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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Haas changes the launch date for VF-26<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Haas had been one of three teams intending to launch its new 2026 car on the 23rd of January, but this congestion of launches \u2013 with Alpine and Ferrari \u2013 has seen the American squad take the unusual measure of changing the date.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n On this date, the newly rebranded TGR (Toyota Gazoo Racing) Haas<\/a> F1 team will showcase its new look VF-26 via digital renders and video.<\/p>\n The team will then head to Barcelona for a closed-doors collective test with the other 10 teams.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a particularly short winter break this year, due to the addition of extra test days due to the extensive regulations changes this season.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n This is followed by Haas\u2019 reveal, before Audi launches its 2026 car in Berlin on January 20th.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0understood to pay handsomely for the right to host testing, which has become a televised event in recent seasons.<\/p>\n More on F1 2026 launch dates<\/p>\n F1 2026: Confirmed car launches and test days for huge regulation changes<\/a><\/p>\n Mercedes confirm W17 launch date ahead of F1 2026 season<\/a><\/p>\n