Inside the harmful 2026 Crimson Bull livery reveal stunt and the way it virtually went unsuitable

Crimson Bull’s 2026 livery was revealed precisely the way you’d count on from the power drink model: via an adrenaline-spiked feat of aerobatics. Czech aerobatic specialist and 2018 Crimson Bull Air Race world champion Martin Šonka used a low cobra manoeuvre to tear the duvet of the RB22 present automotive forward of its Detroit launch.

Alongside the reveal of the Racing Bulls livery, Crimson Bull kicked off the season in type at Michigan Central Station with the squad leaning into the reset that is coming to System 1 this yr. These new laws will coincide with a brand new works energy unit for Crimson Bull with Ford, whereas the livery pays tribute to the group’s historical past.

However for Šonka, the margin for error was as tight as a race at Monaco due to the truth that his aircraft’s tail needed to be low sufficient to tear off the duvet whereas staying away from the runway and automotive.

Preparations started months earlier, with the precise filming of the stunt happening in November of final yr at Airport Jindřichův Hradec, properly earlier than the latest reveal.

The harmful choreography was constructed up slowly because the pilot turned extra skilled with the motion. It started with the cobra motion in isolation, constructing as much as a small material getting used with out the automotive, then a big sheet, and solely then was the automotive launched.

To present the pilot an additional set of eyes, a LiDAR-based system was added to present audio and visible cues on floor clearance.

Martin Sonka forward of the revealing of the brand new Oracle Crimson Bull Racing livery in Jindřichův Hradec, Czech Republic on twenty eighth November, 2025.

Photograph by: Samo Vidic / Crimson Bull Content material Pool

However the minimal altitude was the final of their worries. A hazard offered itself in how the sheet could be launched when pulled from over the automotive. If it received trapped on a wing or mirror, then it may finish in tears. So a launch mechanism needed to be constructed to deal with the fabric being pulled off, accelerating from stationary to roughly 150-200km/h in beneath a second.

Filming day finally arrived with temperatures reaching lows of -3C. It was chilly within the unheated aircraft and, because of the form of the cover, Šonka overpassed the automotive roughly 200 metres earlier than initiating the cobra.

“Flying that low at that velocity appears like threading a needle blind,” he mentioned. “200 km/h, barely 1.5 metres above the bottom. The margin for propeller clearance was minimal.”

The automotive was launched to crowds in Motor Metropolis, that includes a heritage white base with a jacquard blue sample in gloss that can be seen on the group equipment.

“2026 marks the beginning of a brand new and vital period for System One and for Crimson Bull,” group principal Laurent Mekies mentioned. “We wished our livery to mirror this, whereas additionally giving a nod to Crimson Bull Racing’s beginnings.”

Photographs from Crimson Bull Racing launch

Red Bull Racing livery