MUCH-MISSED ELEMENT OF F1 GRID REVIVED FOR MIAMI GP WITH STUNNING RACING BULLS LIVERY

Racing Bulls will race in yellow at the Miami Grand Prix, returning a much-missed colour to the F1 grid for the first time since 2020.

© Red Bull Contentpool
Racing Bulls

Racing Red Bullls have unveiled a vibrant yellow special livery for this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, marking the return of a much-missed colour to the Formula 1 grid for the first time since 2020.

The striking design, inspired by the Red Bull Summer Edition Sudachi Lime energy drink, will adorn the VCARB03 at the Miami International Autodrome, restoring yellow to F1's colour palette after a six-year absence.

Renault was the last team to field a yellow car before rebranding as Alpine in 2021, but that was predominantly black in later years.

recent memory, Jordan raced bright yellow cars during the late 1990s until the name left F1 at the end of 2005.

Before Red Bull owned the team that is now Racing Bulls, Minardi also ran a bright yellow car in 2000 due to its sponsorship with mobile network giant Telefonica.

This marks Racing Bulls' second one-off livery of the 2026 season, having already run a special white and pink design at the Japanese Grand Prix in March.

Due to the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix postponements, the Faenza-based squad has now deployed special liveries for half of the four rounds contested so far this year.

The reveal took place at Kiki On The River, a waterfront venue along the Miami River, where Red Bull wakeboard athlete Guenther Oka launched off a ramp and backflipped over the car whilst pulling away the cover mid-air. Drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad witnessed the unveiling whilst arriving on Ski-Doos.

Peter Bayer, CEO of Racing Bulls, said: "Miami has become a special place for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls to express who we are as a team. For the past two years, we've used this race to showcase something bold and unique, and this latest livery is no exception.

"The Red Bull Summer Edition livery brings a vibrant energy which reflects who we are as a team, creative and willing to push boundaries. We're very excited to give wiiings to the new seasonal flavour and bring the distinctive design to track this weekend."

The livery features bold yellow colouring complemented by citrus patterns on the team kit, capturing the textures found inside the sudachi lime fruit. The VCARB03 will hit the track in the custom livery when practice begins on Friday.

- RacingNews365 Staff

FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS

 

RED BULL UNVEIL THROWBACK F1 LIVERY FOR 2026 SEASON AT DETROIT LAUNCH EVENT

Red Bull has unveiled a throwback blue livery for the upcoming 2026 Formula 1 season at a launch event in Detroit.

Red Bull has partnered with Ford for the new engine era and unveiled the glossy electric blue look at the company's Detroit base on Thursday night at Michigan Central Station.

As part of F1's new era of regulations, Red Bull is manufacturing their own engine in collaboration with the U.S. car company for the first time since it joined F1 in 2005.

Red Bull and Racing Bulls are the first teams to unveil their liveries for 2026.

Max Verstappen and new teammate Frenchman, Isack Hadjar, who stepped up from Racing Bulls last year, were in attendance.

In a statement, the team said the RB22's livery marks "a return to the gloss finish first seen when the team made its debut back in 2005.

"To acknowledge this bold move, the RB22 will wear a livery inspired by Red Bull's original look in F1. It harks back to a more classic Red Bull Racing presence, sharpening reflections, boosting contrast under the lights and making heritage elements of the new livery feel richer and more premium at speed."

Team principal Laurent Mekies said: "2026 marks the start of a new and significant era for Formula 1 and for Red Bull. We wanted our livery to reflect this, while also giving a nod to Red Bull Racing's beginnings. We are in F1 because of the dream of one man, Dietrich Mateschitz, and several years later, he had another dream, to create an engine.

"This livery is designed to celebrate that spirit that we entered the sport with. In the year that an Oracle Red Bull Racing car carries a Red Bull Ford Powertrains PU for the first time, it felt only right to reflect some of our history in our livery."

Verstappen said everyone is "very excited.

"The colours have," Verstappen added, "changed a little bit. It is much better. I like the shine, blue is my favourite colour. I like the outlines on the Red Bull logo. It is back and much more fresh. It is all still a bit unknown with the engine and the dimension of the car has changed a bit.

"For us drivers, initially it will take a bit of time to adjust and important on test days to get our laps in and optimise as much as possible. It is always better to have an ending like that (2025) and everybody is excited to start a new chapter."

RED BULL

Max Verstappen will use number 3 from 2026 -- the number of his ex-teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Red Bull Content Pool

Laurent Mekies said the livery was a "nod to Red Bull Racing's beginnings." Red Bull Content Pool

(L-R) Pierre Wache, Technical Director, Isack Hadjar, Max Verstappen, Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull GmbH MD, Laurent Mekies, Team Principal, Alisha Palmowski, F1 Academy driver and Phillip Prew, Technical Operations Director Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team photo at the joint launch event in Detroit. Joe Gall / Red Bull Content Pool

- ESPN

'A LOT OF DRAMA': MCLAREN BOSS ZAK BROWN WEIGHS IN ON CHRISTIAN HORNER'S RED BULL DISMISSAL

Imago

McLaren Racing chief Zak Brown said he was unsurprised by the dismissal of Red Bull boss Christian Horner, but the timing was a little unusual.

Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision, but thanked Horner for his work and said he will "forever remain an important part of our team history."

Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls replaced Horner in his role as team principal and chief executive of the Red Bull team.

Horner had been Red Bull team principal since it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005. He had performed his team and media duties as normal throughout the British Grand Prix last week.

Brown, who has an extensive rivalry with Horner and Red Bull, said he was not taken aback by the decision to let Horner go, but did wonder about the timing.

