Red Bull has become the final F1 team to confirm its launch plans for the new season. Its RB16 will appear for the first time on Wednesday 12th of February.
[smr2020test]The Honda-powered squad, which won three races last year, will therefore be the second team to present their 2020 machine. Ferrari will kick-start the launch season when it presents its new car in Reggio Emilia on the day before Red Bull.
Red Bull and Ferrari will join McLaren and Mercedes in presenting their new cars on consecutive days at the beginning of next week.
Renault and Alpha Tauri also have launch events plans for next week – the latter presenting its new identity following its transformation from Toro Rosso during the off-season – but neither has confirmed whether its new car will be presented. Racing Point’s launch on February 17th is also expected to involve a livery presentation on last year’s car.
The new cars Those three teams plus Haas, Alfa Romeo and Williams will therefore reveal their new cars for the first time when pre-season testing begins at Circuit de Catalunya on February 19th. Haas and Williams will release images of their new cars online ahead of then.
Teams will have a total of six days to test their cars, excluding their limited mileage filming days, before the first race of the 2020 F1 season in Australia on March 15th.
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Paul Spencer
3rd February 2020, 16:21
PLEASE have a cool new (not just testing) Livery…
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
3rd February 2020, 16:33
F1 should hold a 1 day event with all the cars in an arena of some sort with fans present, counting down in championship order from to 10 to 1.
If they do it within a week before pre-season testing teams will have no fear of being copied as the car will be out on track a few days later anyway.
It would launch the (pre) season properly and turn up the hype.
Just my 2cts though
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
3rd February 2020, 16:46
That sounds a great idea! Maybe they should do it at Circuit de Catalunya the day before testing starts, although it maybe some teams still won’t have their car ready the day before. I guess the other question will be how long will it take the British based teams to get their car and its associated paraphernalia through Spanish customs.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
3rd February 2020, 19:42
They tried to arrange it this year but couldn’t. Teams do not like it as it interrupts their testing plans.
Pironi the Provocateur (@pironitheprovocateur)
3rd February 2020, 20:29
Let’s just try not to be so fan-friendly and fantastically open in every aspect. Any idea about super glittery, fan-orientated show doesn’t sound too good to me, you have to count on teams assembling the cars in the last moments possible and having their intricate scheduls that should be respected in my opinion. The proposed format of revealing all the cars in one day is robbing all of us of the tension and anticipation, nearly each day before the pre-season testing there’s some reveal and you get the time nicely filled in. I think FIA and Liberty shouldn’t meddle into the team’s business, the winter break is still shorter and shorter either way.
stefano (@alfa145)
4th February 2020, 10:03
that sounds as american as it gets.
much like a big circus with animals and clowns and jugglers. not my cup of tea
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
4th February 2020, 23:25
@alfa145, @pironitheprovocateur
Not meant as an ‘American show’ thing. I just miss the days when car launches were prestigious events (roughly prior to 2008). They used to be these huge, clamorous events… heck, one might have called them a real ‘show’!
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
3rd February 2020, 16:33
I suspect the RB16 will be the car most likely to challenge Mercedes this season, so it will be great to have a look at it, not that actually looking at it would mean much to me. I’ll be disappointed if the Williams images aren’t of their real car because it will make one wonder if the car will be ready for the pre-season testing.
Qeki (@qeki)
3rd February 2020, 17:49
Well one could argue that there’s only one one week before the ones reveal one of their number one cars with the number one driver.
Sorry :)
But on a serious note season is not far away anymore!
MtlRacer (@mtlracer)
3rd February 2020, 19:15
Most liveries will not have significant changes, except for Haas and Alpha Tauri, which I am quite anxious to see both.
Rick D. (@partsguy20)
4th February 2020, 14:44
I suspect McLaren’s livery will be different, from comments I’ve seen about them supposedly going with a “retro” style livery for their sponsor (BAT). I really liked their livery last year though so hopefully it doesn’t change too much, if at all.
Also I’m sure Alfa Romeo’s livery will be modified quite a bit since Orlen is now one of their title sponsors.
Matt
4th February 2020, 20:16
Used to look forward to the unveilings but they are just a nonsense now.
Here’s our car. It won’t look like this at the first race and the livery and sponsors will look different too. But here it is.