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What happened at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed?
It’s a race, it’s a car show, it’s a rally. It features more show runs and famous faces than you can shake a stick at. All that and Stanley Tucci? It can only be the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
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The biggest motoring event in the world, Goodwood Festival of Speed was back for 2026 and hotter than ever – quite literally four days in a heatwave as Britain basks in broiling July temperatures. But there was enough action that the 200,000+ fans barely needed to talk about the weather.
Liam Lawson on track for Racing Bulls
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
01
Red Bull RB17 is a showstopper
The astonishing Red Bull RB17 hypercar created a special moment for fans as it made its debut on track at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The ultimate track car, the RB17 is powered by a naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V10 engine from Cosworth, producing 1,200hp.
At the wheel for its debut was Adrian Newey, reunited with Red Bull for this project, and it was F1’s most successful car designer who raced the car on the venue’s famous hill climb. As he pulled away to drive past the throng of fans, he put his foot down and produced the distinctive screaming engine noise of classic F1. To the thousands of fans at the event and thousands more watching online around the world, it sounded like a symphony.
F1 designer Adrian Newey with the RB17 hypercar
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The RB17 lines up ready to launch
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The RB17 hypercar powers past Goodwood House
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Yuki Tsunoda at the wheel of the RB17
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Adrian’s son, Harrison, also took the wheel as did Yuki Tsunoda, Alisha Palmowski and Isack Hadjar – France's newest F1 star making a fantastic Goodwood debut of his own behind the wheel of a classic Red Bull Racing RB8.
02
The Red Bull roster
Team Red Bull arrived in force at the festival with Oracle Red Bull Racing represented by Hadjar and Tsunoda while Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad and Ayumu Iwasa were there for Visa Cash App RB Team, F1 Academy driver Palmowski, Nikola Tsolov and born showman Patrick Friesacher all performing show runs and mingling with the fans.
From the world of rally were Sébastien Loeb, Sébastien Ogier and Johan Kristoffersson. From MotoGP, Casey Stoner joined Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts Jr and Kevin Schwantz. 'Mad' Mike Whiddett produced another breathtaking drifting show and V8 Supercars legend Jamie Whincup closed out the festival with a fiery display at the wheel of his Triple Eight Ford Mustang.
F1 Academy stars Alisha Palmowski and Megan Bruce catch up at Goodwood
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Even former Toro Rosso co-founder Gerhard Berger got in on the act. The Austrian made his debut at the event, powering the Benetton-BMW B186 that took him to his first F1 victory 40 years ago in 1986, before enjoying a balcony moment – a special celebration with Goodwood FOS founder, the Lord March, Duke of Richmond.
Asked about what it was really like to be team-mates with Ayrton Senna, the entertaining Austrian quipped: “I didn’t think about the challenge too much, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it!”
Goodwood is the best
03
Mingling with movie stars
Isack Hadjar with Stanley Tucci, Lord March, Mario Andretti and Damon Hill
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Goodwood always attracts some notable celebrities and racing stars. Lightning McQueen is both in one package as a recreation of the Piston Cup winner from the Pixar universe took to the track as part of a celebration of Americana. There was also Hollywood royalty in the form of the immaculately dressed Stanley Tucci who was a special guest and met Isack Hadjar and Mario Andretti in the driver’s lounge.
04
'Mad' Mike and the drifting stars steal the show
'Mad' Mike Whiddett brought his Pike's Peak-conquering Mazda M3
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It wouldn’t be Goodwood without a blistering display of drifting skill from 'Mad' Mike Whiddett. With his tyres smoking and engine screaming, the Kiwi is a huge favourite with the crowd, having introduced Goodwood to drifting. This year Mad Mike brought his Mazda Pikes Peak M3 – 1,400-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive hatchback. He was joined by stars Baggsy Biagioni, Elias Hountondji of Red Bull Drift Brothers in his BMW E30 and Travis Pastrana in the Brataroo 9500 Turbo – a heavily modded 1978 Subaru BRAT pickup complete with original CB radio.
