Inspirational video montages of hand-drawn lightning
F1 2026 car launch season was even weirder than usual as the big regulation changes means that no one really wants anyone to see their car at all. However since no one has yet designed a big, FIA-compliant, aerodynamic box to fix around the outside of the car, preventing outsiders from looking on, the teams instead opted for launching things that looked like it might be their new car, painted with something that would probably be the livery, at least at the start of the season…
Red Bull and VCARB: Enough videos to make a feature film
Ford, Red Bull and a bit VCARB were up first. Everyone trekked from Milton Keynes and Faenza all the way to Detroit, Michigan, the home of Ford. Bill Ford is here to welcome us with the obligatory mention of his great grandfather Henry Ford before we even hit the ten second mark, followed by an inspiring speech about demanding excellence and winning, while name checking all the other Ford family members, who are obviously also winners. Time to cue the inspirational video: there’s cars, random horses, sports and, of course, lightning. The inspirational voice-over leads us to the key message, “Two teams, one ambition”, with the two teams apparently being Ford and Red Bull because VCARB has a different ambition that doesn’t involve horses and lightning?
After the video, a bunch of them gather on stage to have a casual chat, Jim Not-A-Ford-But-Works-For-Ford says he wants to go off script for a minute, which implies that everything else has been scripted, including the part where he tries to rally the audience with “America loves an underdog, yeah?!” Oh yes, Ford and Red Bull, those billion-dollar multinational underdogs. After that all-American pep, it’s time for a 360-degree mood switch courtesy of waking up technical guy Ben at three am so he can beam in live from the UK, “I’m here in dyno 5 control room, behind me we’ve got engine 312 which has been doing calibration laps to try to compliment our durability running…” Ben continues to explain more about the work they’ve been up to on the new engine, which everyone definitely understands, before revealing a poignant moment that happened the previous week where “the engine and the chassis got married together in a race bay… it was a really emotional moment for me”. He looks as though he’s trying to stifle tears. Time to let Ben go to bed.
Next comes a video montage of things we’re not allowed to look at because it’s all top secret, hush hush, behind closed doors. Oh the suspense. But enough of that because it’s Virtual Reality headset time like it’s either the 90s or 2021, except instead of using it for fighting dragons or designing a kitchen we got a floating engine. They start the demo by telling us, “the model really represents the…” THE WHAT!? THE ACTUAL ENGINE!? THE TOP SECRET BRAND NEW ENGINE!? “…the hard work that everyone has put in.” Oh ok.
It’s time for another video. At this point it’s a little unclear how this video differs from any of the other videos except it has Max wearing a coat flapping about in the wind in artsy black and white. When it finally feels like it might be time for the actual car launch, as Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar appear on stage, there’s still time to chuck in a video because obviously we need to see the F1 car nearly being hit by a plane before revealing the same livery as usual except now in full gloss. Everyone agrees how much they like how glossy and exciting everything is.
After only 50 minutes, it’s time to remember VCARB exists and it’s their launch too. They really want us to know that “this isn’t just your average race team” before cutting to a video that is exactly the same as every inspirational F1 team video ever done, whilst pretending it’s not. Thankfully however they live up to the notion of doing things differently by not making us wait 45 minutes to see the car. They get straight in there. There’s no plane for VCARB though, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad just have to remove the sheet from the car themselves. Old school. “I like the white,” is Liam’s assessment, while Arvid controversially comments, “I really like the matt.” No glossy Red Bull promotion for him with that attitude.
Next comes Team Principal Alan Permane and CEO Peter Bayer to discuss the car. “Its an evolution of last year’s car,” explains Peter. Hopefully a reference to the livery and not a sign that no one told the VCARB guys about the little change in regulations for 2026. After some light chat about the democratisation of sport, everyone gathers on stage like a big happy family and we’re done.
It will be hard for any of the other teams to match this level of launch detail, they really left no stone unlaunched (except for the secret stones, obviously), an excellent start to get everyone in the mood.
Haas: Short and sweet
In true Haas style, no money was wasted on hiring out a warehouse, kitting it out with strobe lighting and inviting a load of influencers, just to roll out a car that wasn’t the actual car but was painted a bit like the actual car might be. Instead they opted for their usual tactic of posting some pictures on social media, although they did also do a fancy video, ooo look at those close ups.
Audi: Not skimping on the drama
Audi don’t even need a stage, they just started the whole event hanging out on a staircase talking about history, innovation, courage, tech, tech, tech, winning, challenge the status quo, push boundaries, more innovation, transformation and even more innovation. With all the F1 launch buzzwords checked off the list it’s time for the audience to begin “an immersive experience” by walking up the stairs.
