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Red Bull celebrated a significant milestone on Tuesday as sister team Racing Bulls took to the rainy Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola, giving the team's new power unit its first taste of track action.

Laurent Mekies' squad have no plans to carry out a winter shakedown event ahead of the first of three pre-season tests, but Racing Bulls are operating on a different programme. Liam Lawson drove three laps in the VCARB03 machine at Imola, just days after both cars were revealed to the world in a glitzy event in Detroit.

Rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad will get his own taste of the team's 2026 challenger in a promotional event on Wednesday, sharing a maximum of 40 laps of the Imola circuit with Lawson in the team's final track running before the start of pre-season in Barcelona.

This year will be a critical one for both Racing Bulls drivers. Lawson is looking to put his name back in the conversation for a Red Bull promotion in the event that Max Verstappen leaves the team, or Isack Hadjar struggles during his maiden campaign with Mekies' squad.

For the New Zealander, Racing Bulls' reliability is a concern heading into the 2026 campaign. "I mean, immediately, to be honest, after testing, I think obviously the question mark will be reliability," he told TalkSPORT at the car launch in Detroit.

"[It will be] for a lot of teams going into the race, but we'll obviously try and figure that stuff out very quickly in testing. We'll do a lot of different styles of planned running, and I think obviously through the season, there'll be development and there'll be teams finding their way. But I think very quickly, after testing, we'll have an idea of what sort of package we have."

Lindblad, meanwhile, needs to establish himself as an F1 driver worthy of a long-term future. The 18-year-old Brit has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the junior categories, but his rookie Formula Two campaign was a tale of extreme highs and some concerning moments.

"This moment is honestly surreal," Britain's latest F1 starlet said at Red Bull's launch event. "To be introduced as a Formula One driver at an event like this, in such an iconic setting, is something I'll never forget.

"The team's vision, the new power unit, and the belief they've shown in me mean a lot. I'm ready to learn, to work, and to give everything on track as we start this new chapter together."