The Red Bull Racing RB22 is a Formula One car designed and built by Red Bull Racing to compete in the 2026 Formula One World Championship. It is currently being driven by four-time World Champion Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, in his first season with Red Bull after his debut season with Racing Bulls the previous year. The RB22 is the first Red Bull Racing car to be powered by a Ford-branded power unit, and marks Ford's return to the sport after the sale of the Jaguar team to Red Bull GmbH at the end of the 2004 season. Technical Director Pierre Waché oversees the chassis development for the RB22 with Technical Director Ben Hodgkinson of Red Bull Ford Powertrains overseeing the engine development.
Background Regulation changes
For , the Formula One regulations received significant changes revolving around the car's aerodynamics and engine. Due to this, the RB22 features significant changes from its predecessor, the RB21. The RB22 is the first Red Bull car since the RB14 of to not be powered by a Honda power unit, following the Japanese manufacturer's move to Aston Martin as its works engine partner.
Livery
A bespoke event was held on 15 January 2026 in Detroit to unveil the RB22 and VCARB 03. The livery marked a change from the matte dark navy blue of previous cars to a glossy blue and black colour scheme, accompanied with a "jacquard" pattern.
Competition and development history Opening rounds After a decent start to the weekend at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen crashed in the first qualifying session, and did not set a time. Meanwhile, Hadjar qualified 3rd, behind the Mercedes duo, in his debut race for the premier team. During the race, Hadjar had an engine problem on lap 11, and retired. Verstappen finished the race in 6th position, behind reigning champion Lando Norris. The team did not fare better at the Chinese Grand Prix: finishing outside the points during the sprint, the Red Bulls found themselves outqualified by the Alpine of former Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly, and Verstappen suffered gearbox issues that forced a retirement while Hadjar finished behind Oliver Bearman (Haas), Gasly, and sister team driver and former Red Bull seat holder Liam Lawson. The team dropped to fifth behind Haas. In Japan, Pierre Gasly kept Verstappen at bay in the majority of the race, thus staying in 7th, with Hadjar in 12th behind Nico Hülkenberg's Audi.
Due to the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix being cancelled, Red Bull was one of the teams that brought upgrades to the next outing in Miami. Verstappen fared better as he got points both from the sprint and the main race but Hadjar, who had originally qualified in the top 10 but was then disqualified due to a technical infringement and started the race from the pit lane, faced a difficult weekend as he crashed on lap 6 at the main race. The next Grand Prix in Canada, was once again a sprint weekend with Verstappen finishing 7th and Hadjar 21st. In the main race, Verstappen claimed Red Bull's first podium in 2026, finishing 3rd and Hadjar finishing 5th, despite having a ten-second time penalty when battling Charles Leclerc.
Mid-season rounds In the Netherlands, Verstappen crashed on the first lap while Lawson took Hadjar's place due to a wrist injury and finished 7th.
Complete Formula One results
Year Entrant Power unit Tyres Driver name Grands Prix Points AUSCHNJPNMIACANMONBCNAUTGBRBELHUNNEDITAESPAZEBHRSINUSAMXCSAPLVGQATABU Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford DM011.6 V6 t rowspan="3" *rowspan="3" * Liam Lawson Source: Season still in progress.
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