After what seems like an age of hearing the sound of unseen people shuffling up a dark staircase into a darker room, a large countdown appears. It’s five minutes. FIVE MORE MINUTES!? At the point where I’m about to give up because even I have a limit for how long I will listen to people walking up stairs, the dramatic music happens. Then lights. Then an orchestra. Ok I’m still in. “This is the beginning”. The lyrics of this song are very easy to pick up. The whole thing suddenly transforming from the most boring car launch of the season to the most dramatic (yes it’s only the third launch). Suddenly it’s a whole orchestral, opera, rap mash-up because Audi are cultural and cool, yeah. There’s even more people now and everyone is singing and dramatically pointing and it feels like it might genuinely be quite bewildering if you’re an audience member still trying to shuffle your way through in the dark. The countdown is nearly at zero. Dramatic. It feels like genuinely anything could happen. Except obviously it’s an inspirational video about how cool and successful Audi will be, with the apparently now mandatory lightning.
Once all the lights and music and drama dies down, Audio big bosses Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley arrive on stage, along with someone else who tries to follow them out but eventually realises they shouldn’t be before hurrying back behind a screen. It seems like they may have forgotten they’re at a car launch as they apparently run through the agenda of any generic management meeting, covering “measurable milestones” and “continuous improvement”, until someone remembers and we finally get to see the car, which somehow looks exactly like you would expect and Audi F1 car to look. Then, with much celebration, a load of random people pour out on stage along with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, so they can all stand round the car while it spins on a turntable. Bortoleto looks and sounds very happy while Hülkenberg still looks like he can’t believe how his career has turned around. And with that, in a mere 30 minutes, the car is launched.
Alpine: First ever F1 launch on a boat
No warehouses for Alpine, they are launching their car on a massive boat and they are going to make sure you know it. They start with the inspirational video, but seem to have missed the memo on lightning, instead opting for shots of people working at computers in between the car close ups. Yes I know the process of designing an F1 car involves a lot of people sitting and working away on computers but sometimes reality is less inspiring than weather and horses.
Back to the boat and we have an MSC Cruises guy to tell us again that it’s a boat and all the great work MSC Cruises and Alpine do together through their shared values of “team, innovation and technology.” Who doesn’t love someone with the good old-fashioned value of technology? After learning all about the technical workings of a cruise ship, we are told “but now, without further ado… here’s Flavio!” Is it Flavio that’s being launched, am I the only waiting for the car? Eventually everyone makes it on stage (including Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto) so it’s finally time to get some car, but not before it’s spun around under a sheet of course. Extra suspense. The drivers pull back the sheet, it is pink and blue, everyone is pleased and also the boat is amazing. I will now be fully disappointed if this boat can’t be seen lurking in the background of every F1 race, I don’t care if some of the tracks are literally in deserts.
Ferrari: Just sending it out on track
Ferrari went for a sort of series of launch videos around their main launch video, which was surprisingly fun. After a warm-up video showing the delight on everyone’s faces when they heard the new engine fire up for the first time, comes the epitome of an F1 car launch video. No lightning, not even any horses, just bits of car and bits of sentences. The final video is the jewel in the crown of car launches, an actual working car. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc driving the car around a damp and foggy Fiorano test track. The fog obviously organised by the ghost of Enzo Ferrari himself to make sure we can’t see the car too clearly. F1s Lawrence Barretto is also there to spread some propaganda, letting us know that there are some nice design features, because I’m sure they let him up really close to get a good look at the details. The stands around the track are filled with fans, cheering and waving flags. It’s all very lovely.
Mercedes: Petition to make Technical Corner a weekly thing
Mercedes decided to launch their car at the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Heritage Facility, despite having already launched the livery a week earlier and presumably not actually launching any more bits just to show them off. “Hey guys, take a look at our new technological innovations, do you like them?” Nevertheless Toto Wolf takes the lead, philosophising about the 2026 season before throwing to a group of tech guys sitting around a table talking about power units. After the Mercedes PU chat show it’s time to throw to Technical Corner with James Allison, which is now the only format for which I will be taking in F1 technical information, so he’d better be getting his weekly lecture series ready as we speak. Disappointingly, Technical Corner eventually had to end and we’re back to Toto who has been joined by George Russell, Kimi Antonelli and new reserve driver Frederik Vesti. George and Kimi both excitedly agree the new car is super fast, while Fred just hopes he gets a chance to drive it one day. Toto then proceeds to give each driver their annual performance review before confirming that the new car probably isn’t a turd. Great.
Williams: Even shorter and sweeter (maybe?)
Williams opted for a less elaborate and much bluer version of Ferrari’s livery launch video, where the primary purpose seemed to be to make sure we all got a good read of all the sponsors’ partners’ names, but given that Williams didn’t make it to Shakedown, perhaps they had more important things to worry about.
Cadillac: An F1 car or a space launch?
