VideoRed Bull Racing will race this weekend in special colors at the Turkish Grand Prix, in what should have been Honda’s home race weekend in Suzuka. The white and red car is a tribute to Honda, Max Verstappen’s engine supplier at Red Bull since 2018.
The two Red Bull Racing RB16B cars of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will feature a white and red livery, inspired by the legendary Honda RA 272 car, in which American racer Richie Ginther took the company’s first Formula 1 win at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. With AlphaTauri, the hind wings will contain the one word message あ り が と う (arigato), meaning “thank you”.
Since Red Bull’s partnership with Honda was launched in 2018, the Japanese manufacturer has helped both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri reach the Formula 1 podium. With Red Bull Racing, Honda has scored thirteen wins so far and AlphaTauri took home a win at home in Italy in 2020. In total, Red Bull and Honda have so far achieved 35 podium finishes and 11 pole positions. Verstappen and Perez normally drive a dark blue car, with yellow and orange hues.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said of the livery choice: “We had all been looking forward to giving Honda’s Japanese fans a chance to celebrate our highly successful relationship in Formula 1, back home in suzuka. With the race falling victim to the pandemic, we couldn’t let the weekend go by without paying tribute to Honda and its amazing home fans by bringing a bit of its heritage to Istanbul. The livery chosen for our cars is a tribute to Honda’s remarkable journey in Formula 1. Hopefully we can give the fans another win this weekend in those legendary colors.”
Koji Watanabe, Honda communications director, added: “Everyone at Honda is deeply disappointed that the Japanese Grand Prix had to be canceled while fully understanding and agreeing with the reasons behind this decision. We especially wanted to race at the Suzuka Circuit, as it is our last year in the sport, at a time when both our teams are performing very well. We also appreciate that the Japanese fans were really looking forward to seeing Honda’s final appearance here and seeing Yuki Tsunoda in his home race. We know that a special livery cannot replace what would have been a very exciting weekend, but we hope that Honda fans around the world, especially those in Japan, will accept this special livery as a token of our appreciation for their continued support over so many years.”
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