05
Max Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO
Nikola Tsolov prepares to put on a show for Racing Bulls
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Up close the Mercedes-AMG GT3 which four-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen has been using to light up endurance competitions is a magnificent beast of a car. Savagely powerful and yet sophisticated, like a polar bear in a Tuxedo.
Fresh from his F2 Sprint and Feature Race victories at Silverstone, Nikola Tsolov was entrusted with the keys to the GT3 and the Red Bull Junior Team driver and F2 championship leader had great fun powering up the hill climb in this remarkable machine.
06
Supercars on show
Arvid Lindblad gets to grips with a rally car
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The Festival includes a showrun of some of the most exciting new supercars and hypercars. Aston Martin brough the RB17’s spiritual predecessor, the Aston Martin Valkyrie, and its stunning Valhalla. There was the new Toyota GR GT which will be followed by a GT3 racer for competition duties, the Alpine A110 and the Audi Nuvolari. Particularly striking was the collection from another ex-F1 designer, Gordon Murray and the S1 LM and Le Mans GTR, a pair of limited-run models inspired by the McLaren F1 GTR, and the T.50s Niki Lauda track hypercar.
In the case of the S1 LMs, “limited-run”, means there are just five in the world and they were all bought by the same collector. Last year, one was released for auction and sold for $20.63m USD (€18.1m).
Red Bull Racing cars, including the Japanese GP-winning RB21
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07
Best of Brits
The three public days of the festival featured three celebrations of British F1 World Champions. Defending champ Lando Norris was all over this year’s festival: enjoying round of applause and fireworks from the balcony of Goodwood House, driving an array of machinery around the estate, including the McLaren MCL60 and turning his hand to drifting at the wheel of a Nissan 180SX, nicknamed Liberty Walk.
The Festival marked 50 years since James Hunt beat Niki Lauda to the 1976 Formula One World Championship. And on Sunday, Damon Hill celebrated 30 years since he won the F1 World Championship and he took the Williams FW18 that drove to the 1996 title for a cruise past the fans.
08
Sébastien Loeb’s Pike’s Peak Peugeot
Patrick Friesacher performs donuts in the RB8
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Another legendary car to take on the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb was on show in the form of the record-breaking Peugeot 208, which in the hands of WRC legend Sébastien Loeb became the quickest car to ever complete the famous race. Loeb was kept busy throughout the event, also showing off his latest charger: the Dacia Sandrider T1+ which he races in the Dakar Rally.
09
Three in a row for Romain Dumas and Ford Racing
The centrepiece of the Festival is the Hillclimb competition and Romain Dumas made it three in a row for Ford Racing as he took top spot in the Super Mustang Mach-E that he also drove to the top at Pike’s Peak earlier in the year. It completes an amazing hattrick after the Frenchman did the same in the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck and the Ford Supervan 4.2.
But he didn’t have it all his own way, Dan Ticktum came close in Jaguar’s Gen 4 Formula E Prototype and the early pacesetters were Travis Pastrana in his brilliant Brataroo before he was dislodged by eight-time Rallycross World Champion Johan Kristoffersson in his Volkswagen Polo KMS 601 RX.
2026 Goodwood FoS Hillclimb top 5
Pos
Driver
Car
Time
1
Romain Dumas
Ford Super Mustang Mach-E
41.97s
2
Dan Ticktum
Formula E Gen4
42.46s
3
Alex Summers
Shadow DN4
46.30s
4
Johan Kirstoffersson
Volkswagen Polo WRX
46.31s
5
Jordan Pepper
BMW M3 Touring 24H
46.54s
10
Where can I watch the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026?
Has all of the above whetted your appetite for the Festival of Speed? Fancy rewatching all three days back at your own pace? Check out the full event replay from Red Bull TV below:
Friday
Friday – Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026
A packed programme of Hillclimb runs, F1 celebrations, rally excitement, and supercar debuts.
Saturday
Saturday – Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026
Iconic motorsport rivalries take-on the Hillclimb, along with F1 teams, drift cars and an Americana showcase.
Sunday
Sunday – Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026
Engines old and new charge the Hillclimb, celebrating motorsport’s rivalries ahead of the Shoot-Out Final.
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