Haas has released the first images of its 2026 Formula 1 car ahead of the upcoming season, featuring a predominantly white livery that highlights its new title partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing.
The American team’s online launch follows the livery reveals of Red Bull and Racing Bulls last week in Detroit, but unlike the Red Bull-owned teams, Haas claims the digital renderings released on Monday represent not only the livery of its new car but also the “design.”
Built to F1’s new regulations for 2026 — which will introduce new power units, active aerodynamics on the front and rear wings, and shorter and narrower cars — the VF-26 carries the hopes of the team’s drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman this year.
The physical VF-26 will take to the track for the first time next week at F1’s preseason test at the Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, where all ten teams will be permitted three days on track over a period of five days.
The opening test in Spain will be followed up by two three-day tests in Bahrain in February.
As has been the case since its F1 debut in 2016, Haas will continue to use Ferrari engines in 2026 as part of wide-ranging technical partnership with the Italian team that extends through to 2028.
Although Monday’s digital launch represents the first glimpse Haas’ 2026 car, team principal Ayao Komatsu said the VF-26 will evolve significantly over preseason testing ahead of the first race of the season in Melbourne on March 8.
“The car everyone will see in Barcelona won’t be the car that races in Australia, and I think that will be across the board, because it’s simply too early,” Komatsu said. “It’s different perhaps having one test two weeks before the first race, but with over a month before the first race, teams won’t stop wind tunnel development.
“Hence, the cars testing in Barcelona, and even the first week of testing in Bahrain will be less mature compared to what’s built in Australia for the first race.”
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Komatsu said the focus of the first test will be to optimise the operation of the 2026 hybrid power units under F1’s new regulations. The sport has targeted an ambitious 50/50 split between the power produced by the internal combustion engine and the power unit’s battery, meaning managing energy will become a key factor in races.
“Firstly, before we go racing, and even testing, we need to get on top of energy management, that’s the huge one,” Komatsu added. “I don’t know if we all understand the full extent of the challenge because we don’t know what we don’t know.
“Then with aero development, we’re reasonably happy with what we’ve done so far, but as with all new regulations, the question will be, is the target we’ve set good enough? When we get testing, I’m sure we’re going to see different concepts, and if we’ve missed something, we need to get on it very quickly.”
Haas finished eighth in the constructors’ standings last year following a strong end to the season, but Komatsu said it was too early to make predictions about the upcoming season.
“For the first few races, rather than setting a sporting target, it’s more a target for us,” he said. “First and foremost, get on top of PU management, then aerodynamic development.
“If we have to change direction or look at different concepts, again, we’ve got to do that promptly. To be able to implement certain things quickly, you’ve got to work as a team and have clarity on communication. These are things we’ve been doing the last couple of years, and that’s going to be tested even more, but I feel like we’re prepared.”