Left to right: Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen. Getty

"Maybe the timing but not the result," Brown said when asked if he was shocked by the news.

"There has been a lot of drama there over the last couple of years, so it doesn't seem like that drama has been calming down -- maybe it's been getting worse.

"So, I'm not surprised, any time in the middle of the season. But we're head down on our championship.

"They've got Max [Verstappen] still knocking on the door, so we've got to pay attention to that. But, yeah, tremendous amount of success they've had."

Horner is the latest in a series of high-profile executives to leave the team over the last year and a half. Car design great Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley departed for Sauber, which is soon to become the Audi works team. All of these changes have followed the 2022 death of Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire co-founder of Red Bull who created its F1 project.

The announcement also comes more than a year after Horner was accused of misconduct toward a team employee.

An investigation conducted on behalf of the Red Bull company dismissed the allegation, as did a further investigation conducted after the employee appealed against the initial ruling, Red Bull said at the time.

Horner remained in charge of the F1 team throughout the entire process.

Horner oversaw eight F1 drivers' titles — four for Sebastian Vettel and four for Verstappen — and six constructors' titles during his time with the team.

But McLaren has dominated this season in F1, while Red Bull's performance has dipped, though defending champion Verstappen remains third in the standings and the team is fourth.

As for Horner, Brown believes the former Red Bull boss will land on his feet.

"Given his age and his history in motor racing, I'd be surprised if he didn't show up somewhere in motor racing," Brown added.

"But I don't know his other interests, whether he wants to go run a football team or what have you. So, we'll see."

-  Sacha Mirzabegian, with AP

HELMUT MARKO REVEALS MAX VERSTAPPEN "NOT HAPPY" AFTER LIAM LAWSON EXIT

According to Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen is "not happy" with Red Bull's decision to replace Liam Lawson after just two race weekends.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Getty Images

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that four-time champion Max Verstappen is "not happy" after the team decided to drop Liam Lawson ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. 

After just two race weekends of his rookie Formula 1 season, Red Bull announced that Lawson is moving back to its sister team Racing Bulls, and Yuki Tsunoda will be taking the spot alongside Verstappen from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards. 

The Milton Keynes squad assessed both Lawson and Tsunoda in the latter stages of the 2024 season to decide who would replace Sergio Perez in the team for 2025. Despite the Japanese driver's four-year experience in Racing Bulls, they opted to sign Lawson, citing his ability to consistently perform under pressure. However, after just three races, including the sprint race in China, the team has made a U-turn on this choice. 

After the announcement was made yesterday, Marko has revealed to De Telegraaf that Verstappen is not happy with the decision. He explained:

"We know Max is not happy. But we need two cars at the front. Not only for the constructors' championship but also to help Max to his fifth world title. Then you can achieve more strategically in races. We can use Yuki's experience and form now. That counts.

"At the end of the day, that is to the advantage of the team, and that also means to the advantage of Max."

Speaking before the team made the final decision, Marko also explained why the team didn't choose Tsunoda in the first place:

"Yuki was too inconsistent. That's why we unanimously decided on Lawson. But under the increased pressure, he couldn't deliver, right from the first day in Australia. Then he went into a downward spiral. It's like a battered boxer; it's very difficult to get out of it. In that sense, it was a mistake."

The Japanese Grand Prix weekend is the first opportunity Tsunoda will have to get behind the wheel of the RB21.

- Lydia Mee

YUKI TSUNODA: CHRISTIAN HORNER HINTS AT RED BULL EXIT AFTER 2025

Yuki Tsunoda will represent experience and continuity at Racing Bulls next year but, passed over for promotion, the Japanese looks to be running out of road at the Red Bull-owned Formula 1 team.

A flurry of Red Bull announcements culminated on Friday with 20-year-old Isack Hadjar confirmed as Tsunoda's teammate.

The Frenchman takes the seat vacated by New Zealander Liam Lawson, who joins four times champion Max Verstappen at the main team after Mexican Sergio Pérez was dropped.

Tsunoda, 24, will be starting his fifth year with the team previously known as AlphaTauri and RB and has close ties to Red Bull's engine partners Honda.

The Japanese manufacturer is leaving Red Bull at the end of 2025, however, to work with Aston Martin.

"We're acutely aware that if we're not able to provide an opportunity for Yuki [at Red Bull] in all honesty this year, does it [keeping him on] make sense?," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told reporters.

"You can't have a driver in the support team for five years. You can't always be the bridesmaid. You've either got to let them go at that point or look at something different."

Horner said he had spoken with Tsunoda, a fan favourite currently enjoying time off in Japan, and the driver was determined to show what he could do.

"I think he's very determined. He knows that things change very quickly," the Briton said. "Who would have thought nine months ago that we'd be sitting here talking about Liam Lawson being our driver for 2025?

Yuki Tsunoda missed out on a drive with Red Bull in 2025. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

"Things change quickly in this industry and he's aware of that and he knows that he needs to be the one demonstrating that he's the one knocking on the door."

Italy-based Racing Bulls, who have had several name changes after Red Bull bought Minardi in 2005 and renamed them Toro Rosso, have always been a feeder for the title-winning main Milton Keynes team.

Drivers to have come through their ranks include four times world champions Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen as well as race winners Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz.

Hadjar is one of a group of young prospects coming into the sport and Red Bull also have Arvid Lindblad as an exciting talent on the horizon.

Horner rates the 17-year-old, who has both British and Swedish nationality, particularly highly after a strong rookie season in Formula 3 including a Silverstone double win.

Currently without a super-licence, Lindblad will be seeking the necessary points in New Zealand early next year before a full F2 season that could set him up for promotion in 2026 at Tsunoda's expense.

- Reuters