Photos of the special Red Bull / Honda livery finally revealed!

Once is not custom, Red Bull will be dressed in white this weekend, for what should have been the last home Grand Prix of the illustrious Japanese brand: Honda. Finally canceled due to the delicate health situation, the event will finally be held in Turkey, on the Istanbul Park route. News which did not, however, prevent the Red Bull group and its engine partner from celebrating the end of a three-year partnership, and nearly fourteen successes in the premier category.

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Red Bull wears white, Alpha Tauri a thank you message

Sublime is surely the word that could suit this RB16B dressed all in white, in what would be a tribute to the no less famous Honda RA272, first car victorious in F1 of the Japanese brand in 1965, in the hands of Richie Ginther. For its part, AlphaTauri will display a thank you message in Japanese on its rear wing, intended for Honda and its fans.

“We were all looking forward to giving Japanese Honda fans the opportunity to celebrate our hugely successful relationship in Formula 1, at home in Suzuka, specifies Christian Horner, boss of the Red Bull team, in the team's press release. With the race falling victim to the pandemic, we couldn't let the weekend pass without paying tribute to Honda and its incredible fans by bringing a bit of its heritage to Istanbul. The livery chosen for our cars pays tribute to Honda's remarkable journey in F1 and we hope to be able to offer fans another victory in these legendary colors this weekend. »

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At the heart of a weekend which should have allowed Japanese fans to return to F1 after a year of absence, and their new national driver, in the presence of Yuki tsunoda, these new liveries will still allow a high-flying partnership between the two brands to shine throughout the world (until the world title(s) at the end of the year?).

“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 testimonial of our gratitude for their continued support over so many years,” explains, despite the disappointment, Koji Watanabe, director of brand operations and communications at Honda.

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Over the last three seasons, Red Bull has won eleven pole positions thanks to the power of the Honda engine, for thirteen victories – including twelve for the only Max Verstappen – and no less than thirty-five podiums. And how can we not mention the XXL service of Pierre Gasly last year at Monza, at the wheel of his modest AlphaTauri. The Frenchman achieved a historic success for the team, the first since that of Sebastian Vettel in 2008, on the same circuit. This is also the only victory with a Honda engine for Red Bull's sister team, whose base camp is located in Faenza (Italy).

At the end of the year, Honda will finally withdraw from the world of F1, after three successful years alongside the energy drink giant. The Red Bull group will also still benefit from Japanese power units at the end of the year, following intense but fruitful negotiations. However, it will now develop them alone, in its factories in Milton Keynes (United Kingdom), from 2023 – the engine regulations being frozen for 2022.