(Reuters) – Formula One world champions Red Bull claimed an early pole position on Friday with the announcement they would launch their season ahead of rivals in New York on Feb. 3.
“New kit, new car, New York,” they said on Twitter.
“The 3rd February is set to be our biggest launch yet, in the city that never sleeps, New York,” the team added on their website.
“Not only is this going to be the first Formula One season launch to take place in the U.S., we’re also planning to make it the greatest in F1 history.”
Red Bull ended Mercedes’ run of eight successive constructors’ titles last season while Dutch driver Max Verstappen took his second successive drivers’ crown and Mexican Sergio Perez finished third.
The launch date is the earliest yet, with Williams next up on Feb.6.
Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri have also announced a New York launch on Feb. 11 before Aston Martin and McLaren in England on Feb. 13, Ferrari on Feb. 14, Mercedes at Silverstone on Feb. 15 and Renault-owned Alpine in London on Feb. 16.
Alfa Romeo and Haas have yet to announce their dates.
The season starts in Bahrain on March 5 after pre-season testing at the Sakhir circuit from Feb. 23-25.
America is a key growth area for Formula One, with three grands prix scheduled for the United States in 2023 including a new night race in Las Vegas in November.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond)
