Reigning world champion Red Bull on Friday became the second team on the grid to unveil its new colours for the 2023 Formula One season, which starts in Bahrain on March 5. The RB19 will be driven by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

The reigning world champion Red Bull presented its new single-seater for the 2023 F1 season on Friday 3 February. The RB19 will be driven this year by two-time world champion Max Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez.

 

The Honda-powered RB19 will have the onerous task of outperforming its predecessor, the RB18, which last season led the Milton Keynes-based team to the constructors’ championship after a long period dominated by Mercedes between 2014 and 2022. With the RB18, Max Verstappen also secured his second F1 world title in 2022.

During the presentation in New York, the Austrian team also announced that Ford will be joining the team from the 2026 season onwards and will be responsible for developing a hybrid power unit for the two Red Bull teams (Red Bull and Alpha Tauri). The American giant joins other major manufacturers such as Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Alpine.

 

 

From 2023 onwards, Ford and Red Bull Powertrains will work on the development of the powertrain that will be part of the new technical regulations, including a 350 kW electric motor and a new combustion engine capable of accepting fully sustainable fuels, ready for the 2026 season.

 

 

Ford returns to F1

“Ford’s return to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing is about the direction we are heading as a company: increasingly electric, software-defined and modern vehicles and experiences,” said Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company.

“F1 will be an incredibly cost-effective platform to innovate, share ideas and technologies and interact with tens of millions of new customers.”

 

Red Bull’s presence in the United States on Friday is obviously not insignificant as Formula One, which is owned by the American company Liberty Media, has seen its popularity explode across the Atlantic for a number of years now, thanks in particular to the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive. In addition, the Milton Keynes-based team has announced that from 2026, Red Bull Powertrains (its engine department) will enter into a partnership with the iconic American brand Ford.

Red Bull Powertrains and Ford will work together on the development of the next generation hybrid power unit that will supply engines to both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Alpha Tauri from 2026.

 

 

“At Red Bull we always strive to do things first and do things differently,” the Red Bull boss said on Friday at the RB19 presentation.

“This is the first time we have launched our season outside the UK and the first time an F1 team has launched in the US. The growth of our sport in America cannot be ignored, there are over 50 million F1 fans in the US, 72% of whom follow us, and the way the fans have embraced our team here has been very special to see.”

 

“Red Bull Racing will be in the US more than ever in 2023, not only racing, but also hosting Red Bull Showruns and the first F1 team-led road trip in America, the USA Grand Tauro, later this year.”

“We also wanted to celebrate and welcome Ford back to its home country as it becomes the new partner of Red Bull Powertrains from 2026. This will be a true strategic technical partnership; Ford will help with the battery and hybrid technology and much more to keep the team ahead of the competition.”

“I’m already very excited about the opportunities this partnership will offer us both on a global scale,”

 

 

Fans to choose three Red Bull liveries in 2023

There are no surprises in the RB19’s livery, however, as the Austrian team once again remains in line with its graphic design that has been visible for some years now. The few people apart from experts will not see any difference in the 2023 livery compared to last season’s, although noticeable is the return of the Honda badge.

As a consolation prize, however, fans will be able to vote for a special livery at the three Grand Prix events in the USA this season (Miami, Austin and Las Vegas).

 

The first event in the USA will take place in Miami in May, before two further visits to the USA in Austin and Las Vegas in the latter part of the 2023 season. Each winner of the competition will have their artwork painted on the team’s car during one of the three aforementioned Grands Prix.

“It’s all about involving the fans in the livery and appearance of the car,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner at the RB19 presentation in New York on Friday.

 

 

“We’ll have three American races this year, and we’re going to involve the fans in creating the livery for those three races. It will be a competition, it’s an opportunity and we’ve thought long and hard about it. We know that’s what people want, to be able to get involved, and they will have a chance to do that.”

To enter this unique competition, fans can visit the Red Bull Racing website or the mini site ‘The Paddock’ – follow this link to see.