Red Bull drives with white Honda Tribute livery at the F1 GP of Turkey

Honda will be leaving Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season and should enjoy its final home Grand Prix in Japan this weekend before being canceled and replaced by a race at Istanbul Park in Turkey.

To pay tribute and thank Honda before leaving Formula 1, Red Bull announced on Thursday that both Honda and its sister team AlphaTauri will be racing in Turkey with special liveries.

Red Bull’s cars will feature a predominantly white paint job inspired by the Honda RA 272, which was the first Japanese car to win in F1 when Richie Ginther won the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.

The team released a teaser video of the paint job, which maintains the Red Bull branding in a striking red color on a white base.

AlphaTauri will have the word “arigato” – which means “thank you” – written in Japanese on the rear wings of its cars in Turkey.

“We were all looking forward to giving the Japanese Honda fans the chance to celebrate our extremely successful relationship in Formula 1 on home soil in Suzuka,” said Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner.

“With the race falling victim to the pandemic, we just couldn’t let the weekend go by without paying tribute to Honda and its great home fans by bringing some of its heritage to Istanbul.

“The paint scheme chosen for our cars pays homage to Honda’s remarkable F1 journey and hopefully we can bring the fans another win in these iconic colors this weekend.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen wants to regain the lead in the drivers’ championship this weekend after losing two points behind Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in Russia.

Honda has taken eight wins with Red Bull this season, seven with Verstappen and one with team-mate Sergio Perez.

“Everyone at Honda is extremely disappointed that the Japanese Grand Prix had to be canceled, but they fully understand the reasons for this decision and agree with them,” said Koji Watanabe, Honda’s chief officer for brand and communication operations.

“We were particularly interested in racing at the Suzuka Circuit as it is our last year in the sport, at a time when our two teams are doing very well. We also appreciate that the Japanese fans were especially looking forward to the final appearance of Honda here and Yuki Tsunoda at his home race.

“We know that a special paint job cannot replace a very exciting weekend, but we hope that Honda fans around the world, especially in Japan, will accept this special paint job as a small token of our appreciation for their continued support.” So many years.”