Red Bull Unveils Retro 2026 Livery and Honors Mateschitz with 'DM01' Engine

Red Bull has kicked off the 2026 season launch cycle by revealing a striking retro livery in Detroit. The design features a high-gloss finish and marks the official debut of the Ford partnership, with the power unit named in honor of late co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.

Why it matters:

As the first team to show its hand, Red Bull is setting the visual tone for the new regulations era. The return of Ford and the tribute to Mateschitz signal a significant shift in the team's identity and engineering direction as they aim to maintain dominance with their first in-house power unit developed alongside the American manufacturer.

The details:

• Retro Design: The livery utilizes a white base with high-gloss paint, deep blue, and yellow accents. It features a prominent bull logo on the engine cover, aiming for a retro aesthetic that reminds Verstappen of his early F1 days.
• Maintenance Warning: While Verstappen praised the look, he joked that the high-gloss finish would be "labor-intensive" for mechanics to keep clean throughout the season.
• Ford Partnership: The car prominently displays the Ford logo, marking the US manufacturer's official return to F1 as Red Bull's power unit partner.
• DM01 Tribute: The new power unit has been officially named "DM01" as a homage to the late Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
• Lineup: The reveal featured Max Verstappen alongside his new teammate, Isack Hadjar.

What's next:

Technical specifications remain a closely guarded secret. Red Bull will hold its first private test behind closed doors in Barcelona on January 26, where the true performance of the DM01 engine and the new RB22 chassis will finally be put to the test.