Red Bull Racing’s 2026 Livery Takes Flight

At Red Bull’s 2026 Season Launch, held in Michigan Central Station, Red Bull pilot Martin Sonka produced a jaw-dropping stunt, as his plane tore the sheet off the car, unveiling a new yet familiar look, marking a return to the gloss finish first seen when the Team made its debut back in 2005. 

22 years later, Formula One is about to enter a new era, as the sport’s technical regulations undergo a seismic change. This is also a defining moment for Oracle Red Bull Racing, because the opening round of the season in Melbourne will mark the official race debut of Red Bull Ford Powertrains, as the Team now builds both car and power unit under the same roof for the very first time.

To acknowledge this bold move, the RB22 will wear a livery inspired by Red Bull’s original look in F1. It harks back to a more classic Red Bull Racing presence, sharpening reflections, boosting contrast under the lights and making heritage elements of the new livery feel richer and more premium at speed.

The 2026 livery features a heritage white base, which the gloss paint will provide more depth and clarity to, allowing the iconic sun and bull logo to pop, with cleaner edges and stronger colour saturation. The shine adds motion, energy and reveals a new jacquard pattern through the body of the livery, which will run throughout Oracle Red Bull Racing’s 2026 look and feel.

In case you hadn’t guessed, the plane wasn’t actually inside Michigan Central Station! The crazy stunt actually took place at the Jindřichův Hradec Airport, in Czechia. The tail of the aircraft was fitted with an attachment to remove the cover from the car and, despite bad weather, Sonka pulled off the incredibly demanding aerobatic stunt known as the Cobra manoeuvre, which involves suddenly bringing the nose up almost vertically, but without gaining height, before resuming horizontal flight.

Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing

“Seeing the new livery for the first time is one of those special moments, it starts to make you feel excited about the new season. We are going to look spectacular on track! This is a new and significant era for the sport as a whole and for us as a team. We wanted our livery to reflect this, while also giving a nod to Red Bull Racing’s beginnings. This livery is designed to celebrate the spirit of our early days. In the year that an Oracle Red Bull Racing car will run a Red Bull Ford Powertrains PU for the first time, it felt only right to reflect some of our history in our livery.”

Max Verstappen, Oracle Red Bull Racing driver

“I love the new livery, it looks really nice and think it is going to stand out on track this year. The gloss is cool, it is a more retro look, the colour is really bold and blue, I really like it. Seeing it in real life was special and I was really impressed and surprised by how much of a change it is. The whole look brings back a lot of great memories of back in the day when I was just starting out in F1 and everything was new. I’m excited to drive a car with a completely different look. I’m not sure the mechanics will be happy about the time it’ll take to keep this clean! But, it’s going to look really slick and will be nice for everyone to see out on track.”

Isack Hadjar, Oracle Red Bull Racing driver

“There’s been some exciting moments and a lot of firsts for me in the last few months,  since I found out I would be driving for Oracle Red Bull Racing, and seeing the 2026 livery for the first time is up there with one of the best. Things are starting to feel a lot more real now and I can’t wait to drive with this livery on the car, I love the new, yet heritage, look, it’s super cool. It’s a new era for me and it’s pretty crazy that the Team and the whole sport are entering one at the same time too, it all feels very special. Being here in Detroit and seeing the livery in real life and the scale of what we have done to create a power unit is getting me hyped for this season. Now I just want to get into the RB22 with our own engine and go racing!”

Red Bull Racing 2026 Livery Images