Red Bull unveils launch date for 2022 RB18 F1 car

Red Bull became the eighth team to confirm when it would unveil its new model ahead of the new season by posting a teaser on Twitter on Thursday.

In a short video featuring defending world champion Max Verstappen, and including prominent coverage for sponsor TAG Heuer, Red Bull announced its new car would be unveiled on 9 February.

It means Red Bull is currently slated to be the first team to reveal its car ahead of the new season, launching the RB18 one day before Aston Martin’s unveiling on 10 February.

Red Bull is set to put fans at the heart of the launch by giving the chance for up to 5,000 of them to stream the event via their own social platforms, allowing them to “curate and host the story of the 2022 season launch” and “deliver a multi-channel fan first experience”.

Williams and Haas are now the only teams yet to communicate their launch plans ahead of the new season.

Red Bull will enter the 2022 season looking to build on its title success with Verstappen last year, which marked the team’s first championship since 2013.

Verstappen clinched his maiden world title by overtaking Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the race in Abu Dhabi, capitalising on a late-race restart that sparked controversy.

Red Bull opted to skip over the RB17 car name that was originally planned for its 2021 car prior to the majority freeze in the technical regulations for last year, which prompted it to rename the car the RB16B.

Verstappen will be joined once again by Sergio Perez, who scored one win and four further podium finishes through his maiden season at Red Bull, finishing fourth in the drivers’ standings.

2022 will be the first season where Red Bull does not enjoy a fully-fledged partnership with engine partner Honda, which ended its works involvement in F1 at the end of last season.

But Honda is set to continue its direct supply to Red Bull until the end of 2025 thanks to the engine freeze, allowing Red Bull Powertrains to gain concessions as a new entrant from 2026.

Verstappen has already confirmed that he will race with #1 on his car through the 2022 season as world champion, marking its first full usage in F1 since Sebastian Vettel in 2014 when permanent numbers were introduced.