White livery for Red Bull Racing in Japan to honour Honda
Published on 01 April 2025 by Niels Hendrix
Oracle Red Bull Racing prepare to honour a championship winning partnership with Honda at this year's 2025 Japan GP, as part of a team takeover in Tokyo and Suzuka.
The team will pay tribute to Honda at their home race this week. To mark the final season of one of the most successful PU partnerships in motorsport history, Oracle Red Bull Racing will race a special livery, inspired by Honda’s RA272 first victory in the sport.
The striking white and red look will adorn both Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21s, when they take to the track at the Suzuka Circuit. This season marks the 60th anniversary of Honda's first victory in Formula 1 and the design concept is a tribute to the RA272, which gave Honda its inaugural win in 1965 at the Mexico GP, with American Richie Ginther at the wheel, driving under the number 11.
The livery recreates the RA272’s iconic Japanese flag motif, featuring the “H” logo on the nose and the simple Honda logo on the rear of the bodywork. A special logo commemorating 60 years since Honda’s first F1 victory will also be displayed across all four Red Bull cars on the grid.
This will be the second time Oracle Red Bull Racing have raced in white to honour Honda: the team took a double podium at the 2021 Turkey GP in a special livery, that fans have called to see time and time again.
Christian Horner, team Principal and CEO, said: “Our relationship with Honda deserves celebration, it has been one of continued success and brought the Team one of the most triumphant and dominant periods in our history. Max has won four world titles with a Honda Power Unit and the team have lifted two constructors' titles, in addition, Honda's reliability enabled to complete the most successful season in the sport's history in 2023. This livery is a tribute to Honda's success in the sport and the final year of, what has been a thoroughly enjoyable partnership. I am looking forward to seeing it out on track.”
Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), said: “It is quite moving to see the RA272 tribute livery on the latest Red Bull Racing machine, in the final year of Honda and Red Bull’s partnership. Our successful path will continue to shine in the history of F1.”
On Wednesday, there is a Red Bull Showrun – powered by Honda - through the streets of the Tokyo, featuring all four current Red Bull F1 drivers. Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar will take to the streets in a Honda RA272, the RB16B which saw Max win his first world drivers’ championship, powered by Honda and two RB7s, which won double world championships.
When Oracle Red Bull Racing hit Suzuka for race week, it won't just be the RB21 which is looking all white. Max and Yuki will wear bespoke white, red and black racesuits and both drivers have special edition Japan GP helmets for the race.
Order your scale model of the white RB21 or Max’s Japanese helmet via https://www.verstappen.com/collections/japan-collection
