One of Formula 1's biggest ever rules refreshes is upon us, making 'launch season' more intriguing than ever as we get a chance to see the all-new cars before they hit the track.

The reveal took place at the Detroit Free Press Breakfast Club series, which included GM President Mark Reuss and auto titan Roger Penske.

From Detroit in the United States to Berlin, Tokyo, and Barcelona, Formula 1 teams have announced their plans for 2026 cars and liveries ahead of season testing in and the season start in Melbourne.

Audi has completed the first laps of its all-new Formula 1 project at Spain's Circuit de Catalunya. Audi completed its takeover of the Sauber project coming into 2026 and is racing this year as a fully-fledged manufacturer team, meaning it will build its own car and engines.

The new F1 season starts on 8 March in Australia – and teams are putting the finishing touches to their new cars. McLaren won both world championships in 2025 with Lando Norris claiming his first drivers’ title at the last race in Abu Dhabi, pipping Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to top spot.

Hyatt Hotels has announced that the World of Hyatt will become the Official Hospitality Partner of the new Audi Revolut F1 team, marking Hyatt’s first foray into Formula 1. The deal will see branding on the car livery as well as on drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.

The cars will have to conform to fresh design rules in 2026 - will they be more popular than those which governed the past four seasons?

Formula One is making extensive changes to the powerunit, chassis and aerodynamics for 2026, which we'll cover in this series of articles.