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Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Red Bull F1 Team To Race With Amazing Honda Tribute Livery In Japan Before Jumping Ship To Ford
Red Bull Racing is bringing 1960s elegance from Honda's first stint in Formula 1 to Suzuka for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. The team's RB21 cars will be decked out in a Honda RA272 tribute livery, a retro scheme intended to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Honda's first F1 win and the final year of the automaker's partnership with Red Bull. The gesture carries a bit more meaning, as Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda will debut with the team at Suzuka. A Honda RA272, with American driver Richie Ginther behind the wheel, led every lap and won the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. It was the first time a Japanese car had won an F1 race, a landmark moment for the country's fledging auto industry. In fact, Honda had only been building cars for two years at that point, with the S500 roadster debuting in 1963. The factory team would only win one more time before withdrawing from the championship after 1968. Read more: Red Bull Was Ready To Fire Christian Horner, But He Threatened Legal Action To Keep His Job: Report The RA272's striking livery was a product of its time. Sponsored liveries were banned from international competition until 1967, and F1 entries were required to compete with their car in specified national colors. As a Japanese team, Honda's car was obligated to be painted white with a red circle, mimicking the Japanese flag. The pearl white used on the RA272 is still offered by Honda on its modern models as Championship White. Red Bull's translation of the RA272 livery features a similar shade of white, differing only for weight reasons. The red sun remains at the front of the car, used as a number plate for Max Verstappen's No. 1 and Tsunoda's No. 22. The traditional red-and-yellow Red Bull logo is now metallic red on the engine cover. The modern Honda wordmark has also been swapped for the sans-serif wordmark used on the 1960s F1 car. The nosecone also features two small but meaningful additions: an era-accurate Honda logo and a decal commemorating the RA272's win. While both Red Bull and Honda are gracious in what their partnership was able to achieve, it's ending for a reason. The power unit deal reached a breaking point by 2020 over the team's lack of competitiveness. The narrative was flipped on its head after Verstappen won the championship in 2021, but it was too late to salvage the alliance long-term. Red Bull bought the engine's IP and rebranded it as a Red Bull Powertrains product ahead of the 2022 season. Red Bull will produce its 2026 power unit in-house with Ford support, while Honda will supply Aston Martin. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Express Tribune
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
Red Bull unveils striking Honda Livery for Japanese GP
Red Bull has unveiled a special white livery for the Japanese Grand Prix, paying tribute to its outgoing engine partner Honda in what will be the final home race of their collaboration. The RB21's design is inspired by the Honda RA272, the car that secured the Japanese manufacturer's first Formula 1 victory with Richie Ginther at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. The livery features a red sun on the nose, symbolising Japan's national flag, with metallic red bulls on the engine cover. Honda's logos have been altered to their 1960s versions, and the nosecone bears a memorial marking 60 years since the milestone win. Red Bull will switch to Ford power units from 2026, making this Suzuka appearance a symbolic farewell. The livery draws comparisons to the white Red Bull run at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, which also paid homage to Honda after that year's Japanese GP was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yuki Tsunoda, who replaces Liam Lawson at Red Bull, will make his debut for the team in front of his home crowd. "To be honest, I never expected to be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix," Tsunoda said during a Honda event in Aoyama. "This is the final year of Red Bull and Honda's partnership, so getting to race in Suzuka as a Red Bull Racing driver feels like fate." Tsunoda, 24, acknowledged the challenge ahead but expressed hope for a strong performance. "My priority is to first understand the car, how it behaves compared to the VCARB. If I can naturally enjoy driving it in FP1, then the results will follow. And if that leads to a podium finish, that would be incredible." The Japanese GP marks a significant chapter in Red Bull and Honda's history, with the special livery serving as a final tribute to their success together in Formula 1.
