'A hate crime on F1 fans' - Red Bull's car launch fury

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'A hate crime on F1 fans' - Red Bull's car launch fury

One detail of Red Bull's launch left fans unhappy

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 16 January 2026 11:53

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F1 fans were unimpressed with one detail of Red Bull's 2026 car launch after unveiling their challenger in Detroit.

Despite being an Austrian-owned team, Red Bull celebrated their new era with Ford at their Detroit headquarters on Thursday night, where Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar and Laurent Mekies gathered to reveal the RB22's livery.

While the design itself impressed fans — a throwback gloss blue harking back to Red Bull's earlier years — viewers in Europe and America alike hit back at the time of the launch.

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Red Bull traded a traditional launch at their Milton Keynes base in favour of Motor City, meaning viewers in the UK had to stay up until 3am, and the rest of Europe 4am, to catch their first look at a 2026 F1 car.

US car launch prompts fury

One fan complained about the timings on X, and wrote: "The Red Bull/VCARB launch being at 3am GMT Friday should be classed as a hate crime on F1 fans...”

Another criticised the nature of the launch itself, and added: "Also this was one of the most awkward car reveals I can remember.

"They filled the room with influencers that did not care about anything but being there so the atmosphere was at an all time low, while they talked about useless tech info no one wants to hear at 3am.”

Some didn't approve of the so-called 'Americanization' of the launch, and wrote: "Lmao Red Bull, an Austrian team based in England, having their season launch in Detroit at 4am CET. Yeah of course they'd do that kind of bull****."

“Why did Red Bull have to Americanize their launch and do it at 4am," another added.

It wasn't just fans in Europe unleashing their fury, with even American audiences believing the timings of the reveal to be strange. One fan stated: "Someone tell me why the Red Bull reveal is at 10pm tonight…like it’s at 10pm in Michigan which I am in the same time zone…why the f*** would it be that late in the first place.”

Nevertheless, the actual design itself prompted a positive outpour on social media, with one fan commenting: "This is the kind of look that makes you believe before a wheel even turns."

Adjectives like 'beauty' and 'gorgeous' also dominated Red Bull's comments section, the glossy RB22 a welcome addition after years of matte.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Isack Hadjar Laurent Mekies