Red Bull to race with white Honda tribute livery in F1 Turkish GP
Red Bull has announced it will race with a special one-off white livery to pay tribute to outgoing Formula 1 engine partner Honda at this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix.
Honda will exit F1 at the end of the 2021 season, and was set to enjoy its final home grand prix in Japan this weekend prior to its cancellation and replacement with a race at Istanbul Park in Turkey.
To pay tribute and give thanks to Honda ahead of its departure from F1, Red Bull announced on Thursday that both it and sister team AlphaTauri will race with special liveries in Turkey.
Red Bull’s cars will race with a predominantly white livery inspired by the Honda RA 272 car, which became the first Japanese car to win in F1 when Richie Ginther took victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.
The team released a teaser video of the livery, which retains the Red Bull branding in a striking red colour against a white base.
AlphaTauri will feature the word ‘arigato’ - meaning ‘thank you’ - in Japanese writing on the rear wings of its cars in Turkey.
“We had all been looking forward to giving Honda’s Japanese fans a chance to celebrate our extremely successful relationship in Formula 1, on home soil at Suzuka,” said Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner.
“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 colours this weekend.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will be aiming to regain the lead of the drivers’ championship this weekend, having slipped two points behind Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in Russia.
Honda has scored eight wins this season with Red Bull, seven courtesy of Verstappen and one via team-mate Sergio Perez.
“Everyone at Honda is extremely disappointed that the Japanese Grand Prix has had to be cancelled, while fully understanding and agreeing with the reasons behind this decision,” said “Koji Watanabe, Chief Officer for Brand and Communication Operations at Honda.
“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. We also appreciate that the Japanese fans were particularly looking forward to seeing Honda’s last appearance here and Yuki Tsunoda driving 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 small token of our appreciation of their continued support over so many years.”
Related video
The opportunities and headaches of F1’s 2026 engine plans
F1 2021's final seven races: Where Red Bull or Mercedes is the favourite
The 0.759% shift that created F1 2021's thriller
Formula 1’s craziest title fight in years was long in the making. GP RACING reveals how a tiny swing - in absolute terms – equated to a big change in the balance of F1 power in 2021
The historic clues that offer hints of Hamilton’s next move
OPINION: Uncertainty over Lewis Hamilton's future has persisted since the race direction call that denied him an eighth world title in Abu Dhabi last month. But while walking away would be understandable, Hamilton has time and again responded well in the face of adversity and possesses all the tools needed to bounce back stronger than ever
What the FIA must do to restore F1’s credibility
OPINION: The first stage of the 2022 Formula 1 pre-season is just over a month away, but the championship is still reeling from the controversial results of last year’s finale. The FIA acknowledges F1 has had its reputation dented as a result, so here’s how it could go about putting things right
The six F1 subplots to watch in 2022 as a new era begins
As Formula 1 prepares to begin a new era of technical regulations in 2022, Autosport picks out six other key elements to follow this season
Why newly-retired Raikkonen won't miss F1
After 349 grand prix starts, 46 fastest laps, 21 wins and one world championship, Kimi Raikkonen has finally called time on his F1 career. In an exclusive interview with Autosport on the eve of his final race, he explains his loathing of paddock politics and reflects on how motorsport has changed over the past two decades
Unpacking the technical changes behind F1 2022's rules shakeup
Formula 1 cars will look very different this year as the long-awaited fresh rules finally arrive with the stated aim of improving its quality of racing. Autosport breaks down what the return of 'ground effect' aerodynamics - and a flurry of other changes besides - means for the teams, and what fans can expect
Why new era F1 is still dogged by its old world problems
OPINION: The 2022 Formula 1 season is just weeks away from getting underway. But instead of focusing on what is to come, the attention still remains on what has been – not least the Abu Dhabi title decider controversy. That, plus other key talking points, must be resolved to allow the series to warmly welcome in its new era
The Schumacher trait that will give Haas hope in F1 2022
Mick Schumacher’s knack of improving during his second season in a championship was a trademark of his junior formula career, so his progress during his rookie Formula 1 campaign with Haas was encouraging. His target now will be to turn that improvement into results as the team hopes to reap the rewards of sacrificing development in 2021