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Formula 1 is poised to begin a new era of much-changed cars and engines in 2026, making 'launch season' one of the most eagerly-anticipated in years.

With pre-season testing beginning at the end of January, initially with behind-closed-doors running in Barcelona, teams will start to show off their 2026 looks and cars several weeks earlier than recent years as they ramp up preparations for the 24-race campaign from March.

All 11 teams - including the new-for-2026 Cadillac outfit - have confirmed their respective launch dates...

The two Red Bull teams kicked off their new engine era at the Detroit headquarters of partners Ford by revealing their respective 2026 car liveries.

Red Bull revealed a throwback look as they incorporated more blue to their 2026 livery than has been seen in recent designs.

Racing Bulls stuck with their sleek white design, but also added some blue accents in a nod to Ford.

Haas originally scheduled their launch for Friday January 23 but then changed it to avoid a clash with Ferrari and Alpine.

The reveal was significant in that Haas revealed digital images of their actual 2026 car, the VF-26, becoming the first team to take that step.

The livery featured more white and red than the previous year's car, with additional nods to their new title sponsor Toyota Gazoo Racing.

They aren't a brand new team like Cadillac, but Sauber's transition to Audi became official when the German outfit held a "global launch" event in Berlin.

The team had already shared their livery concept back in November 2025, but unveiled the final look with an impressive collection of sponsors filling out the titanium silver and bright red scheme.

A hugely ambitious target was laid out as the wider Audi brand chief executive said he wants to see a championship within five years.

In a twist to the normal launch schedule, Aston Martin's new partners Honda held their own event in Tokyo to officially begin their full return to F1.

The Japanese manufacturer's launch comes ahead of a new season when F1's power units are being overhauled to feature a 50-50 split between electrical and the internal combustion engine power.

Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll said at the launch that "challenges inevitably lie ahead" but that he has "tremendous faith" in his team's new partner.

Is this going to be the car and engine combination to beat in the first year of F1's new era?

Hotly-tipped Mercedes will show off the first renders of their latest challenger, the W17, on Thursday January 22 ahead of a season in which they bid to get back to title-contending ways after disappointment in the ground-effect rules era.

After the behind-closed-doors Barcelona test on January 26-30, the team will then host a season launch event online featuring drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, team boss Toto Wolff and the W17 itself on Monday February 2.

After the disappointment of their winless 2025 season, Ferrari will officially launch what they hope will be a big bounce-back year for them on Friday January 23 - three days before the behind-closed-doors first test of pre-season starts in Barcelona.

The Scuderia have given little away so far about the exact nature of the launch but : "We will finish the assembly of the car the day before the launch, the launch will be January 23, which means we will finish the car on the 22nd, and this is to be aggressive.

"But everybody will do the same, now we have a convergence in the approach of the season, and everybody will do the same." The 2025 car ran for the first time at Fiorano, the team's own test track, on the day it was officially launched.

Alpine have promised "we've got something to show you" when they too hold an event on Friday January 23 from Barcelona.

The team are aiming for a big step forward in F1's new era having slipped to last in the 2025 constructors' standings amid an early focus shift to 2026, with Alpine also swapping their own works Renault engines for a customer supply of a Mercedes power unit that is expected to be strong.

Williams will unveil what they say will be a "new look" for the team when they launch the livery for their 2026 car, the FW48, on Tuesday 3 February.

The car will have run in a special one-off fan-designed livery before then for the first test in Barcelona.

When better for F1's new American team to show off their Formula 1 look for the first time than during the country's biggest and most-famous sporting event?

The team's maiden car livery will be shown in a TV advert during the Super Bowl, which this year is being staged at California's Levi's Stadium, on Sunday February 8.

Defending world champions McLaren will reveal their 2026 car livery to the world on Monday February 9, two days before the first public test of pre-season begins in Bahrain.

New world champion Lando Norris will be present at an online event from the Bahrain International Circuit alongside team-mate Oscar Piastri and team chiefs Zak Brown and Andrea Stella, which starts at 3pm UK time.

The eagerly anticipated unveiling of the first Aston Martin car designed by the legendary Adrian Newey will break cover on Monday February 9, the same day as McLaren.

The new AMR26 will also be the first of the team's cars to be powered by Honda.

The big change in 2026 will be a complete overhaul of the technical regulations that will see major changes to the power unit, chassis and aerodynamic rules. The cars will be very different to say the least.

New car design rules in F1 almost certainly causes a shake-up to the pecking order. SportsNews F1's Martin Brundle has described the new regulations as the "biggest changes ever" in the sport.

The teams have long been working on their 2026 cars because the regulations are scheduled to be in place for five seasons. Being quick from next year will set you up to be competitive for the years to come. Mercedes' dominance in 2014, for example, lasted until 2016 before they were finally caught by Ferrari and Red Bull.

There will be no more DRS, instead we will "Overtake Mode" where the drivers can use more power on designated straights if they are within one second of another car. We will also see "Active Aero" which means the front and rear wings will be moving before and after corners.

It's expected the cars will be able to follow each other more closely, so there will be more overtaking opportunities.

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2026 Formula 1 season live on SportsNews F1.