“Special livery? We tried that once”– Mercedes warned Red Bull that their new special livery could be fatal to their title chances in 2021.
Red Bull released a special livery for the Turkish Grand Prix to thank Honda for their services in the last three years, as the Japanese manufacturers will leave Formula 1 at the end of the season.
Red Bull’s livery takes inspiration from Richie Ginther’s 1965 Mexican Grand Prix-winning Honda RA272, while the AlphaTauris will feature the Japanese script for arigato – thank you – on their rear wings.
“We had all been looking forward to giving Honda’s Japanese fans a chance to celebrate our extremely successful relationship in Formula 1, on home soil at Suzuka,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
“With the race falling victim to the pandemic, we just couldn’t let the weekend pass without paying tribute to Honda and its amazing home fans by bringing a little bit of its heritage to Istanbul.”
“The livery chosen for our cars pays homage to Honda’s remarkable F1 journey and hopefully we can give fans another victory in those legendary colours this weekend.”
Mercedes flares a warning
Meanwhile, Mercedes has come to warn their rivals of the misfortune sometimes the special liveries bring into, and the Silver Arrows are talking about the special white livery they got in Hockenheim in honour of its 125th anniversary in motorsport.
Moreover, the crew and the management dressed in vintage attire to give an aesthetic feel to the theme. However, the rain spoilt their celebrations, as Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton crashed into the wall after slipping on the wet track.
Despite the double DNFs, Mercedes went on to win the championship, but such a slip-up can potentially rule out Red Bull’s title contention.
