Haas has opted to change the launch date for its new 2026 car, the VF-26, ahead of the first pre-season test in Barcelona.
Haas was due to reveal the VF-26 on Friday, the 23rd of January, but has chosen to move that date up by a couple of days.
Haas changes the launch date for VF-26
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Haas had been one of three teams intending to launch its new 2026 car on the 23rd of January, but this congestion of launches – with Alpine and Ferrari – has seen the American squad take the unusual measure of changing the date.
Rather than reveal its car on the Friday before the first pre-season test, Haas will now reveal the VF-26 on Monday, the 19th of January.
On this date, the newly rebranded TGR (Toyota Gazoo Racing) Haas F1 team will showcase its new look VF-26 via digital renders and video.
The team will then head to Barcelona for a closed-doors collective test with the other 10 teams.
It’s a particularly short winter break this year, due to the addition of extra test days due to the extensive regulations changes this season.
As a result, launch season will start very early, with the new-look Red Bull and Racing Bulls liveries going to be showcased at a Ford season launch event in Detroit on January 15th.
This is followed by Haas’ reveal, before Audi launches its 2026 car in Berlin on January 20th.
10 of the 11 teams have confirmed launch events and dates, taking place either side of the first pre-season test. Only McLaren is yet to confirm the same.
Any team that has not released images of its new car before the Barcelona test will be requested to run in bare carbon or a plain black or camouflage livery at the closed-doors event.
The reason for this is so that the first look fans get of the new cars in their fresh paint happens either at a team launch or at the Bahrain test, with the Gulf country understood to pay handsomely for the right to host testing, which has become a televised event in recent seasons.
More on F1 2026 launch dates
F1 2026: Confirmed car launches and test days for huge regulation changes
Mercedes confirm W17 launch date ahead of F1 2026 season
Williams announces F1 2026 livery launch date
Key launch dates so far
15 January: Red Bull and Racing Bulls
19 January: Haas
20 January: Audi
23 January: Alpine, Ferrari
3 February: Williams
8 February: Cadillac
9 February: Aston Martin
As for Haas, whose technical partnership with Toyota expands significantly as the Japanese manufacturer has become title partner for the squad, team boss Ayao Komatsu has downplayed how Toyota’s involvement may change Haas’ relationship with Ferrari, with the Italian marque providing the squad with power units and gearboxes.
“It really doesn’t change. Like I said from day one, our existence, really, the foundation is Ferrari. You know, without Ferrari collaboration, we’re not going to be here,” Komatsu told the media, including PlanetF1.com, in Abu Dhabi.
“Then we are increasing [working with Toyota], or even the very first time last year, one of the first questions Akio [Toyota, Toyota chairman] asked me: ‘Is Ferrari going to be okay with this?’ So it’s not like Toyota is trying to step into where Ferrari is working with us.
“So there are certain areas, obviously, in the regulation that Ferrari can help us, certain areas in the regulation that Ferrari cannot help us because they are our competitor, and those are the areas where we are working together with Toyota and TGR, so there’s no issue in that regard at all.
“I’ve been completely transparent with Ferrari as well, and again, Akio-san, for somebody like the chairman of TMC to have a first thing he says is ‘I don’t want to create any mess with Ferrari’, he’s a great guy.”
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