Haas pushes 2026 car launch to Jan 19 amid pre‑season congestion

Haas announced that the launch of its 2026 Formula 1 car will now take place on 19 January, a week later than originally planned, due to an over‑crowded schedule at the team's new factory and the tight pre‑season calendar.

Why it matters:

• An extra week gives engineers more time to lock down reliability and packaging on the new chassis.
• The delay compresses the testing window, potentially putting Haas at a slight disadvantage versus rivals that keep to their original schedules.
• Sponsors, media partners and partner events will need to adjust their exposure timelines around the new launch date.

The details:

• Original date shifted: The rollout was slated for 12 January; the new date is 19 January.
• Root cause – congestion: Heavy usage of the newly built factory, limited wind‑tunnel slots, and a packed pre‑season calendar left the team with insufficient resources to complete final aerodynamic and structural checks on time.
• Testing remains on track: Haas will still conduct its pre‑season shakedown in Bahrain on 30 January as originally scheduled.
• Key work in the extra week: Final aerodynamic tweaks, cooling‑system validation, and integration checks for the 2026 power‑unit package.
• Regulatory clearance: FIA approval for the 2026 power‑unit integration is on schedule, so the date change does not affect homologation deadlines.

What's next:

With the new launch date set, Haas will focus on polishing its 2026 aero package and completing all packaging work before the Bahrain shakedown. The team hopes the additional week translates into a more competitive debut and keeps them on schedule for the season‑opening race weekend.