Red Bull’s new RB19 will run for the first time during a shakedown at Silverstone next week but the version shown at today’s launch is currently “not a total reflection” of its 2023 car.
At a high-profile launch event in Manhattan on Friday, Red Bull confirmed a future partnership with Ford from 2026 onwards, somewhat overshadowing the wider focus on the upcoming season and car reveal. The chassis that was displayed at the Classic Car Club (pictured above) is not the final RB19 but the new car will hit the track for the first time in the UK in a week’s time. Then there will be further developments introduced ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain that team principal Christian Horner admits will make for a different version that runs in public.
“I think the car that we’ve shown today will be somewhat different when you see it in Bahrain,” Horner said. “Today was really about launching the team’s aspirations for the year ahead, the partners that we have and of course the exciting partnership we have with Ford.
“To do it here in the U.S., in this market, is the first time ever for Red Bull Racing. So yes, what you’ve seen today obviously isn’t a total reflection of what will hit the track in Bahrain in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Red Bull has traditionally launched a basic specification and introduced major upgrade packages in the final days of pre-season testing, something Mercedes also did last year ahead of the first race in Bahrain.
