Photo: Via Redbull
Redbull has just teased a livery for the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix that will pay tribute to a classic Honda Formula One car.
On October 10th, Red Bull Formula One cars will feature a largely white livery accented by flourishes that harken back to the very first Japanese car to win an F1 race, the 1965 Honda RA272. The weekend is going to be a special one.
That's in part due to the fact that had the schedule gone ahead as planned, this weekend's race was supposed to be held at historic Suzuka Circuit in Japan. Due to the global health crisis, the location was changed, but Red Bull didn't want to miss out on the chance to honor Honda. The Japanese carmaker will be exiting Formula One after this season.
Koji Watanabe of Honda drove the point home saying "We were especially keen to race at Suzuka Circuit, as it is our last year in the sport, at a time when both our teams are performing very well." The end of the road for Honda in Formula One makes this move by Red Bull all the more impressive.
Since joining forces in 2018, Red Bull, AlphaTauri, and Honda have seen incredible success together. They've scored 11 pole positions, 35 podium finishes, and 11 outright victories in that short window, which might not be closing if Honda wasn't leaving the game.
All of this makes the tribute livery that much more special. Much like the RA272, the bulls running this weekend will be largely white with a couple of Red Bulls taking the place where the circle of the sun rested on the 65' car.
AlphaTauri has gotten in on some of the fun too. Both their cars and the Red Bull cars will run with the Japanese phrase Arigatou or "Thanks" in Japanese on their wings throughout the weekend. It's clear that even at the top of the motorsports world, where billions of dollars are spent every year, there's still room for sincerity and gratitude.
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