announced. All these launches and the three pre-season tests will dominate January and February for F1 fans, before the season officially kicks off in March.
So let’s take a look at all the important dates before the start of another F1 season, beginning with the next car launch date.
When is the next F1 car launch?
After Red Bull and Haas, the next F1 car launch is scheduled for January 20, when Audi reveals its first livery as a works team in Berlin at 19:00 local time. The team’s fans will be able to come and watch the car on display in the German city during a unique public opening on January 21.
Audi bought out the Sauber Group in 2024, which had previously competed on the F1 grid. Starting in 2026, the team will reflect Audi branding and will run engines developed by the German automaker.
The team is still set to oversee its F1 operations from Sauber’s facilities at Hinwil, where the chassis of the R26 was also developed. The engine was built at the team’s motorsports hub at Neuburg, Germany, while the company has also built a new development office in Bicester, United Kingdom.
Other important launch dates
Audi’s launch will still only make it four teams out of 11 that have shared their 2026 cars with the fans already. After this, several other outfits are quickly going to unveil their new machines ahead of pre-season testing.
Both Ferrari and Alpine will launch their new cars on January 23. While the Italian team will do so in their native country, their French counterparts are holding a ceremony in Barcelona to reveal their car.
Mercedes are then all set to reveal their 2026 car on February 2. But the German team is also going to share a first look via renders on social media much earlier, on January 22. Following this, Williams will also launch their 2026 livery on February 3.
The sport’s newest team, Cadillac, is expected to make waves with its first-ever F1 car launch. The American team has also found a unique way to do so, revealing their 2026 car during the half-time commercial break of the Super Bowl on February 8.
Finally, both Aston Martin and McLaren are set to hold launch events for their respective 2026 cars on February 9.
Other important dates before the start of the 2026 season
Between these reveals comes the first pre-season test, which will be held from January 26 to January 30 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit in the Spanish city. This will give all teams a chance to run their 2026 cars properly for the first time over five days. But since this will be a private affair, many teams are not launching an official livery before this. Williams and Cadillac have become the two teams that have actually revealed special shakedown liveries for the test.
Following this, and all the car launches, the second pre-season test, which will be televised, will take place from February 11 to 13 at the Bahrain International Circuit. A third test will also be held at the Lusail-based track from February 18 to 20.
Finally, after this, the 2026 F1 cars will be seen in action on March 6, as the Australian Grand Prix weekend will kick off the new season. The first race of the new season is scheduled for March 8 at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
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