Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo will both feature in Red Bull’s season launch this week, bringing together the team’s present and past as it prepares for a landmark year in Formula 1.
Red Bull will unveil its 2026 livery in Detroit on Thursday as it enters a new technical era.
For the first time, the Milton Keynes-based outfit will race with a power unit designed and built in-house through Red Bull Powertrains.
The engine programme has been developed in partnership with Ford, which is using the event to underline its growing involvement in F1.
Ford has confirmed Ricciardo as a guest at the launch, setting up a rare public reunion with Verstappen.
The two shared the Red Bull garage for three seasons from 2016 to 2018 and formed one of the grid’s most popular driver pairings.
Red Bull prepares for 2026
The Australian has kept a low profile since leaving Formula 1 in 2024.
He announced his retirement from racing in 2024 and later became a global ambassador for Ford Racing.
His appearance in Detroit follows a recent Red Bull video that reunited Ricciardo and Verstappen on screen alongside Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad in a Ford-themed challenge.
That video drew strong reaction from fans and offered a glimpse of how Red Bull and Ford are already integrating their partnership beyond the racetrack.
On track, Verstappen begins the new season aiming for a fifth world championship after narrowly missing out last year.
Red Bull has also refreshed its line-up, with Isack Hadjar stepping up to the senior team following an impressive rookie campaign with Racing Bulls.
The Detroit launch is scheduled to start at 7 pm local time.
Ford has also confirmed appearances from three-time NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano and five-time Formula Drift title winner James Deane.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen doubles down on ‘true’ McLaren F1 title claim
Discussion about this post