Red Bull says arigato to Honda

It will be sad to see Honda and Red Bull Racing going their separate ways after the 2021 Formula 1 season, especially considering their performance this year. The Japanese automaker announced last year that they will be leaving the sport. Instead, Honda will funnel resources into the research and development of power units such as Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) and Battery EV (BEV) technologies.

To make their last few races with Honda more memorable and to show their appreciation to the Japanese automaker, Red Bull has given their F1 car a makeover. Instead of the signature dark blue and yellow colors they've used since the start of the season, it's now painted in white and red. While the livery and sticker placements appear to remain unchanged, the words “ありがとう” or “Arigato” have been added on the side. For those unfamiliar, it translates to “Thank You” in Japanese.

Honda and Red Bull have been partners since the 2019 Formula 1 season. However, it wasn't until the current 2021 season did the team achieve their best results yet. As it stands, Max Verstappen is only two points behind Lewis Hamilton in the driver's championship. It's the same with the constructor's championship, with Red Bull being slightly behind the Mercedes F1 team.

The one-off Honda tribute livery will make its race debut at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix this weekend. Hopefully, the unique Red Bull paint job will bring the team some extra luck for the upcoming race. It would be nice if Honda could win the driver or constructor's championship before their exit from the sport after this season.

What do you think of the special Red Bull livery as thank you to Honda? Personally, we like it as it reminds us of the old Honda Formula 1 cars that briefly competed in the 1960s.