Photo: Red Bull
Had this year’s Japanese Grand Prix not been canceled, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri could have given their engine supplier, Honda, a proper farewell. Instead, the two teams have chosen to honor Honda during the Turkish Grand Prix, using special liveries.
While the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda will only feature a one-word message (arigato/thank you) on the rear wings, the two Red Bull Racing RB16B cars of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will look a lot different than usual.
The team chose to pay tribute to the Japanese carmaker through a one-off livery inspired by the legendary Honda RA 272 car in which Richie Ginther secured the outfit’s first ever Formula One win at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. To clarify, this livery takes after that 1965 car specifically, having nothing in common with those iconic McLaren cars from the 80s and early 90s, which also featured white liveries with red accents.
“We had all been looking forward to giving Honda’s Japanese fans a chance to celebrate our extremely successful relationship in Formula One, on home soil at Suzuka. With the race falling victim to the pandemic, we just couldn’t let the weekend pass without paying tribute to Honda and its amazing home fans by bringing a little bit of its heritage to Istanbul. The livery chosen for our cars pays homage to Honda’s remarkable F1 journey and hopefully we can give fans another victory in those legendary colors this weekend,” said Red Bull Racing team principal, Christian Horner.
Since joining forces with Honda in 2018, Red Bull Racing secured 13 victories to date, with AlphaTauri also taking home the win in Italy last year. Together, Red Bull and Honda have amassed 35 podium finishes and 11 pole positions, with more accolades surely to come in the following months.
Right now, Red Bull is second in the 2021 Constructor Standings with 364.5 points, while first-place Mercedes holds 397.5 points.
The team chose to pay tribute to the Japanese carmaker through a one-off livery inspired by the legendary Honda RA 272 car in which Richie Ginther secured the outfit’s first ever Formula One win at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. To clarify, this livery takes after that 1965 car specifically, having nothing in common with those iconic McLaren cars from the 80s and early 90s, which also featured white liveries with red accents.
“We had all been looking forward to giving Honda’s Japanese fans a chance to celebrate our extremely successful relationship in Formula One, on home soil at Suzuka. With the race falling victim to the pandemic, we just couldn’t let the weekend pass without paying tribute to Honda and its amazing home fans by bringing a little bit of its heritage to Istanbul. The livery chosen for our cars pays homage to Honda’s remarkable F1 journey and hopefully we can give fans another victory in those legendary colors this weekend,” said Red Bull Racing team principal, Christian Horner.
Since joining forces with Honda in 2018, Red Bull Racing secured 13 victories to date, with AlphaTauri also taking home the win in Italy last year. Together, Red Bull and Honda have amassed 35 podium finishes and 11 pole positions, with more accolades surely to come in the following months.
Right now, Red Bull is second in the 2021 Constructor Standings with 364.5 points, while first-place Mercedes holds 397.5 points.
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