Cadillac went for a hybrid launch approach, that is all the expense of a live launch event with none of the logistics – a Super Bowl advert! Whilst a little unclear if Cadillac will be arriving with a car or a space shuttle, they still checked all the boxes in terms of an F1 launch video. Given this was our first chance to get a look at a completely brand new F1 team it’s important that we use every clue to try to discern the inner workings of the team. Like most other teams, there was a big focus on people working hard together, except at Cadillac people don’t just sit typing away at computers because that’s boring (looking at you Alpine), these guys are designing everything by hand, on glass like in sci-fi films and fancy crime dramas. Definitely the future of F1 car design. They also run about urgently with suitcases, it’s like a more futuristic way of quickly and urgently passing information to a co-worker, like a better email. So futuristic. Most importantly, however, it seems they magic all the car parts together with the power of telekinesis.
The end of the video is tense as the countdown to “take off” starts while we watch the stationary car on a round plinth (which disappointingly does not spin). Does it fly or is actually just a car? The suspense. It does, of course, drive away, disappearing into the dust, which feels a bit unrealistic, because I imagine if an F1 car had to drive off a small platform onto a dusty track it would just end up tipping up a bit and wedging itself before sending a message for help like a robot vacuum cleaner. They leave us instead with the more inspirational message of “the mission begins”.
Aston Martin: Sophisticated luxury, including a cello
Aston Martin started their launch with a video, but who needs montages of action when you have a desert and an Aston Martin. No loud music or flashing lights here. It’s all calm, quiet, sophisticated, luxury. Not a good launch video for anyone with a short attention span or tired people who are easily lulled to sleep by soothing music. Lawrence Stroll kicks off the show and has become somewhat better at reading an autocue since his previous attempts, but quickly gets off stage to let us see Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. They are excited for everything about the new season. Now it’s video time again! This time a classy black and white video of the team working together to build the car, by hand though. Sketching by hand, screwing in each piece by hand. No looking at computers (Alpine). Even down to watching someone hand sketching the Aston Martin logo. I’m sure that really happened. “By design” we are told, which might be tagline that’s a little hard to stand by the first time they have any reliability issues, or Fernando gets shouty.
After the video we cut to the classical music section of the launch, because who could possibly reveal a livery without the accompaniment of a curation of Hans Zimmer originals being played live by a Swiss cellist? A few minutes in and someone must have snuck on stage to quickly remove the sheet from the car as all of a sudden, mid-music, it is revealed! It is green. Close up on the sponsors partners. Look at the partners! Especially Valvoline. LOOK AT VALVOLINE. The music ceases. Applause and out comes Adrian Newey. He is asked about his philosophy for the car, he tells us he had one and he stuck to it. Then it’s time to talk with “a world-class suite of partners”, which is three guys from Aramco, Honda and VALVOLINE. Everyone is innovating and collaborating, it’s so great. Then the drivers are back. What do they think of the car? Fernando thinks it looks good. Lance thinks it looks good too. Applause. The end.
McLaren: Papaya on everything
McLaren launched their car at their second home and test location of Bahrain, in the garage, which they made cosy with sofas as one does for a launch. It feels like the brief for their intro video was “whatever is the opposite of Aston Martin”. Images flash by with much orange papaya. And while Aston Martin invested in Adrian Newey, McLaren have splashed their winning constructor’s money on two presenters for their launch show. So high end. As Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris arrive to the garage sofas, we get a montage of the 2025 season – no need to have a whole inspirational speech about how you plan to win when you just did it last year. They have also lit up the whole of the city around the Bahrain circuit in orange papaya, just because they can. Zak Brown arrives with Chief Marketing Officer Lou McEwan to talk more about how much papaya they can get into stuff, before launching their new fan initiative where they will give fans “personalised, exclusive content.” A truly unique concept. Finally Andrea Stella arrives and they all talk about how excited they are about the coming season, before launching their car via a video, despite it literally being there right in front of everyone under a sheet. It is orange papaya.
As we cut back from the video, the car is no longer under a sheet and Lando and Oscar have had a quick outfit change into their new race suits. They both try to say nice things about the livery, which is basically the same as the last two years, while Zak just lists the names of all the sponsors partners. Andrea thinks it’s cool and racey. Extra points to him for enthusiasm. Next up is Chief Designer Rob Marshall, who literally walks through the basics of the car from front to back, explaining how things have changed since last year, which would really make a wonderful edition to James Allison’s Technical Corner weekly lecture. Sadly it seems people have other places to be and we have to move on, everyone gathers around the car to say some final positive words before they all head out of the garage to watch an orange papaya fireworks display.
Well done to all the F1 teams for taking their launches to a new level this year, or for firmly holding their ground and deliberately not taking it to any new levels. 2026 looks to be an exciting season!